Session 6, cut short by rain

Removed rocker arm sets, they don't move smoothly, more like grit between them, will parts soak and dismantle.

As noted by ihscouts, lifters won't lift out of bores by hand. Rods have flat spots and perhaps mushroom factor has touched them.

I have "discovered" that what oil is not leaked is converted to sludge at a ratio known only to the Rover gods. High temperatures, infrequent changes, cheap low viscosity oil (Iffy Lube), PCV blocked, all these work very hard on an engine. Wish I had taken valve covers off the weekend after I bought it.

 

Also looks like rocker arm oil passages were not all free and clear..... on one end there was a lot of sludge, center ones don't have oil passage.

 

A few of my lifters needed some help out of their tubes but were fine after cleaning off the baked on gunk none were domed on the bottom. how did yours not sound like a sewing machine with that much oil blockage? Your engine is definitely much dirtier inside then mine was

I found a bench grinder with very fine brass wire wheel worked best for cleaning off the baked on crud without scratching the parts

 

Session 6 1/2 after rain delay

Removed exhaust manifold, bolts were not tight, no PB Blaster needed. PITA to get at locking tabs for the sheet metal locking gaskets on back bolt.

Bolt frozen on PS pump, 9:00 position, banged the bracket to turn and it became free.

Head bolts came off with a tug on the 24 inch breaker bar, a pop, and then finger tight to remove.

Head has part numbers on the surface, so I don't think they have been skimmed.

Initial view looked like trouble with exhaust gas errosion, but clean up showed only a few very small pits. Glad it was not a groove.

 

more pix - note gasket damage for cylinders 3 and 5, I believe 5 was maybe an exhaust leak at cold start but not while running, I had thought it was exhaust pipe flange further down. Leak on number 3 started suddenly.

Cylinder head bolt between 3 and 5 on exhaust side was the least torqued one, came out with a flick of the wrist.

 

Session 7 - Remove AC compressor, tensioner pulley, alternator bracket

10mm box end wrench for the compressor. It lays to the side. There is the reason the heater hose is hard to twist about. And note the oil pressure switch.

 

is that switch cracked, leaking or both?

 

Will check, believe just a leak from above. My engine is not as clean as those in the RAVE pictures. It is kind of like black camo to match the Lucas - Lord of Darkness theme.

 

You have a high mileage engine......

In order to clean the rocker oil ports you should remove them from the rocker shaft. You need to measure the play between I.D. and O.D and also there is a swirl oiling groove which is probably non-existent. On the back side of the rocker shaft you'll notice wear. Once the rockers are removed it's easier to clean the inside of the shaft. You probably have buildup bad enough to decrease flow. Also the block drillings at the front as well as the shaft pillars are probably occluded. Stiff thin wire and diesel fuel, let soak.

 

Yep, like you said. Since the heads are a red color, vs black oil sludge baked on, I'm thinking the heads were from another truck, and maybe the original rockers were stuck back on. The heads still show numbers and such on the machined surface, which should be gone if they had been skimmed. The lower head bolt between # 3 and #5 was looser than the others, and that is where the gaskets burned thru.