Heh Julian. Drop me a text when you get a chance. I might be able to help you out with your longer term plan. (no silver bullets here)

 

If the torque converter wasn’t fully seated sure it would push on the flexplate like crazy, however the thin flexplate would eventually crack/break from being bent, and the transmission would quickly die from puking it’s guts out or die due to the pump not pushing fluid thru the transmission. When you insert the torque converter it makes a certain sound and drops in nicely. It’s not really rocket science. Then there are alignment dowls on the bell housing. When mated together properly it should sit flush. If you have to crank down on the bell housing bolts for it to even start to line up = something wrong for sure. It’s a HUGE grey area as none of us can get our hands on it, but unless by a miracle someone really botched up the transmission install that bad I’m going with just a bad re-built engine. Heck how many times does Road Kill rebuild an engine to have it fail very soon after & that’s with high performance parts. It just takes something as simple as the wrong torque to mess up stuff rather quickly.

 

Engine has been retrieved and setup on a 1,500 lbs big red engine stand. I've pulled off most of the auxiliaries and prepping for removal of the heads. I still wanna know what went wrong and why. I still wanna save this engine if possible. But it's been a while since the initial failure and I have no experience working on or rebuilding engines. Iam not sure if I should try rebuilding it myself or if I should try contacting Turner and maybe sending them the entire engine or maybe send it to JE Robinson for a diagnosis and rebuild.

 

Nice to see the white rover in the background...means it's still live.

Brian.

 

Couple dumb Shane thoughts....

Could the camshaft walked forward causing wear on the crank?

Isnt there a pipe that carries oil that could have lost prime?

And, 99-02's are the years to buy, 03-04's seem to have more issues and quirks...

It also isnt feasible to do all sorts of work on these trucks when another one is $3-$5k away.

What markings does a Turner block have that identifies it as a Turner block that the original engines don't have?

 

I don't have a Tuner to know if they mark them, but I know Turner does top-hat liners and that should be apparent when you remove the heads.

 

"What markings does a Turner block have that identifies it as a Turner block that the original engines don't have?"


Not sure, but could it be the blue sticker on the front drivers side of the block in the last picture?

 

 

I spoke with Turner Engineering today and explained to them the situation and what I believe to be my 3 options. They are willing to accept the block back and are willing to diagnose and rebuild. I can expect to pay another $3,500 give or take and depending on the extent of the damages. They also said they are willing to continue offering some guidence should I decide to pull the engine apart and rebuild myself. But they did recommend J E Robinson of Springfield Mass. The shop does have good reviews and is one of the few places around here willing to work on Land Rovers. But after speaking with J. E. Robinson over the phone, they seemed more interested in taking the 238k engine out of my white D2 and when I told them about the rough estimate that Turner quoted me for a rebuild the guy frowned and said he would be very hesitant to take on the job if any budget is involved and that he's not confident that he could do the diagnoses and rebuild for $3500. I explained that the engine was already pulled and separated from the transmission and the the intake and manifolds and auxiliaries have already been removed...

Tough one to swallow and Iam no longer desperate for a fast rebuild as my white truck is working fine. But I cant turn away from all the money I put into the Turner block. I also dont want to point any fingers at anyone because at this point its anyone's guess who or what caused the failure. So I will probably resume disassembly of the block for now and continue taking pictures and posting updates. So far I think I can rule out a damaged flex plate or gear ring. Saw no visible cracks or warping. I'll tackle the valve covers and heads momentarily. I also want to clean up the block and the various components as iam pulling everything apart. Eventually I'll paint everything and make look like new. In the mean time what sort of chemicals are ideal for dissolving the thick built up grease and corrosion? Sanding and scraping with engine cleaner and carb cleaner does a minimal job at best. I tried using wire wheel on the valve covers and the covers are still pretty dark. Any suggestions?

 

Please do not paint anything...that's the whole idea behind using aluminum...it disperses heat better than iron. If you paint it...it removes this ability to do so. And that's the last thing a rover engine needs...poorer cooling. And yes...l know custom car guys do it all the time, paint engines to get original look, but they run over sized rads, most drive them very little (especially on blistering hot days), etc.

Brian.