R16 engine

[Tynan]

Just curious on a ballpark for a running r16. I have a busted u20 wondering if r16 is cheaper. Sr20s are like gold now. Just curious where to look for r16

[david premo]

What is wrong with your U20? It might not be as bad as you think.

[Tynan]

What is wrong with your U20? It might not be as bad as you think.

Sometime in the 80s-90s timing was done wrong. A valve broke in half.

[david premo]

That might be very fixable.

[Tynan]

That might be very fixable.

I guess I could tinker on it

[funkaholik]

Running R16s can be had cheap if you keep a look out. Posting a wanted ad in the appropriate section here is a good start. I bought a whole rusty but great running parts Roadster for $600 and once bought a running early R16 for $200. It could be a cheap and easy solution to get your 2000 back on the road while you take your time fixing the U20 if the issues turn out to be serious enough. Then you could pass the R16 along to the next guy who needs one cheap.

Maybe we should start a loaner R16 program to get a bunch of non-running Roadsters back on the road...

[FergO2k]

What Erik describes sounds silly, but is not, and has the potential to keep much more on the road, not forsaken.
Early in my roadster career I saw an ad for an R16 that had been forsaken, bought it and a HF engine stand.
18 months later I sold it back to someone else for what I paid for it, hoping it would get someone's project one more step along.
I would do it again in a hot second, given the chance. (what else am I gonna do, buy an MG? and learn to swear about wiring issues in an English accent?)

[Tynan]

I guess it wouldn't hurt to pull it apart and take a look. It's overwhelming but u20 internals are EXPENSIVE. I have all the time in the world to work on it I guess. I assume there are u20 diagrams in the tech wiki. Thanks guys

[david premo]

Just get the head off and have a look. After that you can make a decision about the best way to go forward.
Dave

[Gregs672000]

I guess it wouldn't hurt to pull it apart and take a look. It's overwhelming but u20 internals are EXPENSIVE. I have all the time in the world to work on it I guess. I assume there are u20 diagrams in the tech wiki. Thanks guys

I'm with Dave... open it up and see what you have. Parts are not that killer, and if you're on a budget and patient you can often find good used parts, like a set of oversized pistons, or a good used rod. Valves, seats and guides are typical $ I think. The gears are now reasonable thanks to all the vendors, and the reality is I ran used gears for years after Dann at Rallye looked them over and told me (a poor college student) what had to be replaced. My oil pump has never been changed... 300k miles on it? Works fine. These are pretty simple engines, and depending on what the situation is you may be able to build one on a budget that meets your needs for many many years. The hard part is finding a good machine shop these days!

Post pics, we're here to help...

[Tynan]

Guess I can't mess it up to much more . Bought an engine stand. Now I need to do some reading. Thanks everyone. Please don't mind the mess

[david premo]

PM sent

[Gregs672000]

Ya, thinking the valve seats are pretty worn/pounded into the head (no threads/adjustment left) except for one that's got LOTS of threads... uh oh. Scribed!

[Tynan]

Ya, thinking the valve seats are pretty worn/pounded into the head (no threads/adjustment left) except for one that's got LOTS of threads... uh oh. Scribed!

This is my first time dealing with an engine. I see what you're talking about now. So besides a valve(s), what else do I need. My mechanic also said probably wouldn't hurt to have the head and block checked out

[Gregs672000]

Well... while these engines are relatively straight forward in design, it will need to be dissasssmbled and then evaluated by someone who knows engines. From what I see the head will likely need significant work/complete rebuild. If a valve has contacted the piston it has likely caused damage that may require a replacement piston, and all pistons may be worn out. If they are you may need to go to the next size piston, which means the cylinders need to be bored to the correct size by a machine shop. It will at least need to honed (cylinder bores surfaced and prepared for new rings). If things are really bad then the block itself may be damaged beyond repair...

So, I know Dave sent a PM... He knows his stuff and may be making recommendations on next steps or resources. It would be great if someone on the list is close by and can come spend some time and remove the head. Everyone who builds an engine starts with their first one, so this is not something you are incapable of doing. It is however like being a new mountaineer about to do his first climb... you're going to need a lot of new equipment (tools), a path to follow (manual and some basic knowledge), sherpas/guides to set the ropes and climb with you, and the $ to fund it. Most importantly THE DESIRE. First one is a steep climb, but you CAN do it. Start with reading the manual in our tech wiki about this engine, seeing the drawings of internals and developing an understanding of how it works together. This is helpful even if someone else builds the engine, you'll have some understanding and may opt to do some or all of the assembly yourself with guidance. If you're honestly not mechanically inclined or just don't have the desire to learn about this stuff and build an engine that's totally cool... Doesn't mean you have to give up on the car, but now you're back to locating a replacement in good shape that you can learn to maintain like any other car of its era. The U20 is a desirable engine and even if broken it may have use able parts others may need.
Hope that helps!