My beloved Clubman needs a new engine.There are serious metaliic sounds coming from it plus a lot of smoke. I had to have it towed to my local shop. A compression check shows that cylinder #3 is 30-40 psi below the other cylinders. My shop can obtain a used engine with 72K miles and 3 year warranty for $4K. Parts and labor will total to about $7K. I can't see putting that much back into it. Vehicle only has 94K miles on it. I just had a new turbo installed about 3 months ago. The car's interior is almost perfect. The body is in great shape. Prior to the problem, she ran fantastically. As you can see from the photo, I have some nice JCW GP2 wheels. I have been looking online for other Clubmans in the Midwest (I live in the Grand Rapids, MI area), but they all have more miles than this one. I am gun-shy on swapping out an unknown motor. Any suggestions? I hate to sell the car for scrap. It is too nice for that.

 

Car does look nice, especially with the GP2 wheels! I always kept my eyes out for some for my old Clubman, but never found a set for a reasonable price.

Looks like its a pre-LCI? N14 engine? How good are you around the shop? Since the engine needs work anyway, might be an excellent opportunity to learn. I would pull the head and see what you see. Best case, burnt or cracked valve and it will just need a head rebuild. Worse, the engine needs to be pulled and rebuilt. If you can handle taking your time and learning, you can save a bunch of money doing the work yourself.

 

I've had this discussion/exercise with many people over the years.

The way I always look at this breaks down to a cost analysis.

If you spend $7000 on this vehicle now, you get a vehicle with a known service history and you enjoy/love the vehicle. You can't buy another vehicle like that for $7000. You'll need to spend 5 figures to put yourself in to a vehicle with similar mileage and a warranty, and it's likely you're not getting a 3 year warranty on a used vehicle unless you purchase that separately - you state that the used engine does have this length warranty.

Personally, mechanical issues are the easiest for me to justify repairing and continue ownership with. Body damage repair is more problematic, as well as being more expensive, and can present problems that are unapparent initially.

Whichever decision you choose, please DO NOT sell that beautiful clubbie for 'scrap'. If you're unwilling to repair the motor, there will be plenty of people (myself included) willing to invest in it and enjoy every mile left in it.

 

You make some good points - I may take that approach. Thanks

 

You are correct about a replacement vehicle. I have been researching 1st-generation Clubmans, and most have more miles than mine and are not in as good condition. I am not going to scrap the car. At this point, I may have it towed back home and explore engine replacement or repair options. The good news is that I don't have an immediate need to get it back on the road. Let me know if you know of any other sources for a replacement engine. Thanks for the response. - Kevin

 

There are several companies out there who supply/sell used or remanufactured engines. If you're not doing the work yourself, the shop performing the job for you should be consulted, as they may not install/warranty something that you purchase yourself.

Good luck! - Matt

 

In addition to the financial side of this equation, you clearly care about the car and have taken excellent care of it. If I had one that was that nice, and loved the car, there's no way I'm getting something else for the cost of the engine. I'm with Nik in atleast getting a diagnosis on what's wrong before an engine swap unless the shop has already given you that.

 

Actually Nik didn't recommend a diagnosis....he stated that he'd pull the head and inspect. Big difference there.

And yes - the OP stated that the shop has given him a low compression reading on cylinder 3, so it's safe to say that they've diagnosed this to some level.

 

Definitely find out what's going on before committing one way or another. Understanding what is wrong will help you make a better decision concerning the cost of investment or loss.

 

Sounds like the timing chain may have slipped and bent a valve. As mentioned, pull off the valve cover and install the cam tool to check the mechanical timing of the engine.