Okay. I read that. Wikipedia is a friend. I think when I take the heads off my running engine I will post shots of the heads here for comment.

If I want the engine shop to do the valve job should I plan on supplying new valves and valve seats? Is that the norm?

 

Your existing valves and seats can be recut, no need to buy new ones. Give them the valve seals that come with the head gasket kit. You also want them to inspect the valve guides.

 

Okay, for anyone still reading, the running engine is coming apart today, so the old one was good practice. Then to the shop with the heads and for a professional look at the valves. Slap them back in an drive away, I hope. I will post some more pictures.

For the new head bolts can anyone recommend a specific lubricant?

I'm just going to wrap the old engine up and think about it for another day. Good to have a spare.

 

Oreilly sells the stuff ARP recommends for their studs.

Auto Racing Products 100-9909 - Assembly Lube | O'Reilly Auto Parts

I used this stuff, but I used the ARP studs when I did mine. I dont know if it is better or worse than plain old oil if using bolts.

 

Thanks for the tip. Turns out I already have some from doing the oil pump.

 

Project is underway. It is much harder to reach and do everything with the engine on the vehicle but I got everything off. With the engine on the stand I didn't have to worry about moving the coils, the injectors, etc.

 

Okay learned a few things so far. First, head bolts are really hard to get off. I had a real problem with the back ones, but an even bigger problem with a front one... It rounded off. I bought some new sockets and even tried to hammer a smaller socket on it. Ultimately I used an impact socket that is rough, not smooth, and it came off. I will use rough sockets from now on.

Second, my replacement engine is full of baked on crap. Especially in the rocker assembly. My original engine looks clean enough to eat on, so I swapped them out. The original rocker assembly moves much smoother.

 

My valve train was incredibly gunked up, and it was baked on. Further investigation revealed that the small openings for oil on both ends of the heads were almost totally clogged. I un clogged them and swapped rocker assemblies with my old, clean ones.

Sadly, when I put the head gasket and heads back on I forgot to clear the path for oil to those passages (from the block) my buddy caught it before I tightened the head bolts so off again in the morning and then final assembly.

The Reinz kit has a Funny little joke in it. The bag with 14 shorter head bolts has a pretty printed sticker in it stating "ten pieces". That sent me into a frenzy of googling when I could see I would be four bolts short. They are in there.

 

Keep up the good work. Check and double check everything is clean.

 

Thanks for the encouragement.

You know I really appreciate it when people post their experiences doing things on their rovers in detail and this is my first attempt. I am failing at that because it is so difficult to remember to take pictures, to get my hands clean enough to do so, and to post them in line with the text. But this is a first try; I'll get better and I know my Rover will give me plenty of repair projects.

For posterity the Reinz kit contains some pretty obvious parts (bolts, gaskets) and a large number of unobvious parts (plastic and copper rings, o rings, and other unknown parts). I know the kit is designed for professionals so I'm not complaining. There is no parts list. And certainly no instructions, so guessing their purpose, for a neophyte mechanic such as myself, is basically impossible. Alot of the parts probably have something to do with fuel injection or maybe valves, since those are the parts in this repair that tend to have smaller pieces. I may never know...

I should be finished today. Well, I really must be finished because I start a trip tomorrow.

I have run into one problem that I'd love to have some advice on. Of course, I had to remove the exhaust manifolds. My exhaust manifolds have been a PITA for years. They are always coming loose at the flange to the pipes, the crush gaskets suck, and the studs easily rust and break.

So in planning for this project I bought new studs for both flanges. Of course, one stud broke in the threads of the flange and two others are so clearly immovable I am afraid to do much to them (even though I must because in my efforts to remove them the threads are boogered). Should I apply heat to the flange to get them out? I don't have anything fancy but I have a propane torch (both the plumbing kind and the giant weed killer nozzle)? I've put oil and a couple of other products in the threads of the flange and they are not budging. On the broken one I am going to have to try a screw extractor... Misery.

Charlie V