Help - anyone who knows owt about cars

[Shooms]

On the way back from Quad on Sat night got confuddled with directions getting out of town & a last minute swerve to get onto the right road meant I went over a dividing kerb thingy..

Coz my car is well low (306 cab) the kerb ripped something nasty underneath, I pulled over immediately as me engine was smoking coz oil was pissing out...

Got green flag out for recovery n the guy reckoned it was a new engine job as he reckoned the conrod had gone thru the engine... altho he didn't really have a good look...

I've got my insurers garage picking it up tomoz for assessment...

They said they can normally go up to 60% of the market value before written off... now parkers have given me the following deets (I bought it for 7 grand):

Peugeot 306 Cabriolet
1.8 SE 2d 2002/51
Insurance Group 12 (get a quote)
Average mileage: 30,000 miles
Cost New ('02) £ 17495
Franchised Dealer £ 7140
Independent Dealer £ 6840
Private Good £ 6545
Private Poor £ 4880
Part Exchange £ 6070

Plus this doesn't take into account 6 grands worth of ICE...

Does anyone know how much a new engine & labour is likely to be (if worse case situ it needs it) or advise on what else it might be... there#s a big flap of metal hangin off underneath at the front of the car about a foot back which looks likes its from summat square...

Soz for being vague but I am useless with motors but any input v v gratefully rec'd...

Whilst I am taking this on the chin n rolling with the punches in a manly way I am bleeding inside me chest lol If this car is writen off I would be heartbroken...

 

[Str33tb0y]

hello fella, i can help you here,

recon engine usually about £600 and the cost of thelabour will come in at around £3000.

You could get it done cheaper if you know some1, but if you goto a dealer thats the kinda figure im sure they will be talking about.

I would imagine they will fix it depending how easy it is for them to get a recon engine for that car.


and mate I knoe exactly what you are feeling like everytime i scratch mr car, or do something silly like scuff an alloy on a curb its like some1s kicked me in the nuts. I scratched my brand new baby this weekend cleaning it! to say that i was upset was an understatement....feel for ya mate hope it gets sorted or you at least get somewhere near the value of the car.

If they do write it off bruv then argue like hell for the value of the car do not accept their first offer whatever u do

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

Sounds like you've knocked the sump off.
This would dump all the oil out of the bottom end.
If so, then its possible it's chucked a rod, but unlikely I'd have thought...

With no oil in the engine it'll run hotter & hotter until eventually it'll seize...
If it seizes up under load (ie running) then lots of things can happen (rods etc). I'd expect you'd have to run it quite a while with no oil for it to seize solid tho.

Did you run the engine for long after you clattered it? Do you know if it's definitely seized?

I'd have thought maybe a couple of grand for swapping the lump, but it depends on how much you can get a replacement for... New-ish car like that I'd have thought you'd get one from a scrappy for not much, then it'd be a fair bit of labour... tbh if they'll write it off & pay you out reasonably, that'd be the way I'd go. There's no guarantees how well or how long it'll run on a recon engine, and you'd need a mechanic you can really trust.

 

[Northern Star]

Awww shooms you have no luck with cars do you

Maybe ask jen cus her engine blew last yr on her golf....im sure she will have weighed up the pro's and con's mabe be able to shed a bit info your way

 

[Shooms]

Cheers lads for the replies...

I literally pulled over within 10 secs of it happening.... the engine was still running ok but just roaring...

I'm praying to god it's just the sump but as I'm clueless I thought I'd ask around lol

If it's just the sump I'm guessing that's a far far cheaper job with no engine replacement ?

 

[Shooms]

lol just googled engine sump...

it's deffo this that's gashed open n hangin down

 

[Str33tb0y]

yeah that looks like a sump to me....should be too bad if its just the sumnp if its done more damage gawd knows mate

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

If it's "just" the sump, then the best course will really depend on the state of everything else...

