I've been rebuilding my engine. In the process i've been getting the advice of many people who are smarter than me (not hard to do) and they are more knowledgeable about my engine. I've heard many contradicting theories about this block. Whether or not the sleeves can slip is the most hotly debated. Well, many of you have seen this article http://robisonservice.blogspot.com/2...-failures.html

I called him today and he says no way. Sleeves just don't slip. There is a ridge on the bottom end of the aluminum cylinder wall that prevents it. But, many will tell you one of the reasons that you can get coolant in your cylinder is a slipped sleeve. Just feel for the space between the cylinder wall and the sleeve.

Here is a pic of the underside of a 4.6 block i took today. Sorry about the poor quality. It seems to me that there is a ridge that prevents sleeve slippage.

What you are looking at is a spot of the ridge that has worn away showing you the underside of the sleeve and the rest of the ridge holding the sleeve from slipping.

Any thoughts? This is a pic taken with my phone. I can get a better picture tomorrow if anyone is interested in this topic.

 

I have no idea, but that is an interesting pic. It almost looks like part of the ridge broke off (not sure how it could get "worn"). So if part of it can break off, why not the whole thing and then the liner slips down. That doesn't look like much of a ridge either. If the liner were loose enough, maybe it could break it pretty easilly?

 

i thought the same thing. but no one has really mentioned the ridge.

 

Did you ever hear a tapping sound coming from the engine? I have read that there may be enough room for the sleeve to slip a little bit and then it gets knocked up and down between the head and that bottom ridge so you'll hear a tap. That might explain the broken ridge section you have. Why are you rebuilding? Are you losing coolant? People supposedly lose coolant because the block cracks behind the liner which then starts to slip, so it's more than just a slipped liner. No personal experience here though, luckily.

 

Yes these sleeves can slip as they are only pressed in. When the block is warm the sleeves can slip up and down with the piston. Take a better picture but look at the underside of the cylinder heads and see if there is a ring worn in them from the sleeves. I would pressure test the block before putting too much work into it.

 

I've already rebuilt mine. this was just another block lying around. i've just been asking and learning a lot and thought i would inspect this block for all the stuff i've learned

the slip sleeves people mostly say they will slip down and that you can feel the space at the top of the cylinder between the block and top of the sleeve. the only way that is possible is if the ridge is gone, right?

i could see it however going up and down while running and then settle back in the correct position and that cause a tapping noise.

i'm pretty sure my tap came from a worn crank and rod bearings. they were pretty bad.

 

The link you provided seems to have the answers you seek. Speculation from people on this board is nothing compared to an experienced shop that cut the block in half.

Sleeves dont slip in later D2s. The liner cracks. Case closed.

 

Yes , they do slip. I have one in my garage that has. The #7 cylinder , for what ever reason, sleeve slipped down just far enough to allow the piston rings to expand over the top of the sleeve and on the down stroke of the piston it broke the top of the piston off in 3 places, spewed alluminum chunks back into the intake tract...fouling 3 other plugs. Amazingly enough though...the engine still ran ( obviously REALLY rough )and I made it home 10 miles / started it the next day and drove it to my shop 15 miles from home to yank out the engine. It had 175000 mi. on it at the time and had never been overheated in the 60000 miles since I owned it. Someday soon I'll try to get some pics of the carnage for all to see.

 

xceller8. the article is saying that there is the ridge that prevents the liner from slipping starting in post 2000 models. was yours a post 2000 model or are you talking about your 98?

i'm with you oysterhead. i'm not seeking the answers for myself as much as us as a forum coming up with the correct conclusion on this. i'm wondering if the confusion is in the fact that LR seems to have made a slight change in the block design post 2000, adding a ridge at the bottom of the aluminum cylinder preventing sleeve slippage. this would help people not to consider a slipped sleeve when trying to diagnose a tick or a miss or exhaust in their coolant, ect.

 

better picture of the ridge that holds the cylinder sleeve in.