did you see a lot of coolant in the oil? The entire vehicle reeks of coolant.
Did you replace the front cover or have it professionally done?

 

The front cover should be $700 WITH labor, unless you need a new front cover, all you are buying is gaskets and possibly a water pump.. You shouldn't need a new front cover unless you've been having oil pressure issues with a broken oil pump banging around in there causing damage.

 

No tapping noises on Bertha and I sure hope it isn't a cracked block. Dang.. this sux.

 

They may not have had to have machined your heads, but if they did there is a limit to it, and changing the thickness of the heads creates an additional step of possibly shimming the rocker arms. That would need to be measured by a machine shop. I just think that having a shop with everything in house is your best bet for a rebuild, but a LR shop should get it done properly. However, you end up with your original Heads, Rocker arms, and everything else. Whereas a new engine is new.

If you were happy with the 4.0 that will save you some $$$ from Turner. You could also skip the upgraded cam and heads, although they would both be nice to have and I would recommend at least the Kent Sports Torque Cam. You will also need to get a quote from them for the water and oil pumps, but they will know exactly what you need.

If you do go that route, get all of the bits and pieces, brackets, intakes, and oil pan and take them to a car wash and spray the heck out of them with degreaser then rinse off really well, or maybe they can dip them for you.. If you want throw a couple of coats of Duplicolor engine paint on the brackets and rocker covers. I did mine, and you can see my thread with pics. No need for primer or clear, and it does help to bake them for 30 minutes at 300 degrees after painting, but not 100% necessary. The paint makes them easy to wipe off, and keep it looking nice.

The Bearing should be done ASAP, but the transfer case and axle.can be filled periodically while they leak, but if they have the bearing off they might as well put in a new axle seal while the hub is of it is not difficult.

It all really depends on your goals and your financial position. If you want the truck for a long period of time, and have the money to do it, the new engine from Turner is an upgrade that will be better than new. Remember, you can also have them source a Range Rover 4.6 cheaper than rebuilding your current motor, or the new LS3 5.3 kits may be available.

 

I don't know about where you are but the LR indy shops out here have a machine shop with a head bank and you never get your original heads back. The machine shop keeps several pair on the shelf, they just take yours in and grab a pair of fresh reconditioned heads. Same day service. That way they can take their time on the heads as the customer is not "waiting" on them to do the work.

 

Thanks Dave. No, I wasn't having any issues with oil pressure. I had a slow coolant leak and then BAM, the coolant dumped all at once. Added coolant, held steady for another day and then dumped it all again. No tapping on the head gaskets, no peculiar noises, just a huge coolant dump.

I'm in a smallish town and I don't think we have enough Rovers on the road for a machine shop to keep heads on a shelf. I took my heads to the machine shop last time and they resurfaced them and another forum member did all of the work. I'm sure he intended for me to tackle my own problems and issues (which I have done for the past five years) but my husband doesn't want me to tear into the engine (and he's not mechanically inclined either) so I took it to this indie shop. Guess I either learn to work on this myself or bite the bullet and pay to have it done professionally. Perhaps I should get a few quotes on what they would charge for the front cover if that is the issue, or a head gasket job, yada yada before I throw in the towel or park it for six months haha.

I do appreciate all of the tips and advice of everyone on the forum. It's nice having collective information and experiences to fall back on and guide me in one direction or another. Thanks again

 

Thanks CollieRover, I'll have the ball joint and axle seal done pronto and get the transfer case sealed thereafter. I'll also check out your thread again soon!

 

I would follow ACEngineer's LS3 conversion thread.
He has said $1500-$1700 is their target price range for the kit, but that's no definate yet.
Plus an LS3 engine. Junkyard engine here is a couple hundred, or just over a grand for a low mileage runner with a warranty.
That's Alot cheaper than rebuilding the POS LR engine.
Had this option been available 6 months ago, no way would I have rebuilt my 4.6
Several people here seem to have decent luck with a 4.0/4.6, but, after personally rebuilding one, I see too many design flaws, as well as read too many "failed head gasket at 10k-15k miles after rebuild" posts.
I am a Ford and Toyota guy, and not a GM fan, but their LS engines are great.
Since you love the truck so much, an LS swap is the way to go.

 

I give the guy kudos and think it's a great idea but... have you checked out his video on youtube? Why is it so noisy? Just the initial stages?

 

I would suggest you have the front cover looked at before they take off the heads, much cheaper to find that first if it is indeed the problem.