Hey Mike, this is James up in NC....I just found a solid long block for my Disco II and Im pulling the old motor and going through this new one carefully before I put it in. Im having the heads done, pulling the mains to have a peak Ill replace the oil pump, timing chain...and whatever else I that looks worn. I know you told me about World Parts, but right now Miami British has a sale on the complete top end with bolts kit...do they carry good parts? Or should I run away.....

THX James

 

I still like the package the P.T. Schram offers.

 

I am in the middle of a headgasket replacement on my Disco 2... I have everything torn down, and the heads are at my machine shop being resurfaced... while i am waiting and have everything broken down what should i clean/degrease if anything? or maybe the better question is what should i not clean??? also any product recomendations would be great.

Thanks!

 

Clean as much as you can, the cleaner the better so when you put it back together it will look like you worked on it.
How dirty is the inside of the engine, is an engine flush in order?
Make sure you replace you t/stat, wires if they have not been done and switch over to one of the green coolants.

 

I had the incling my HG was leaking somewhere due to small miss on start up etc and losing coolant, silly me to wait this long. After taking it into local mechanic and saying its over heating etc losing coolant and I think the HG is gone he does the radiator and water pump which were leaking some but after pressure test says HG is OK. One week later things are very bad so into a good workshop. They inform yup the Hg is gone and I am looking at $2500 to 3500 for this repair including possible head machining??? They also said more if the block is warped ie new engine, this got me a little I would have thought warping the block would be quite an extreme case??? From what I have read Range/Land Rover would only charge 2500 for this so it looks like I will have a crack at this myself.

I am a mech engineer with allot of experience ripping anything apart however always shy away from things that directly cost me money. Go figure I guess even though I dont usually screw anything else up so yeah.

I have just brought the Kit of AB and the Bolt Kit also, and just got the Rave manual. I guess I am just asking if there is any tip where you know I will be scratching my head etc. Also is there anything else I should do, I did the plugs two weeks back and will do the leads also this week. What sort of time frame should I expect as a guideline.

Thanks!!!

 

I am a Mech Eng also, with much of the same history. I have never worked this deep into my truck, but just finished a head gasket replacement on my 2002 Disco 2 about 3-4 weeks ago... This is the advice i would give you.

1. Be very careful with the hose connections to the radiator. There is a small 1/4" (aprox) nipple on the top drivers side of your radiator that is very easy to break. If you break this, you have a 50/50 shot fixing it. Most likely it will mean needing to replace the entire radiator.

same thing with a small nipple on the bottom of your coolant overflow bottle. If you break this, odds are you are going to need to replace the bottle.

2. The Brake servo hose is a small diameter rigid hose that connects to the top of your upper intake manifold to a small red connection ring. Push the red ring in and gently pull that hose out. Dont force the hose out or damage the red plastic fitting. Its like $30 you dont need to spend if your careful.

3. I went to harbor freight and purchased a cheap plastic hardware organizer with dividers and labeled each section so i could better map their location.

4. Tools I Didnt have but needed. a 16 pin socket set - for your rocker covers and exhaust manifold i got a metric set at pep boys for about $25. Fan Clutch Wrench - Again about $25. I also ended up getting a metric bolt extractor socket set from Harbor Freight... it was worth the price. There were a few bolts that were almost impossible to remove with my standard sockets.

5. I Replaced my Thermostat, Plugs, Wires, Upper Hose set, exhaust manifold bolts, head bolts, rocker cover bolts, head gasket (and other gaskets that came in my kit).

I did not buy the 8mm plug wires against everybodys recomendations, and kind of regret it. I did buy Bosch Irridium plugs, and after reading more my Bosch engine likes champion plugs better than Bosch plugs... go figure.

If I had to do it agian I would have purchased new rocker arm bolts (8 total). See below for story.

I also ended up needing a new belt a few weeks later, could have been unrelated.

6. Label everything. I didnt label my plug wires and it gave me a little trouble. I Used blue painters tape and a sharpie. It worked well.

7. Get your heads cleand and resurfaced at a good speed shop. Also if your having any other problems, this would be a good time to get your valves redone.

8. I spent a good amount of time cleaning everything i could... A good degreaser was clutch, then during reassembly I used clean motor oil and assembly grease to lube her back up.

9. Dont overtighten. I was following the torque specs when installing the 4 bolts on my rocker arms and sheared off a bolt head. I could feel it was different but was set on hitting that torque setting. That was a pain to extract and replace.

10. when you install the head gasket wait 20 minutes between tightning the final 2 90degree turns... you will be amazed how the gasket settles during that time. I did one side, than the other. By the time i was done it had been about 15 minutes, but i waited the full 20 and the bolts were much looser than when i first torqued the nuts.

Thats about all i have to offer. If you run into any problems shoot me an email, and i will do my best to help. Its not a tecnically difficult task, its just time consuming (maybe 12-16 hrs total) and detailed.

Hope this helped. Good Luck!

 

My 22 year old daughter replaced my rear o2 sensors... small hands come in handy!!! Set the example young lady!!!

 

Awesome thanks Bighecka

 

So I guess Clare never got the head bolts broke loose? Wonder why she never came back and updated us?

 

Not sure who is quoting you $4000, but run in the opposite direction as fast as you can! I suspect it's a dealership or someone North of the Chattahoochie.

Mine cost $1800 for the HG replacement. With new plugs, thermostat replacement and all the other things that go along with this, the total was 2.5k

I'm also in Atlanta. I probably can't punt the guys who do this on this blog, but they have been running a British car service and workshop since about 1971. They are not a dealership

You can probably google them. "british car service atlanta buckhead". great reviews on their work all round. I wont take my car anywhere else. You can expect their prices about 40% less than dealers and in my opinion, their mechanics are better too.

For $4k, you can buy a new engine.. just saying...