Alright, so I previously posted that my '03 had a burned valve. Now that the head is off, we know that is not the problem. The head gasket is actually burned right by cylinder number 3, leading to the compression issue.


Mechanic pulled the head off, and found that the cylinder head stud bolts were actually loose, leading to the damage to the valve.


Now, I bought the truck knowing that the engine had been rebuilt about 19k miles ago. I saw that as a GOOD thing...now I'm reconsidering.


The head bolts were replaced w/ studs, and it appears they were likely not tightened properly. Also, it appears that a few of the bolt holes were drilled out and inserted w/ "time certs".


My fear is that, with these blocks, those certs could come loose anytime, causing an even bigger issue. Are my concerns unfounded?'

 

Not familiar with a time cert, is that some sort of threaded insert? That's concerning for sure. It's a tricky situation to have damaged threads in an engine block. Even more so, because the head bolt holes have been known to crack into the water jacket. The holes are so close to that water jacket, that if they are enlarged as you say, you could have a very compromised block.

I did a lot of research about studs when I rebuild the engine, and I decided to stay with the Torque to Yield bolts. I wasn't convinced the studs were a better design.

 

Yes, it is exactly a threaded insert. Your concerns are exactly mine...I'm worried about long term durability now.


My mechanic agrees with you on the studs, and would like to go back to the original bolts. He is going to torque some bolts on to make sure that the certs aren't already slipping/the cause of the issue. Assuming they're fine, send the heads out to be checked (since they're already off), then reassemble w/ original style bolts and we're good.


I'm just very concerned about long term durability

 

X1..................

 

++ TIME-SERT Official Threaded inserts for stripped threads, blown out sparkplugs,

Stock bolts are just fine if you do them right. Head studs are just fine if you do them right. I have used both and have no preference. Head studs you can however reuse.

 

As you should be. Are you paying a mechanic to do all this work? If so, that's what, 2-3 grand for the labor to replace head gaskets?

If thats the case, and if you want to keep this rover running for many years to come, my personal opinion is to stomach the cost on a new long or short block w/ top hat sleeves. I know it's extreme, but you know exactly what you're getting for the money as opposed to potentially throwing away 2-3 grand on a head gasket job that will fail 2 months down the road, and you're back at square one. Last I checked, a long block from Turner is about 5-6K. Or rebuild it yourself for a third of the cost. It's not hard - trust me - I bought my rover a year ago and was really hesitant at first on replacing the drive shaft by myself. Now here I am, I've rebuild the engine and now I'm doing the transfer case.

If for some reason the labor is much cheaper, and/or you don't really care about the rover long term, then reassemble and see how she does. Worst case it blows up and you buy a new engine... hopefully when your not out in the bush.

When it comes to the block, there really isn't any sort of halfway solution. I don't know of any cost-effective tests that can verify if your block is OK or not.

In summary:
I would NOT spend anything above 1,000 to continue with your current block

I just can't imagine a time-cert being durable enough for a cylinder head. An A/C bracket maybe... but that's as far as I'd personally go

 

I've decided to go ahead and go forward with the current block. Helicoils/Time Serts in other vehicles are common, and othe replies on this forum and others have indicated they are "fine".

This block does have top hatted sleeves and other goodies....my hunch (hunches are scary), is just that a tech did not properly tighten/torque the studs, resulting in the failure. Going back to the stock style bolts and properly torquing them should solve the problem.

 

I don't see any advantage in using the TTY bolts. At a minimum studs are just as good as bolts, but I believe they are better.

I know 2 veteran rover engine builders and both use studs exclusively. There are theories as to why studs are better, I have never heard any as to why bolts are better.

 

Studs are superior. As you should be able to thread and seat them by hand. Worst case, 2 jam nuts and light pressure on a wrench.
Then, you don't have to worry about stripping the threaded holes in the head, especially aluminum. Worst case, you strip a stud, you replace it and you're done.
Bolts are used from the factory for cost savings.
As it's one bolt, vs one stud, nut, and washer. As well as a simpler and faster assembly process, as time is money.
Both work well and accomplish the same thing, so it's a personal decision when the head gaskets need done, since the old bolts have stretched, and should not be reused.

 

also, a word on Time-Serts. They work. I have installed them on several motors without issue. I even pulled a motor from a parts car that had a bad time sert, it seemed that someone did not install it properly. There were 8 total but the one was bad. I sent it out and had a professional install a "Big-Sert" which is an oversized time sert and my sister is still running the motor after 10K miles.