Inside a Destroyed Engine: At 160,000 km, this Subaru FB25 engine decided it had officially had enough. It stopped the clock, locked up, and left us with a massive mystery. If you haven't watched my latest teardown autopsy over on the Dead to Alive Engines YouTube Channel, you know we don't let dead motors go quietly. We grabbed our tools, slapped this stubborn boxer onto the stand, and stripped it right down to the bare block to find the exact culprit behind its catastrophic

Here's a bit of a timelapse that I created showing the assembly of an engine. Watch the Timelapse Check out my video on YouTube to see the entire process in action. It’s a great way to understand how everything fits together. Understanding Engine Assembly Assembling an engine can seem daunting. But with the right approach, it becomes manageable. I’ll break down the process into simple steps. Step 1: Gather Your Tools Before you start, make sure you have all the necessary tool

In this series I ask my viewers to suggest tests and or suggest whats wrong with this car. Follow along this mystery journey

A car can run beautifully at 200,000 miles, right up until the cooling system tells a different story. That mileage is not a magic failure point, but it is where patterns start to show. Old hoses get softer. Radiators lose efficiency. Thermostats get lazy. Water pumps develop play. Engines that have been heat-cycled thousands of times start to show weak spots. One of the bigger ones is the head gasket. I see it often enough that I treat high mileage cooling checks differently

As the automotive landscape evolves, many drivers are faced with the decision of when to retire their old vehicles. With the rise of hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), it's essential to consider not only the environmental impact but also the efficiency and costs associated with maintaining older models. Signs It’s Time to Retire Your Old Vehicle Frequent Repairs: If you're constantly taking your vehicle to the mechanic, it may be time to consider a more reliable option. Decr

A car that cranks but will not start can send you in circles if you guess. A starter motor sounds healthy, the dash lights up, the battery seems fine, and still the engine refuses to fire. That is where proper testing matters. In my latest YouTube video, I do something a bit different. Instead of just showing the finished diagnosis, I ask viewers which tests they would run next. The idea is simple: work through the no start fault the same way you would in a real driveway or w

Car repairs are easier to plan for when the numbers are out in the open. A flat battery, noisy wheel bearing, worn brakes, or warning light can all feel expensive when they arrive without warning, but most common jobs sit within a predictable range. At Dead to Alive Engines, pricing depends on the vehicle, the parts used, and how much labour is involved. A small Japanese hatchback is usually cheaper to service than a diesel ute. A standard battery is cheaper than a large 4x4

I bought the cheapest injector balance tester I could find. Does it work? It does...well!! Next steps are to make it into a bench testing setup. Stay tuned

Not long after I delivered the vehicle it came back. I really had thought I had test driven it enough, I had clocked up 100kms in 3...

First I could see some problems watching the live data. Once the turbo was off there was some carbon built up in the vanes making the...

Here was an interesting case study. This mazda Cx5 diesel was very down on power and presented me with 2 trouble codes. P0299...

Back to basics today, follow along as we make sure this car is fixed right the first time

One of my newer tools to make my life easier diagnosing engine problems is an in cylinder pressure transducer. Here I have captured a...

Just a quick reminder to get your brakes checked reguarly. Ive had a few new customers with very worn out brakes show up. These are on...

These newer style wet cambelt engines can be costly, This one was past its maintenance interval, but they have history of doing this...

My first youtube video. Was a bit rushed as it was on the fly

Nissan Navara D40 I got called because this motor was running very rough, (very suprised it ran at all) Upon cranking I could hear the...

Final pieces of the puzzle put together ready to be fitted to the car. This motor came to me in a box full of bits so it presented its...

Stay alive. Dont let the brakes in your car get to this stage. Having your brake fluid replaced is necessary for routine maintenance and...