Our Grand Espace 24v failed on the way to France

[renaultbiler]

Can they be trusted?

I think so, they have been around for quite a while and have in addition a positive profile on ebay aswell.
But i havent any personal experience with them.

[Anders Dinsen]

Can they be trusted?

I think so, they have been around for quite a while and have in addition a positive profile on ebay aswell.
But i havent any personal experience with them.

We tried calling them, and they asked us to e-mail, but the mail bounced. Since he's writing "idéal pour préparation" (good for tuning), chances are that this engine is the same we already found (only somewhat cheaper). And *if* it's okay, we still have to find a way to get it here...

So I've turned my thumb down so far. We have to get the car rolling, and so far we haven't had any luck chasing replacement engines. I'm also absolutely confident that the old one can be repaired properly.

/Anders

[renaultbiler]

The picture of the new engine looks like it is prepared for autobox so i doubt its a Clio engine - but you are probably correct about using your original engine.

If i was living in Denmark it would simply be a pure pleasure drive to Paris and pick it up - as it is very far from where i live now

Been through Denmark and Germany a few times with the Alpine and i was in Paris on the Renault 100 ans in -98 with my 1981 R30TX -and you have such nice roads down there compared to the cattle paths here in Norway!!!!!

[renaultbiler]

And while you're still having the engine out i recomend fitting a KN panel air-filter in it, just did that in our 24v and it gives noticeable better throttle responce +++ at a very desent price (614 NOK + vat) and say goodbye to future filter exchanges with their million mile warranty.

KN does not have filter listed for Espace 24v but the one for Safrane 24v fits like a glove with part number 33-2618

[Sommerby]

Sorry to hear about your problems.  For 2 years ago our Grand Espace 2.2DCI  broke down while we were heading towards the South of France. It happend North of Hamburg so we had to continiue in a VW Multivan. No pleasent at all.  Driving approx 2000 km in the multivan made me realize how good the Espace is.
It was the Fuel pump which broke down.  The price for the replacement was 1100 euros.  We have now been driven 100.000 km in the Espace and both of my front springs broke within 2 weeks.  Today I have replaced all the springs. Bought a original set in Germany for approx 300 euros and replaced them myself. The front springs were a pain to replace, while the back springs was done in less than half an hour. 
I hope you will be able to find a good engine or to get the original one repaired.
Best Regards
Bo

[Anders Dinsen]

Thanks Bo and Tom

Well Paris may be closer to Copenhagen than your pretty part of Norway, but it's still a long way to drive, and frankly we're pretty anxious to get the car back on the road. And I haven't been able to get in contact with the guy - a fresh engine would be nice to have, but the old one is very much okay if repaired. I'm primarily concerned about the time factor here! We need to get back on the road!

Bo, it's comforting to hear about your experiences. Well done about your spring work. I'm going to have the shocks replaced in the back as the car was not as stable as I would have expected it to be when we headed south, but since our cars are similar age, it might be worth checking the springs too. 300 € for a new set of springs isn't expensive, and now the engine is out anyway, driveshafts are disconnected etc, it might be a good idea to do them now rather than later. Did you do the shocks too? Which supplier were you using this time?

/Anders

[Sommerby]

Hi Anders. I bought the springs from Albach in Germany.  2078,-dkr including shipping. 
Make sure that you have a proffesional quality umbracho key set if you do the front springs your self. I had a cheap set and I broke a key in one of the springs when I had to dismantle it :-(
Don't forget to replace the bearings in the front shock absorbers. They also starts to give trouble when the car is about 8 to 10 years old.
Best Regards
Bo

[Anders Dinsen]

UPDATE: I bought a new engine on eBay yesterday - paid it today, and now I'm looking forward to getting it shipped. This should take three workdays, but I'm not cheering until I see it.

The engine was dead cheap, but frankly I don't care, as my mechanic's insurance is paying, and it was only for practical reasons that I did the transaction: My mechanic has never traded on eBay for example.

I guess there's light of the end of the tunnel now...

Bo, we did the struct bearings for the same reason on ours last year, we thought they had failed, as we had a knocking sound from the front - but it actually turned out to be the lower suspension joint which had failed in a way so it wasn't directly detectible when the car was on the lift. We checked the springs then, so I think they will be all right.

I think the rear shocks are done though, as the rear end felt somewhat more "lively" than it used to when we set off with it fully loaded.

/Anders

[renaultbiler]

Got the used ebay engine for this-repair-engineparts or are you planning on using it "as is" in favour of your original engine ?

[Anders Dinsen]

Got the used ebay engine for this-repair-engineparts or are you planning on using it "as is" in favour of your original engine ?

No, this is actually a brand new engine. It's sold as used with 7 km mileage, but it's completely new and unused. It even comes with complete ancillaries: Generator, servo pump, air con pump. Belts will be renewed as we don't know how it has been stored, but the rest of the machine will go right in. Only difference from the current engine is the number - this is an L7X 700, Espace has a 727, but the engines are identical as they have the same spare part numbers in the catalogues.

So the old engine will be scrapped. I'll probably save a few souvenirs (like bent valves and the damaged piston), and the cams look so good that it would be a pity to throw them away, but the rest of it is next to worthless - the spares are way too expensive to justify this.

/Anders

[TheJoker]

That's very good news Anders. Do you dare expose what you paid for the engine... and did they stock a 2.2dCi..?! 

[Anders Dinsen]

That's very good news Anders. Do you dare expose what you paid for the engine... and did they stock a 2.2dCi..?! 

Sure, no problem: 2285 € - that's about 1/4th of what Renault charges and half what we had previously been quoted for a non-compatible engine.

2.2 dci - no, I don't think they had one of those, but try searching for G9T and you'll get a few hits on eBay.

/Anders

[TheJoker]

Not too bad then, Anders! Sadly €2285 is pretty close to the Parker's trade-in-value for my car, and as such it's deemed "stupid" to perform an engine transplant here in UK. eBay has got one G9T for £1196, but that's a trade-in with the old engine. It's totally without any auxillaries. Not much use to me. 

Anyway, back to topic. I really hope you get your car sorted and that the engine arrives promptly and that it's in good condition.

[Anders Dinsen]

The engine arrived today at the garage! It looks very promising. That's even ahead of schedule
I'm going there tomorrow morning to take a look for myself. I just can't wait

/Anders

[Lennart Sorth]

In the style of modern car magazines, I have created the Dinsen JE-happiness chart:

Will keep my fingers crossed for the curve soon to hit upper right corner!
/Lennart