I'd expect that if it had thrown a rod, then "you'd have known about it"...
It would have sounded like an army of hammers fighting an army of chisels in a metal dustbin filled with bits of scaff pipe and tinfoil (ie expensive & not nice)... if this is the case then all bets are off... you're looking at an engine swop...

If the engine still turns over (it should even run) then you might have been lucky and done the sump but not damaged the engine. There's no way to tell for certain 100% without stripping down/rebuilding the engine, but it'd probably be worth a punt sorting out any leaks & running it gently for a while to see how it goes.

How easy the repair (or indeed the engine swap) will be depends on a couple of other things though... Mainly whether anything structural got bent when you clouted the kerb. To take the sump off you'd have had to really belt it, so the chances are all is not well with the mounts/suspension/running gear at the front. If this is the case, then it could well cost more to sort than the engine (and it will certainly be much more difficult to get this "right" again).

If I were you, I'd find out the state of the engine first off, then really check over the engine bay for damage (anything buckled/bent etc) then get the thing up on a ramp & checked over properly underneath. If you're lucky, and the underpinnings are all fine, then I'd take a punt & get the motor fixed. If more engine work, or work on the underneath is required, then I'd walk away.

 

[PepeLePew]

Did you feel the wheels knock on the kerb? You could have done some suspension damage as well as killing the engine. Did you have a look when you got out if the bodywork and wheels looked normal? You might have even twisted the chasis. This will add considerable cost to a mere engine swap.
Did you not have your install noted and insured?
If they do write it off, then it may be a good idea to ask to buy it back off them. You can then decide to rebuild it (given no/little body damage). Or just to reclaim your install. At worst case you'll be able to sell off your install and make some d'oh if you're feeling really enthusiastic you could strip the car for parts and sell them on one of the pug forums or fleabay.
Depending on where it is I've got a mate in Macclesfield that could do you an engine swap for a reasonable price.

 

[Str33tb0y]

If it's "just" the sump, then the best course will really depend on the state of everything else...

I'd expect that if it had thrown a rod, then "you'd have known about it"...
It would have sounded like an army of hammers fighting an army of chisels in a metal dustbin filled with bits of scaff pipe and tinfoil (ie expensive & not nice)... if this is the case then all bets are off... you're looking at an engine swop...

If the engine still turns over (it should even run) then you might have been lucky and done the sump but not damaged the engine. There's no way to tell for certain 100% without stripping down/rebuilding the engine, but it'd probably be worth a punt sorting out any leaks & running it gently for a while to see how it goes.

How easy the repair (or indeed the engine swap) will be depends on a couple of other things though... Mainly whether anything structural got bent when you clouted the kerb. To take the sump off you'd have had to really belt it, so the chances are all is not well with the mounts/suspension/running gear at the front. If this is the case, then it could well cost more to sort than the engine (and it will certainly be much more difficult to get this "right" again).

If I were you, I'd find out the state of the engine first off, then really check over the engine bay for damage (anything buckled/bent etc) then get the thing up on a ramp & checked over properly underneath. If you're lucky, and the underpinnings are all fine, then I'd take a punt & get the motor fixed. If more engine work, or work on the underneath is required, then I'd walk away.

sound advice that

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

hehe when you've bought as many lemons as I have...

 

[Shooms]

Did you feel the wheels knock on the kerb? You could have done some suspension damage as well as killing the engine. Did you have a look when you got out if the bodywork and wheels looked normal? You might have even twisted the chasis. This will add considerable cost to a mere engine swap.
Did you not have your install noted and insured?
If they do write it off, then it may be a good idea to ask to buy it back off them. You can then decide to rebuild it (given no/little body damage). Or just to reclaim your install. At worst case you'll be able to sell off your install and make some d'oh if you're feeling really enthusiastic you could strip the car for parts and sell them on one of the pug forums or fleabay.
Depending on where it is I've got a mate in Macclesfield that could do you an engine swap for a reasonable price.

I was turning right to get onto the road I want to so went 'over' the bottom tip the the triangle dividing kerb thingy... it was driving/steering ok until I pulled over & afterwards had a good look when it was up on the greenflag trailer.... no bodywork/wheel damage (all was straight) & underneath look ok to me....


