Getting a new engine for a coaster bus

When it comes to automobiles in Nigeria, acquiring a "new" one often means acquiring a foreign-used one. In other words, most 'new' automobiles in the Nigerian context are foreign-used automobiles. We have a name for them - Tokunbo" which means "from abroad".

Why is this so?

Nigeria, being a 3rd-world country, is filled with people who can barely afford to eat three triangle (not square) meals a day. Thus, only wealthy folks can afford brand-new cars. The middle class's idea of new cars is what we refer to as "Tokunbo".

Thus, moving to the title of this post, what I referred to as a new engine is actually a foreign-used engine, also known as "Tokunbo".

A little background info

As the head of administration of a private school here in Nigeria, the management of school buses falls under my office. About 6 months ago, the coaster bus (pictured below) developed a major fault all of a sudden (according to the driver). The engine went kaput - knocked. For those that are familiar with automobile engines, engines don't just knock without giving signs. In other words, the driver simply wasn't aware enough or simply ignored the signs.

I consulted with a mechanic on what to do, he recommended rigging the engine. I was skeptical initially, but he assured me that he would do a good job such that there wouldn't be any reduction in the performance of the engine. After spending a relatively huge sum (but not as much as the cost of a new engine), the engine resumed work and things continued normally. A few weeks later, the engine started shunting oil. This, we continued to manage until I got a new that the engine has gone kaput again last week.

Without wasting time, I knew it was time we got a new engine since the body of the bus is still in relatively good condition. I consulted with a mechanic (not the one that rigged the engine) and we chose a day to travel down to Lagos to get the engine. There is this place in Lagos, Nigeria that is well-known as an automobile parts hub - Ladipo, Mushin. We set out this last Monday on the journey that covers about 200 km from our base.

The consultant mechanic had made contact with someone before our arrival. Thus, we headed straight to the contact who then led us to the warehouse where different engines were presented to us. I allowed the consultant mechanic to take center stage. He examined the different engines and brought out his wheel spanner to turn the main gear of the engine to ensure that it turned without any hindrance. According to him, this is the only way to, at least, have some assurance that the engine will work fine.

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If we return to our base with a bad engine, the efforts, time, and cost of having to return the engine to get another one will be on the high side. Hence, we needed to be extra careful. After several to and fro, the mechanic decided not to settle for any of the engines, citing one or two issues. We proceeded to another place where, like the first place, we had the option to examine different engines. This time, the consultant was able to arrive at a decision.

One of the issues raised that prevented him from deciding our first point was that all the engines are automatic while our bus that will use this engine is manual. Of course, one can argue that the difference only lies in the gear and they will be right. However, getting an automatic engine means that we will need to get other stuff such as the clutch and disk plate before it can become compatible with our bus. At this new place, he was able to get a direct manual engine that would fit in without having to buy any other accessory.

To cut a long story short, we negotiated with the dealer, and in the end, we were able to get the engine for the sum of 2.5 million Naira (about two thousand USD). The consultant moved around the market to get some other things for himself, after which we headed back for the long journey home.

I will definitely be changing the driver this time.