REMANUFACTURED ENGINES DEFINED
In many car repair industries, there is no clear distinction between components that have been simply removed and cleaned, from those that have been stripped, reverseengineered as a completely new part, repaired or enhanced. Not being able to differentiate formally between the terms ‘overhauled’, ‘reconditioned’, ‘remanufactured’, ‘re-engineered’, ‘repaired’, ‘rebuilt’, or ‘refurbished’ can create confusion and even lead to unrealistic consumer expectations.
Thankfully, the BS AU 257: 2002 code of practice for the remanufacture of spark and compression ignition engines defines ‘reconditioned’ and ‘remanufactured’ as being synonymous and states that any engine that is described by the vendor as compliant with BSI standards must be: “A used engine… that has been returned to a near new state, in accordance with the manufacturer’s specification, with fits and clearances to provide similar performance, reliability and longevity comparable to that of a new engine”.
The document provides details about tasks that need to be completed for the engine block, cylinderhead and valve gear, crank and camshafts, connecting rods, oil and water pumps individually, as well as covering assembly, testing and storage procedures. Its general advice states that: “All components should be inspected against tolerances and should be machined, or renewed, as necessary. It is essential that the following components are renewed entirely: pistons, piston rings, gudgeon pins and retainers, wet cylinder liners (unless rebored), main bearings, big end bearings, thrust washers (where fitted), small end bushes, gaskets, oil seals, core plugs, filters, timing chains, or timing belts. New lock washers should be fitted; if unavailable, an alternative locking device should be fitted.
"If damaged, threaded holes should be retapped, or fitted with thread inserts, or plugged and redrilled and tapped. Loose dowels should be replaced with oversize dowels. All splines, keys, keyways and fasteners should be examined for damage and renewed as necessary.”