2000 120K Disco II
Removed motor to replace ring gear. Suspected HG leak as losing coolant slowly (no visable white smoke), overheating, etc...

Believed hydrolock caused started to damage ring gear.

Motor out, Heads off (checked out fine at machine shop, pressure test, etc...)

Sitting overnight film rust formed in #6. Same that spouted fuid during a pressure test with heads on (previous post). I pulled the piston to notice what seems to be a rough spot on wall (rust, etc) right at bottom of stroke.

So... How difficult, and predicted cost of re-sleeving #6. I have it all apart, out of the car, etc...

I want to drive this truck, but do not want to drop loads of cash into it. Time working on it is not a factor.

 

You're beyond just sleeving it. You'll need to have the crack repaired behind the sleeve that is causing the leak.

You're looking at some significant machine shop work to do it right (re sleeve all of them with new top hat sleeves), but the motor should be golden if you do that and rebuild it properly.

 

find another Block

 

I'm not so sure I'd agree with that. If I'm going to spend the time stripping and rebuilding, I'm damn sure going to rebuilt it onto a block with top hat sleeves.

 

that would be you.
I would not be paying better than $1250 in machine work for just for sleeves.
then add the other $300-400 in machine work on top of it, to mill, line bore etc.
I would find a tried and try block have it sonic checked, go from there.

 

Ok, getting another block (used from a local salvage yard) would not be a big deal. I have limited experience with the machine shop, so you may have to explain top hat sleeves?

Heads are back from the shop, ready to go...

I assume I would need to completely strip the motor, getting new bearings, etc... if I had a shop repair the current block.

or purchase another block (hope for no sleeve issue), replace the HG and Heads (since I have them sitting in the garage ready to go). Both options sound kinda salty...

 

Correct and correct.

My issue is spending the time and money to go halfway and "hope for no sleeve issues" on a motor that is known for exactly that.

drowssap, "a tried and true block"? From a junk yard? Sonic checked? For slipping sleeves that likely won't slip until the block is at temperature?

You have fun with that. I don't like the odds.

 

what makes you think that sleeves slip?

I keep hearing you tell people to use TOPHAT SLEEVES,
but you put in a used motor if i remember correctly, didnt you?

You have not shelled out better that a $100.00 a sleeve (without machine work) have you? or did I miss that post. A tophat sleeve is nothing more than a flanged sleeve.

But Dont take my work for it, let see what a professional has to say.
JE Robison Service — the blog: The last word on Land Rover liner failures - I hope!

 

fellas, I really appreciate both views. I guess it all boils down to the machine shop costs + bearings vs. salvage yard cost / peace of mind....
Complicated...


Anyone know how to throw a small block chevy into one of these things! Ha.

 

I sure did. While the original is sitting on a stand being rebuilt the proper way. The junk motor I put in is nothing more than a temporary power plant, one which I did nothing to other than take it off of a pallet, slap in a rear main seal, and bolt up to the truck.


As soon as I'm done stripping the block I'll be making a determination on whether I do that, or buy a new block that's already top hat sleeved. This all depends on just how bad the crack is on mine, and how bad the rest of the potential failure points look. No sense making decisions on things like that until you have your eyes and instruments on it.

It seems that you don't really understand what he's saying there, nor are you aware of how loose many of these sleeves get. He's saying that there is no way for them to just drop down. This is absolutely correct, and he proves it. That doesn't stop them from moving enough to beat rings into the head and head gasket. Just because it's not moving all that much doesn't mean it's OK. What is does mean is that it's going to be impossible for you to pull a head off and see one or more liners 1/2" too low and be able to point at it and say "Ahhhhaaa!"

Tophat sleeving a motor does two things:
- The sleeves can't move. Period. They have to break before they can move. You can get this same effect by pinning them. So why bother with top hats?
- Because they also seal the combustion chamber from the block completely. The tapered liners do not do this. If a liner gets loose and you have a crack up high like what he shows, you are going to exchange coolant and compression gasses over the top. If you have a top hat liner, you aren't.

So why isn't the coolant as likely to leak down into the bottom end if you do develop a crack later? Because #1, you have properly fitter liners that won't move at all. That means they aren't wearing down the interface between the block and themselves, making themselves looser over time. And #2, it's a lot longer path down than it is up from where these cracks typically happen, so with properly fitted liners, you have more material between your crack and a spot where it can make trouble for you.

Is this a real fix? No. Is it the best option for a block with strength and porosity problems? It's the best I've seen. And it's whats been working for performance Rover V8 builders for years. I haven't invented this myself. I've just taken the time to research and understand it.

Edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4odA3l2BAg
I can't find the one where somebody put their block on a propane grill and heated it up to operating temperature and then simply pulled several of the liners out by hand. Feel free to search for it if you still can't believe these liners slip.

Edit 2: Ahh, there we are: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fRDR5svIv8

Tally-ho. Looks like a slip to me.