So.. I've been dealing with overheating issues for longer than I care to remember. I finally gave up and decided to bring our '03 R50 into a mechanic to get his opinion. Turns out he's "fairly certain" that the head's cracked. Hairline near a valve he says. This was my biggest fear, and he confirmed it.

With the mileage we have on it (and the length of time that it has sat off-and-on with coolant in the oil) there's no way I can just put a new head on, I've got to swap the whole motor out.

I'm so sick over it I could puke.

Anyone have an old motor in decent shape collecting dust that they're willing to part with relatively cheap?

 

Sorry to hear about your troubles...what's your budget?

-Jorge

 

Thanks, Jorge.

Well, there's a certified used one here near me with 68k miles on it for $2500 and another with 110k for $2200. I'm trying to do it for as cheap as possible, but that $300 difference makes me lean toward the lower mileage one (obviously).. But, the less it costs, the better..

 

My friend's BMW shop has a good used 1.6l NA engine. What are you located?

 

Also, what is the mileage on the damaged engine? How long did it sit with coolant in the oil?

 

I'm a bit north of Tampa, FL. Don't let that discourage you though, if the price is right I'll carry the darn thing home on my back by myself.

The motor in the car now has 151k miles on it. It really didn't sit all THAT long with coolant. When I noticed it getting in there I changed the oil every few days (once or twice a week). I've since put a stop leak in the coolant and no longer see any coolant in the oil at all. There was maybe a month between when I first noticed it in there and when i decided to go the stop-leak route.