Who can rebuild engine?

[RichardIRL]

My van's 1108cc engine unfortunately overheated on the motorway, only months after I had had the head gasket work rebuilt.

Derek (Renospeed) kindly took a call from me and told me that if I have head gasket failure after it has been repaired then it’s likely to need an engine rebuild. He said that if the cylinder liners are not protruding enough above the engine block deck (they should protrude a minute amount) - this causes cylinder head to be crushed where compression seal is.

So I now need either somebody to rebuild engine or get a new 1108cc engine. Does anybody happen to know who might be able to help with either of these?

Thanks!

 

[edwin]

Paul Cunningham in Worthing is great at things mechanical on Renaults and R4's in particular . But he is in Worthing. I had to ship my car to him. I did A frame it back home after his attentions.

 

[malcolm]

Did the head gasket get torqued down again after a few hundred miles? They do need that after settling. Assuming that wasn't done and there is no water in the oil then checking the head for flatness and another gasket might fix it

 

[RichardIRL]

Hi all, thank you all for your response!
I don’t remember anything happening yet after a few hundred miles. The garage has checked it and told me I need a new engine. Would anyone have a tip about where I might find one of those?

 

[JdeW]

The source to look for is of course France https://www.leboncoin.fr/recherche?text=renault+moteur+cleon
But rebuilding a R4 engine yourself isn't that hard, just need some basic DIY skills, basic tools, a good torque wrench, a left and right hand (two left hands is out of the question), some time, some patience and good manuals and tutorials and your done.

 

[Cornish4]

One thing is pretty sure, you're not going to find a new engine. If you buy a supposedly rebuilt one you can't be certain its been done to the correct standard, causing you more aggro down the line. I would say your best course of action is to get your engine rebuilt by a reputable engine rebuild company in your part of the world. I think there is quite a strong classic car following in Ireland, so there must be a company that serves that market.

 

[JdeW]

One thing is pretty sure, you're not going to find a new engine. If you buy a supposedly rebuilt one you can't be certain its been done to the correct standard, causing you more aggro down the line. I would say your best course of action is to get your engine rebuilt by a reputable engine rebuild company in your part of the world. I think there is quite a strong classic car following in Ireland, so there must be a company that serves that market.

Maybe https://robertsengines.ie/ located in Wexford.
Isn't Wexford the place where R4's were assembled?
Just a thought.

 

[Cornish4]

This company sounds ideal, it won't be cheap I'm sure, but they look very professional, and it should come with a guarantee I would say. Plus you should get their advice regarding running in your engine.
JdeW you are right, R4s were indeed assembled in Wexford from the early 70s right through to the mid 80s.

 

[RichardIRL]

Maybe https://robertsengines.ie/ located in Wexford.
Isn't Wexford the place where R4's were assembled?
Just a thought.

Thank you JDeW and others this is very helpful