R10 MOTOR REBUILD

That thing must have sat with the rocker cover off. I have here the old engine off my 205GTI and it has sat outside for 5 years and it is still oily under the rocker cover. Go to any wrecker and find a car that has not been touched for years and take the rocker cover off. It'll be oily. If the water seals at the bottom of a Sierra engine are not disturbed (do not leak), there is no way water can get to the sump so crankshafts can survive decades without problems too.
Nope, not the case at all, rocker cover was in place and gasketed correctly and engine was never exposed to moisture. You need to explore what the combustion products of petrol are and how these may enter engine oil in a worn engine, once in the sump these products can evaporate on hot days and move as gases and will cause rust on exposed surfaces. Also explore how oil responds to gravity. If you leave an engine sitting long enough where does oil go to? I have heaps of engines sitting around and it’s my experienced opinion to check the areas I suggested before spinning them but each to his own
 
Hi :)
Just for a conversation about starting these old motors after sitting for quite a while. The motors are rugged and reliable BUT it has been my limited experience that if the top of the bores has a bit of rust and you just crank them you will break the top ring land and let the ring pieces out to wreak havoc. Possibly the same problem JohnW talked about.
A much better idea is to put oil down the plug holes and gently hand turn the motor and reverse turn it also if a bit tight. Do not do more than that till it is free and no tight spots. Better to look a bit more first though if you want a good motor for the long haul. Clean shiny and oiled is always a good starting place for mechanical bits.
As said the correct sleeve protusion is crucial for sealing and easy to get right, but not so well known by people who are not familiar with motors that have sleeves.
Good luck Jaahn
Agree all that. The top ring failure is a high mileage fault, sadly occurring when the motor is running. Suddenly drops to three cylinders on idle, maybe a bit rattly. Turn off and dismantle!!
 
I would trawl ebay, you never know what you find. Last I have seen piston liner kits they were cheaper from the US of all places where there seems to be some NOS Renault parts sloshing about probably because they never sold that many and owners just threw the cars away instead of repairing them.
Yes, but check the US postage too.... If you think Europe is expensive, try some of the US suppliers. There's one "Renault Guy" on Facebook with parts in Florida. Ring Colliers in Sydney first perhaps.....
 
Ha. True. Not up to speed anymore but I think I got a lot of parts off that guy (or someone in Florida) because I remember distinctly wondering what the heck are Renault parts doing in Florida?!
 
Nope, not the case at all, rocker cover was in place and gasketed correctly and engine was never exposed to moisture. You need to explore what the combustion products of petrol are and how these may enter engine oil in a worn engine, once in the sump these products can evaporate on hot days and move as gases and will cause rust on exposed surfaces. Also explore how oil responds to gravity. If you leave an engine sitting long enough where does oil go to? I have heaps of engines sitting around and it’s my experienced opinion to check the areas I suggested before spinning them but each to his own
That is the problem with experience. Yours is different to mine. Either way, if you read my original post I suggested an inspection under the rocker cover before a start attempt exactly because nobody knows what's under there until one opens it up.

As for oil draining, yeah, it does that. But if you explore the laws of Physics a bit beyond gravity you will find capillarity and adhesion that makes oil a very good wetting fluid (by design I take it), which in the case of oil works for you and no matter how long you leave something oily to drain, there's still some oil that will need to be cleaned off.

Dunno what happened in your case, maybe you're right, combustion gases can corrode metal easily, but I think you'd need a rather clapped out engine to contaminate the oil so much that it will end up looking like your picture. Would be interesting to know.
 
Last edited:
There was Jacques Rear-Engined Renault Parts too, but in San Diego. He's closed down but/and has a huge stash of parts - I've no idea what, if anything, is happening to them.
 
Thanks all for your advice/comments. Gratefully accepted. I can remember many moons ago replacing a set of liners, think it was successful but can't remember if it was in an R10 or a mates R4. Early days in this rebuild, still deciding what route to take.
 
Ha, yeap I remember the San Diego guy as well. I don't think I bought anything off him, but yes, there was a good source of Renault parts in California.
 
Last edited:
I remember his emails well - always in full capitals!

He came out to one of the musters as I recall, and didn’t seem a bad bloke.
 
I remember his emails well - always in full capitals!

He came out to one of the musters as I recall, and didn’t seem a bad bloke.
That's him. I remember those capitalised messages! I missed that Muster but others said the same as you.
 
Top