Familiar story....bought a 2004 Disco II with 92k miles. (This is my first rover)

Head gasket job complete with freshly machined heads. Shortly after I got a recurring misfire on cold starts then the dreaded pressurization of my coolant reservoir. Chemical block test shows combustion gases in my coolant.

Long story short, I love my LR and decided to spring for a Turner Engineering short block. I am a weekend warrior but I REALLY want to do the repair myself. Am I completely out of my mind for wanting to attempt this? And if this is feasible, what pitfalls do I need to watch out for? Also, while I'm in there what else should I do to put my poor Disco in top shape? I'm already planning on installing glowshift temp and oil pressure gauges.

Need some experienced voices to either guide me through this process or tell me to step back from the edge before I cause myself more problems.

Thanks guys!

 

How mechanical are you? This is really a simple task, though it can appear daunting to swap such a big motor. I swapped out mine and it is a pita job, but possible by anyone that can hold a wrench. Download a copy of the rave manual and follow the detailed steps in there, you can hardly go wrong.
In rave they say you must remove the engine harness from the vehicle. I did not, release the harness from the engine and leave it in the vehicle. Getting to the top bell housing bolts is a pain, I pulled out the engine mounts first and then dropped the engine as low as it will go and then access is easier to those bolts.
Pull out the radiator, or protect is with a sheet of plywood, the last thing you want to do is punch a hole in it.
You need a new cam and lifters, timing chain and gears and you may as well do new rockers and rocker shafts and push rods. Have the heads serviced as well, if that was not done with your hg job. Consider a new water pump and new oil pump gears.

 

I'm fairly mechanical and already have all the RAVE manuals downloaded. My biggest concerns are making sure the head gaskets are installed properly. For one, I heard they can be a bit tricky. Something about them being prone to pinching on install. Also seems to be a lot of debate on whether using the factory stretch bolts is best or going with something else like studs. Also, I'm wondering how in the hell I'm going to keep all the bolts I remove organized. You guys just pop them into a sheet of cardboard and then label them?

Also, other than an engine hoist, are there any other special tools I'm going to need to buy/rent?

If I go ahead and do this I think I'm going to take pictures and videos along the way so I can give back a little bit to the knuckleheads like me who rely heavily on the forums so they can afford to drive their LRs.

 

Use ziplock bags for the bolts and pieces and label the bags.
You may need an engine stand, I'm assuming you are going to assemble the engine before installing it. Harborfreight have one for about $40 that works well, you can get a 20% discount voucher if you search.
Take 1 or 2 long old head bolts and cut the heads off and grind a small taper on the ends and then cut a slot in the end. Use these as locating pins on the block to guide the heads into position. Use a screw driver to remove them. That's if you use the standard head bolts again. The point is moot if you go with studs.

 

Thanks for the tips.

Any consensus on using stretch bolts or moving to studs? I think the Turner engine is going to be awesome. I want to make sure I do everything I can to ensure I don't screw it up. Seems to be a lot of different opinions on the matter and I've seen seasoned veterans disagree about which is better.

 

I have no opinion about bolts or studs, I installed the standard head bolts simply because that is the easy way out.

 

I'm looking at getting either the turner or the RPI short block - leaning more towards RPI. What made you decide on the turner?

 

I've just heard a lot of good things about their engines. I really liked the flanged ductal iron sleeves too. It's not like I've heard anything bad about RPI though. What's making you lean towards them over Turner?

 

I thought the turner blocks are remanufactured, but I see they have new block as well. So under that wrong impression I was leaning to RPI new blocks, but I am rethinking that. When I'm ready in a year or so I'm going to get final pricing from both and then decide.

 

I installed a Turner engine a few months ago. I went with the full long block so I did not need to deal with the heads. It really was a simple install other then the oil pan gasket. For some reason it is the bane of my work with this Disco. I left the harness in as well as the radiator. The best advise I can give is take your time. Take lots of pictures, notes and label every part. It's easy to forget what order things came apart in. They need to go back the same way of life gets hard. I posted a bunch of pics of the install a while back, if that helps.