Lada Vesta engine: choosing between overhaul and replacement

A certain father, looking at his dirty children, ponders: wash the old ones or make new ones? Approximately in such an anecdotal situation, the owner finds himself when the Vesta engine seriously went haywire. However, the driver is not in the mood for jokes: he will have to resolve the issue as rationally as possible so as not to lose. The saved penny will not hurt, but the car also needs to be overhauled.


Let's try to figure out the problem together: the experience of experienced drivers and the recommendations of auto mechanics will help us. Let's take a closer look at the price tags for new spare parts, the motor itself, go through the price lists for replacing units.

Modifications and engines "Lada Vesta"

No matter how coveted foreign cars are, most Russians drive Ladakhs. "Vesta" was released in 2015, and after 3 years it became the leader in sales. Bodies are represented by sedans and station wagons. There is a CNG version with factory HBO.


Comfortable cars with rich modern equipment do not indulge in a variety of engines:

✅ 1,6 VAZ 21129, giving 106 "horses"
✅ 1,8 VAZ 21179 generating 122 hp With.

Far from ideal injection VAZ engines are designed to meet the Euro-5 environmental standard. They are simple and maintainable. Not surprising, because the "progenitor" of these installations was developed by Porsche specialists. From here came the engineering potential of motors of 200 thousand kilometers, and with elementary maintenance and careful operation - all 300.

A common engine problem is overheating due to poor quality thermostats. Other troubles: the crankcase ventilation valve can wedge in cold weather, timing breakage, tripping caused by faulty spark plugs or coils.


The block of the 4-cylinder 16-valve is cast iron, the gas distribution mechanism is activated by a toothed belt with an automatic tensioner. In a word, everything is familiar and understandable. It is not clear only what to do with this economy, when it "orders to live long."

Signs of a motor breakdown "Vesta"

There is a lot of evidence that the operational life of the engine has dried up. They can appear separately or together. First, fuel and oil consumption sharply increases and progresses (sometimes up to 1 liter per 100 km), and the exhaust becomes bluish-blue or black.

At the same time, you notice a decrease in the power of the car, the engine overheats, troit, KShM knocks. However, these may be indicators of a malfunction of various parts and systems of the internal combustion engine, which are eliminated without a major overhaul. But, when the compression in the cylinders drops significantly below 10 atmospheres, a comprehensive restoration of the engine with the installation of new main components cannot be avoided.


You can check the pressure in the cylinders yourself with or without a compression gauge. The procedure is simple for a driver with minder skills and difficult for a beginner. One way or another, a drop in compression due to natural high mileage is an indicator for overhaul.

What is included and how much does the overhaul of Vesta cost?

The operation is time consuming and requires skill. Overhaul stages:

✅ The engine is dismantled, disassembled into components, each element is washed.
✅ Removed spare parts are checked for wear (debugging). Particular attention is paid to the crankshaft, crank mechanism, cylinder block, cylinder head. Check gaps and workings, comparing with factory parameters
✅ Analyze the operation of cooling, lubrication, fuel supply systems
✅ Then they make a decision: what to replace, what to repair. Most often, the cylinder block is bored to the desired repair size, the cylinders are honed, the planes are ground, the crankshaft is brought to perfect condition.
✅ After replacing elements and repairing parts, the engine is assembled

At the final stage, the unit is run-in at the stand or directly on the car. Issue price - from 32 to 50 thousand rubles. with car parts. The most expensive here (6 rubles) is the repair of the cylinder head with the replacement of bushings and oil scraper rings, valve grinding, etc.

Do-it-yourself overhaul of Vesta

There is a category of skilled drivers who basically do everything on their own. Overhaul of the engine is cheaper than in the service. But the initial locksmith skills are not enough: you need to understand the motors, be able to assess the condition of the components.


In addition, you will need the entire locksmith's arsenal of tools with keys for different purposes and sizes, technical devices. Recall at least that you need to dismantle the engine, and its weight is 102-110 kg.

Used oil seals, gaskets, seals for filters, crankshafts will not work: you need to buy new ones.

You will most likely need the following basic parts:
✅ Oil pump - from 4 rubles.
✅ Moscow time - from 900 rubles.
✅ Timing belt - from 1 rubles, and Japanese complete with rollers - from 700 rubles.
✅ Cylinder head assembly - from 18 thousand rubles.
✅ Original engine mount - from 1 rubles, reinforced - 800 rubles.

The piston group will cost 4 thousand rubles. and above, small consumables cost 100-200 rubles, but there are a lot of them. For laying a pallet, for example, you will have to pay about 370 rubles. Do not forget about the air filter (350 rubles), main liners (1 rubles) and connecting rods (350 rubles). More or less parts may be required, depending on the degree of wear. Plus various sealants, flushing fluids, oils. Auto components are desirable original VAZ or high-quality analogues. What is the beauty of Vesta motors - there are plenty of spare parts on the market.


No matter how much you have to spend, but repairs on your workbench in your own garage will not cost anything - savings! One important thing must not be lost sight of - running in the engine, because the details must be run in, rubbed in like "native".

A competent procedure will save the life of the Vesta engine by 80-100%: here it’s worth mentioning the bench run-in in a car service with a kind word. And non-compliance with the break-in rules, as well as violation of the repair technology, will extend the life of the engine by only 30-50% of the original resource. Yes, we are sure that it is not worth reminding about the sparing mode of operation in the first 15-17 thousand kilometers.

Replacing the Vesta engine

The new unit immediately scares with prices - 118-125 thousand rubles. And this is without attachments. If you take a motor with an air conditioning compressor, a power steering pump and other attachments, then the price tag will increase to 170-188 thousand rubles. You can, of course, delve into the showdowns, look for used motors on the Internet, but this often turns out to be the notorious “pig in a poke”.

A new engine is expensive, but reliable. Especially if the work is entrusted to the masters. They will take into account the dismantling of the old unit, the installation of a new one, a bunch of related operations. Dealers have the most expensive job, but no more than 10-12 thousand, unofficials take less, and the kindest one is the garage "Uncle Vasya". By the way, often the "uncle" knows his business perfectly.


You can save money here by replacing the motor yourself. The running-in with its own rules remains, and it is also necessary to flash the “brains” of the car: professionals will ask for 1 rubles for this.

To summarize

The decision to replace or overhaul the engine lies entirely with the owner of the Lada Vesta. We examined the problem from the material side and in terms of the reliability of the operation. There is no intention to persuade the owner to one or another variant of intentions. Each driver knows the possibilities of his wallet better, has locksmith experience that we are not able to evaluate.

But, whatever one may say, big investments pay off better. However, the capital of a completely “usatanny” motor can in some cases cost even more than buying a used one in good condition or a new one. And let's also remember the innate ability of some servicemen, having made “terrible eyes”, to untwist customers for additional repair services ... In any case, if the inevitable comes, we can only wish you success in repairing your beloved Vesta!