Deffo didn't hear any dustbin full of metal parts noises

Ahhh well - thanks for all the replies lads - much much appreciated

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

Sounds like you might have been lucky then mate (hope so... crossed fingers here...)

In that case (as you love the car), I'd say it's definitely worth spending a few quid to get underneath checked over. If that's all hunky, and the engine fires, then you can just slap on a new sump & gasket, fill er up with oil & light the blue touch-paper.

Still not out the woods though, as other stuff may now come to light... best case, gaskets... worst case summat's bent inside the motor & it goes bang terminally.

As for the insurance, it'd be worthwhile putting in some time backing up your valuation of the car with as much evidence as you can... photographs, ads for the same model, bumf about your ICE install (with prices etc), all of it can be checked & will help your case.

If there is 6k worth of loudness then it's definitely worth buying the write-off back from the insurer to reclaim it, and you can still sell on what's left... Beware of the new laws on cars kept "off the road" though... you don't want some nonce from the council towing it...

Gutted for you man... I know what it's like weighing up choices like this... Only advice I can give is try not to let sentiment cloud your judgement... Believe it or not there are plenty of other motors in the sea, and letting heart rule head over this will probably end up biting you in the wallet.

 

[Shooms]

Just turned over the engine & it's loud but works.... I am slightly worried that the thing that was hanging down that I assumed was the oil sump has just come off in my hands n it's a rectangular piece of metal about 10 inches ny 16 inches that's also got a sheet of glass in it :S wtf is this - part of my car or the road ?? lol

 

[Danny C]

Defo need to get it on a ramp and looked at asap. At least yours is taxed and given the Police vigilance around there won't get towed to Bolton to await death in the crusher (although mine was saved in the end)!!

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

sorry it's not a better pic (only one I could find)

looking from underneath the car, that's the sump lol... basically a cast steel bucket which holds all the oil in the engine. Does the bit which fell off look like some/all of the bucket? I've seen ones with perspex panels in em, and there'll be a bolt in there at the lowest point which you remove to drain the oil out the engine to change it.

 

[Shooms]

sorry it's not a better pic (only one I could find)

looking from underneath the car, that's the sump lol... basically a cast steel bucket which holds all the oil in the engine. Does the bit which fell off look like some/all of the bucket? I've seen ones with perspex panels in em, and there'll be a bolt in there at the lowest point which you remove to drain the oil out the engine to change it.

Mate you a star ! That's exactly what it is... that thing that fell off in me hands in I'm guessing the engine tray & now that's out the way it's clear there#s a gash in my sump - many thanks mate

 

[Judderz]

If your engine was still running, there's not a cat in hells chance you have bust a con rod, engine would seize instantly, sounds like you have ripped ya sump open, and nothing else, the fact you pulled over straight away was a good thing, as minimal damage has been done (to the engine anyway)

Don't turn it over when there's no oil in it, you'll seize the fucker, as for it being loud when you did, no sump on it, nothing muffling the noise from the crankshaft, it will be noisy.

 

[Elev8/Levit8]

I disagree. It's entirely possible to run a motor dry (ie without lube).
It's not recommended, and it WILL overheat & seize after a time, but if you're only talking a second or two to check things out, then you should be fine. Especially if the motor's previously been running OK.

It's not guaranteed that you'll cause catastrophic damage by any means, but it's not something to be done lightly, and it certainly won't do the engine any good.

 

[Shooms]

Frig me I'm chuffed to nuts

Just had confirmation that it's economical to repair & it's only the sump, nowt more (touch wood until they finish the job like), & managed to wangle in on the same claim me passenger wing mirror some cnut booted off a few weeks ago & also the bumper damage that happened last Sat day :$ lol

I'll consider meself v v v v v v lucky *phew*

Pickup is likely to be Sat 10th June & until then I'm gerrin a Nissan Micra 1.2 whoohooo lol