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Engine swap recommendations

LCR280

Active Member
May 21, 2018
25
1
Has anyone got any engine swap recommendations that they may have seen/done? Not looking for something to mad, or a hard fit
 

Brimfull

Active Member
Nov 7, 2018
1,385
418
Wrexham
Someones been watching car throttle on youtube lol

leon mk1 cupra
I have actually watched it and keep laughing to myself as I also believed a rotary engine can be reliable.

I used to own a rx8, original engine failed at 45k, engine rebuild at a cost of £1900, premixed with 2t oil on every tank fill up (which is very often) oil changed every 5k miles using 10w/40 mineral oil as recommend by rotary revs, top spec ds585 ignition coils fitted and oil topped when needed (again very often) engine weekly taken to rev limit once warmed up again the advice from rotary revs and never ever was the engine switched off before getting up to temp, this all resulted in the rebuilt engine lasting.......25k miles!!!!!!

On conclusion you can't make rotary engines reliable
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,907
538
bristol
Has anyone got any engine swap recommendations that they may have seen/done? Not looking for something to mad, or a hard fit

In all my years on here i've never seen or heard of anyone doing an engine swap. Not really any need when the 1.8T can be taken to crazy power once everything is forged and you have a huge turbo. If you did one then i think you would be the 1st
 
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LCR280

Active Member
May 21, 2018
25
1
It’s got a blown head gasket mate, and done 130k, got quoted about 7500 to forge the engine
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,907
538
bristol
It’s got a blown head gasket mate, and done 130k, got quoted about 7500 to forge the engine
As leoncupra says above, that;s a crazy price mate.......The pistons and crank are fine as they are on the 1.8t, it's only the rods that need to be forged (£600 ish) then you need the top end rebuilt and may as well fit a new turbo too. Speak to bill @badger5 if you want a fair price. https://badger5.co.uk/

On a side note are you 100% sure about the headgasket? They are usually bulletproof on these motors, even at high miles.
 
Last edited:

LCR280

Active Member
May 21, 2018
25
1
As leoncupra says above, that;s a crazy price mate.......The pistons and crank are fine as they are on the 1.8t, it's only the rods that need to be forged (£600 ish) then you need the top end rebuilt and may as well fit a new turbo too. Speak to bill @badger5 if you want a fair price. https://badger5.co.uk/

On a side note are you 100% sure about the headgasket? They are usually bulletproof on these motors, even at high miles.
Well I kind of thought it was abit much tbh haha, thought maybe on like an evo etc it may be about that, so just left that at that lol, will have a look at badger 5, if I’m aswell as getting the engine forged then I will just do that, and yeah had a second mechanic go over it yesterday and he told me straight away mate
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,907
538
bristol
Well I kind of thought it was abit much tbh haha, thought maybe on like an evo etc it may be about that, so just left that at that lol, will have a look at badger 5, if I’m aswell as getting the engine forged then I will just do that, and yeah had a second mechanic go over it yesterday and he told me straight away mate
 
May 26, 2024
8
5
Cornwall
As leoncupra says above, that;s a crazy price mate.......The pistons and crank are fine as they are on the 1.8t, it's only the rods that need to be forged (£600 ish) then you need the top end rebuilt and may as well fit a new turbo too. Speak to bill @badger5 if you want a fair price. https://badger5.co.uk/

On a side note are you 100% sure about the headgasket? They are usually bulletproof on these motors, even at high miles.
I would like to add out of the 2 people I know with 1.8ts, including myself. Both of them have blown headgaskets! My car is almost at 190k miles so I can't say I'm surprised, and my mates is at 165k but his has gone alot more severely than mine lol.
 

mty12345

Active Member
Jun 17, 2011
3,907
538
bristol
Well yeah at 20+ years and 195k miles any headgasket is likely to start failing. This conversation was more than 5 years ago, and on the whole, the 1.8t headgaskets were a lot more durable than engines with less than half the power. Plenty of other motors where they have failed at 6 or 7 years and less than 100k

I've been on this forum almost 13 years, and you could probably count on one hand the amount of people who've blown a headgasket on the 1.8t, even when running high boost.
 
May 26, 2024
8
5
Cornwall
Well yeah at 20+ years and 195k miles any headgasket is likely to start failing. This conversation was more than 5 years ago, and on the whole, the 1.8t headgaskets were a lot more durable than engines with less than half the power. Plenty of other motors where they have failed at 6 or 7 years and less than 100k

I've been on this forum almost 13 years, and you could probably count on one hand the amount of people who've blown a headgasket on the 1.8t, even when running high boost.
Yeah that's very true, most if the headgaskets we've done at work have been on way more modern vehicles, funnily enough alot of mid 2010s fords lol. I'll keep honest, I didn't notice how old the thread was lol
 
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