I'm in the bottom part of an engine refresh that started with simple replacement of head gaskets, but after looking at the cam decided it wouldn't hurt to change either. Whilst attempting to get the crank bolt off I dropped the oil pan to wedge a wood block into the... block. By my math I have 14 more bolts and two motor mounts and the engine block is out, which would make it easier to put back together, and I could access the rear main seal as well.

So far I've learned a few things I'd like to share. First, this D2 known affectionately as Bruiser will no longer be a daily driver when this is done. The down time waiting for parts kills the deal. I'll have to figure that one out, and whatever I decide will be between me and the Rover gods.

Second, where does everyone buy parts? Atlantic British has the most user friendly interface for shopping, most wide assortment of parts. I bought all LR OEM because frankly, if I have to wait 3 weeks for parts, they better last. I don't know enough to trust third party manufacturers.

Third, is that rear main seal worth going after? Bruiser has 100k miles on the motor. I'm replacing cam, front crankshaft seal, oil pan gasket, head gaskets, etc. thoughts?

 

If replacing the cam it would be wise to install new lifters at same time. They are machined to "wear in" with each other.

With front cover open you are very close to change oil pump gears out.

With oil pan off, pickup screen cleaned, consider gasket and dabs of locktite on the two bolts for pickup tube.

If you decide to do water pump or fan clutch, do them both.

A 180F stat (gray) from Rovers North would be good. There are also other vendors that carry the "real Rover" 180F stat.

Doing the cam requires radiator shift or removal, careful of all those brittle plastic nipples and lines.

 

Thanks, I picked up lifters w cam, chain and gears. I was going to leave oil pump alone, as well as water pump. Will order oil pump gears though, the thought of leaving anything alone at this stage is ridiculous, as the speed shop has had my heads for THREE weeks now and I'm waiting on parts anyway.

Good info on pickup tube gasket, I'll track one down. Everything was pretty clean, there was hard scale adhered to the bottom of the oil pan but no sludge.

Any thoughts on the rear main seal? I'm considering pulling the block to get to it, for no other reason than its the last major problem area and I know it'll start leaking immediately if I choose to ignore it.

 

Murphy' Law comes in a multi-volume set. But also consider that main bearings can be done as well, even in the truck. Write up in the tech area. Many ease their problem with rear main leak with Blue Devil / White Shepherd seal conditioner. Here's a pix of how it swells.

 

While do the cam and lifters, inspect each rocker shaft, arm and push rod cause if the cam has wear theses prats will be showing wear also.
You have been ordering parts at the wrong site to have to wait 3 weeks.

 

x2 on delay, I ordered from AB and BP Utah on some day, and got both shipments on the same day a few days later. And Savannah is a long way from Utah....

 

Thanks for the info. The waiting for parts is a fact of life here in Alaska- my problem has been that you can't find a LandRover OEM washer in Alaska, hence everything must be ordered and every step is a two to three week process.

 

You in Anchorage or the surrounding area? Lived there for 8 years and owned a rover or two. Used to be some good mechanics in town.

 

Re: AKRanger- I'm in Kenai, and although I've heard about a few shops, for me nothing beats doing it myself. I learned early on when nobody could fix my Wankel rotory that if I wanted to drive anything but Ford or Chevy, I'd have to fix it myself. After the "best" import garage shook his head and charged me $650 for his time, i discovered it was a bad vacuum line. Now I wrench out of snobbery, I really don't care to have anyone else mess with my rig. There is a large knowledge base available locally, most of these guys are used to working on big diesels, turbines or pumps as big as a house- some of that knowledge scales down.

 

Atlantic British just merged with British Pacific, so I would assume they new have west coast shipping which should help you.