Hey guys, I've been having trouble with my rover for over a year so i'm in need of some serious advice. I recently did a head gasket job at about 122,000 miles because of an overheating problem. I did have to pull over a couple of time because the light turned on my car began smoking (not sure if this matters but i thought i'd mention it. After the head gasket job im now having trouble with misfires and i have a really bad knock.My question is should i rebuild this thing or what's the next step? If so, what would a complete rebuild consist of? I've attached a short video so you can hear how it sounds just click the image.

 

From your description it sounds like you severely overheated your engine. Did you locate the leak? Did you get the heads redecked when you did the head gasket job?

The noise in the video could be differnt things. Some have also found that there flex plate is cracked, and that can also create a ticking sound. There are several threads on people locating their tick. But since you are suffering misfires, it sounds like you might have something more severe. Did you replaces the plugs and wires?

For the future, always watch the temperature gauge like a hawk with D2's. Never ever ever let the needle reach the red area of the gauge. Don't let it get to the point where the light comes on. Shut the engine off and coast to a stop if you have to. These engines are aluminum and cannot handle that much heat for too long or they will suffer warping.

 

my fear is that my engine block is crack or something. my mechanic said he had everything sent to the shop to be remachined but im not sure exactly what he did because this wasnt my car at the time, i got it from my pops since he just gave up on it. i suspect that it has something heads too tho

 

What are the chances of ruining your engine running with a bad head gasket??

 

Well I think it would be dependent on if the leak was external or not. If you got coolant leaking into the oil then you've got big problems. Plus a hg leak can put air in the system.

Driving with a blown head gasket isn't a good idea. At best you will be constantly refilling your reservior every week.

 

I had coolant getting into the leaking in but I'm not sure from where. I'm starting to think he didn't do the job right. Do you think me doing the job over would help? Also what would I do besides changing the head gasket cover? I really appreciate your feedback by the way

 

Also will a bad head gasket cause misfires? I have misfires on cylinders 3 and 5 with 7 pending. So far I'm thinking of changing my coil packs, spark plugs, and doing the head gasket job . What do you think?

 

Well I would first track down that leak. Try to get your hands on a coolant pressure test kit. Other common leaks are the throttle body heater plate. If you've got a cracked block then obviously you've got some serious things to think about. But if it's another HG. You can purchase a head gasket kit from atlantic british and it will include all the other gaskets that you might as well replace while the engine is apart.

So if it's hg leak, and if it was a botched job. You can get the heads machined if need be, then replace the HG's, valley pan gasket, throttle body heater plate, valve stems if you want to. If you feel ambitious you could also replace the timing cover and front main seal, and water pump. In addition to that you should do new plugs and wires.

But this is all premature until you find out what's leaking. So you are certain that you are getting coolant in the oil? If so you should stop running the motor pronto, and just pressurize the system to find the leak. Be sure to use the search feature on the forum to find out more on ticking noises and slipped liners.

 

I don't think it's leaking anymore because my coolant is full. I meant before the job it was leaking but it doesn't seem to be anymore. Although all tubing was replaced which might have helped. I'll try to get a hold of a coolant pressure test kit. Any DIY threads on how to test the pressure ? Sorry I'm a newbie. Also how do I know if the heads need to be machined?

 

Are you getting any codes?