what should i do?

[mike1300sr]

Basically today my 1300 engine started to get a missfire and puff out a decent cloud of smoke when i change gear.My bro reckons i should rebuild the engine which i think would cost around 150.But i think i should go 2.0 8v.
What would you do in this situation lol :confused:

[Lee]

What colour's the smoke? Ill guess its white, in which case your head gaskets probably gone, in which case a rebuild is probably a bit of a drastic course of action lol.

If its blue smoke, then yeah, possibly time for a rehone and some rings, and you may as well do shells and bearings at the same time. Could also be headgasket though.

Rebuild or big block? Id take the big block every time, but thats only my biased opinion lol. I dont know your insurance situation, or your spannering skills. Expect the conversion to cost more than a rebuild if you can't do it yourself.

[mike1300sr]

lol tht was a quick reply,the smokes blue

[Lee]

As above then matey. Sounds like you may have a ring problem or its possible you have a blown headgasket if an oil gallery's broken into a cylinder, but a compression test will probably give the same results for either fault.

Best bet is to whip the head off and inspect the gasket and go from there pal.

[Mushy]

Same thing happened to my 1.28v , Valve stem seals went which caused it to use more oil and smoke !

Rebuild the 1300 sounds like the more sensible idea, learn how to fix it rather than move onto different block altogether to skip the repair.

[Stuart]

smoke under load tends to mean bores, smoke on overrun (lift off the throttle) then its the stem seals.

[Lee]

Aye, and stem seals tend to give you a bit of warning by smoking like feck on startup in the morning as they let a bit of oil through into the chambers.

[Nobby]

fack it go big block ;)

[ade]

21ltr 8v would be good but can yo8u be bovvered with the increase in fuel/tax?

I'd fix the 1.3 engine - cheaper in the long run...might not be as much fun but who cares!

[mike1300sr]

if i was to decide to stay with the small engine what could i do to give it a bit more go?

[Lee]

Headwork (gasflowing and porting out) and a cam will give nice results to start off with. Skys the limit though. Twin carbs, some pistons and bore work, and you can have a really good little engine.

Or fit the SEH and have the power straight away lol

[mike1300sr]

sorry to be a pain but are these all the extra bits i need for the conversion. Nova GTE tank,gte pump,cavalier accelerator cable.

[Lee]

Go to the articles section, theres a full guide in there.

[Adam]

Fit a 1400 for half the price a rebuild will cost.

[Mushy]

You`d be suprised how much fun a 1300/14008v with 4branch,40s,uprated camshaft and good timing can perform.

[John]

Put a 1.4/1.6 in.;)

[just vaux trev]

seh:
engine ?60-100
shaft setup ?70-100
f16- ?30-60
loom/ecu ?20-50
tank/pump ?50
brakes ?50
mounts ?20-40 (or make them)
or find a cheap cav/cally ?150ish and get tank,mounts,shafts
1400 sr:
engine/loom if needed not sure ?70-130
and throw it in