Tom Johnson's Rebuild??

["Al Powell" <APOWELL@agcom.tamu.edu>]

> From: "Tom Johnson" <nuggets@spacelab.net>
 
> It's still hard for me to believe that my engine could be dead at under 
> 100K miles, but this is what his explaination was:  He said that my 
> compression is only ~50-60 psi per cylinder (which unfortunately 
> confirms what my first mechanic said) and was probably caused by the 
> fuel leaking into my cylinders.  He said this could be caused by me 
> cranking the engine when it was stalled (in the attempt to start it 
> again) or by an ignition system problem which he hasn't bothered 
> looking into further since its useless at this point. 

Tom - I don't argue with the mechanic's findings that your 
compression is low - the figures don't lie (?).  I DO agree with a
later post that you should ask for a wet and dry test - the oil will 
seal the rings, and if the compression REALLY comes up, you know that 
it is the rings and not the valves which are the problem.  But if it 
doesn't, your rings are fine and you only need to pull the head and 
do the valves!

What I REALLY want to argue with is his reasoning!

HOWINHELL can you damage rings by cranking the engine while it's 
stalled????  Can't Happen!!  You'd have to wear out a starter a week 
to to do this!  If this were a real cause, no engine would last over 
six months.  Bull s**t.

HOWINHELL can it be an ignition problem??  Can't Happen!!!  The 
ignition has NOTHING to do with mechanical wear in the cylinder 
walls.  It has to do with igniting the fuel/air mixture at the right 
time.

Mo' Bull s**t.
 
> Apparently, 
> enough fuel got into the cylinders without igniting and mixed with the 
> oil and presto - wore out the rings.   

Mit apologiezen zu der brudders....  BBZZZTT.  I don't buy this 
either.  For your rings to wear from excessive fuel, you'd have been 
running so much gas thru that you'd be lucky to get 2 MPG, and I 
don't see how the engine would run at all under those conditions.  Fuel 
can't just wash thru there - the engine has to run, too, and if it's 
too rich, it won't run.  

Again, no argument with the situation - but your mechanic sounds to 
me like he's blowing smoke (etc...).  His explanations are NOT 
acceptable to me.  Take time to think through what he's talking about 
and it doesn't add up.  Sure, your engine may be shot - but the 
reasons he's talking about do NOT explain it.
 
> A used engine is going to run me $675 plus installation and a rebuilt 
> one is outrageous (got prices from $2,000 and up, not including 
> installation).  Considering the amount that I could get another Audi 
> for and that getting a new engine still isnt going to solve my ignition 
> system problem, Im going to scrap the car.  So unless someone can prove 
> this mechanic wrong, I'm afraid that my Audi is dead.

What's wrong with having another mechanic look it over, test 
compression (wet and dry) and give you an opinion?  It might cost you 
$50 for a tow and $60 for an hour's labor for the test.

I don't know that I'd trust ANY motor I could buy for $675 
used....unless I had it bench-tested to check compression just the 
way you did this one.

And about that $2,000 rebuild - who sez?  Have you proven that you 
NEED a TOTAL rebuild?  What about fixing what's wrong with it and 
letting it go at that?  I grant you that a total rebuild would 
probably run that much, but I would seriously consider it IF you want 
to keep the car.  If not, put in the cheap engine, dump the car and 
get another Audi.  Don't mechanics consider taking an engine apart 
far enough to fix what's wrong, then repairing it and re-assembling?  

This does become a philosophical problem - if you do rings, will you 
have to re-bore and do pistons?  If you do just rings, can you use the old 
rod bearings (I vote yes, if they gauge out OK...)?  If you pull the 
head, should you do the valves at that time?  And if so, will that 
stress the rod and crank bearings?  These are questions on which you 
must take your own best guess.

> I would greatly appreciate any input on this situation (i.e: your 
> mechanic is full of it as gas wont wear out the ring, or there's no way 
> gas can get into the engine to wear it out.)  I need to get my car out 
> of my mechanics shop ASAP, so any responses by tommorrow would be 
> great.

Think it over and maybe you'll want another opinion.  I'm really not 
comfortable with the story you're getting.
 

Al Powell                           Voice:  409/845-2807
107 Reed McDonald Bldg.             Fax:    409/862-1202
College Station, TX 77843           Email:  a-powell1@tamu.edu 
W3 page - http://agcomwww.tamu.edu/agcom/satellit/rpe/alpage.htm
"Baseball is 90 percent mental.  The other half is physical"...
...Yogi Berra.