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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?
So your solution to losing a ton of useless money is to invest more into something that wasn't worth it to begin with?
Use a block from 99-02, buy another running truck, or two or three. Get off the sentimental train, go to the junkyard and buy an engine for $200.
There are a ton of other options.
I dont know exactly how much you spent but youll be upwards $10,000 for a truck that you dont even know if it will run.
No offense against Turner, but many people here are fine with their engines and we dont have Turner. To me its money wasted and what's worse is you spent that money and got squat.
So your solution to losing a ton of useless money is to invest more into something that wasn't worth it to begin with?
Use a block from 99-02, buy another running truck, or two or three. Get off the sentimental train, go to the junkyard and buy an engine for $200.
There are a ton of other options.
I dont know exactly how much you spent but youll be upwards $10,000 for a truck that you dont even know if it will run.
No offense against Turner, but many people here are fine with their engines and we dont have Turner. To me its money wasted and what's worse is you spent that money and got squat.
Your trying to help and I appreciate your efforts. However I'am not looking for financial advice and I'am really not interested in your opinion on why I should give up on a block with top hat liners that cost me an upward of $7,000. The block is still pretty new and so far the damage is minimum. What I'am looking for right now is knowledge and guidance on the diagnoses process. Advice on what sort of specialty tools or instruments I need and how to do a full cleaning of the block inside and out. I need to get all the dirt, oil and grime off of the block so I can better examine for damage and have a cleaner unit to work on.
Advice on why I should not paint the block makes sense. What kind of chemicals are safe but effective at quickly dissolving the old rust and grime off the block? I've seen folks using some heavy duty chemicals to completely dissolve rust from metals. But I dont want to over do it.
No offense against Turner, but many people here are fine with their engines and we dont have Turner. To me its money wasted and what's worse is you spent that money and got squat.
I think the benefit to Turner is the familiarity with Rover engines. You could take your block to a local machinist, have them pressure check it, and install top hat liners. It would probably save some money and get you a solid block. Or you could keep throwing junk yard engines in there. I'd rather just do 1 swap and have some peace of mind.
Advice on why I should not paint the block makes sense. What kind of chemicals are safe but effective at quickly dissolving the old rust and grime off the block? I've seen folks using some heavy duty chemicals to completely dissolve rust from metals. But I dont want to over do it.
Most of the spray degreasers would work fine, especially since you have it out and can get in there with a brush. I used Purple Power when I cleaned my rockers and rocker covers. You can always start diluted and work to full strength if you need. Just don't let full strength Purple Power sit on it too long, I soaked my covers in it full strength and it ended up leaving some marks them.
Cleaned up the flex plate and flywheel. Inspected for damage. The flex plate appears undamaged with no visible cracks or bending. Scuff marks. The flywheel also does not appear to be cracked or damaged, however some of the teeth on one side are chipped. Turner did suggest that damaged teeth on the flywheel could interfere with operation and potentially cause misfiring. The crankshaft position sensor also appears undamaged.
I pulled the valve covers and inspected the top end. I expected to find broken bits of metal or maybe some cracks in the valley area, but found nothing of the sort. However I lack the trained eye so I'am not really sure what I'am suppose to be looking for.
I pulled the driver side head assembly. The cylinders have caked on black ****. I expected something more shiny and clean seeing how the engine was only used for about a year. In that time I did 3,000 oil changes and used shell rotella t. Premium Shell fuel always used. The passenger side head assembly is pending. One of the bolts is beginning to strip so I stopped. Need to get a special socket to finish the job.
I pulled off the remaining 4 crankshaft caps and inspected the bearings. Again I'am not really sure what I'am suppose to be looking for.
Once the heads, camshaft and crankshaft are pulled I want to send the block to a place for a chemical bath. I want the block to look brand new again before I put it back together. Eventually the heads will be sent out and machined if needed.
I think the benefit to Turner is the familiarity with Rover engines. You could take your block to a local machinist, have them pressure check it, and install top hat liners. It would probably save some money and get you a solid block. Or you could keep throwing junk yard engines in there. I'd rather just do 1 swap and have some peace of mind.
I have my original factory installed 2001 engine in my truck, almost 240,000 miles.
Obviously Turner isnt solid either. Sure you gain the top hats but you can eliminate that by getting a 99-01 block as most of the supposed slipped sleeves are on 03-04's.
Spend all that money for a Turner block that can fail? On a truck that has tons if engineering deficiencies? Not this guy. A fool and his money is soon parted.
Nothing looks bad so far. Did you check the oil pressure like I suggested before pulling it out? The oil light on indicated you did not have oil pressure, but it woudl help to know what the reading actually was. Was it on all the time, or only at idle? What do the oil pump gears look like? All the carbon seems to indicate it was getting flooded with fuel or oil. We need better pics of the camshaft to verify the bearings are still in place (common issue on factory blocks, but would not expect a Turner engine to have problems). Also, need close up pics of the cylinder walls. I want to see the finish. You shoudl be able to still see the crosshatch honing marks in them.
05-29-2019, 04:28 AM
