State of engine swaps/builds in 2018?
Well I'm deep into my 4.6L engine overhaul/rebuild. I was planning on just replacing the head gaskets, and front timing cover oil pump. However I have some surface rust in a few cylinders (due to the engine sitting for a bit). I'm now going to replace the timing chain, timing chain gears, and drop the pistons, replace the rings, and rod bearings.
I've got to figure out how to hone out the cylinders now. Where do I get the proper hone tool?
I've got to figure out how to hone out the cylinders now. Where do I get the proper hone tool?
TReK
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,387
Likes: 488
Well I'm deep into my 4.6L engine overhaul/rebuild. I was planning on just replacing the head gaskets, and front timing cover oil pump. However I have some surface rust in a few cylinders (due to the engine sitting for a bit). I'm now going to replace the timing chain, timing chain gears, and drop the pistons, replace the rings, and rod bearings.
I've got to figure out how to hone out the cylinders now. Where do I get the proper hone tool?
I've got to figure out how to hone out the cylinders now. Where do I get the proper hone tool?
I was going to use a ball hone in a drill, but I didn't want to cut any corners either.
A ball hone is a specific diameter.
Is it the exactly right diameter??
Is the drill rpm going to be right? Consistantly?
Can you move the hone up and down the correct stroke length? Every time? Can you make sure the hone is completely centered? Every time?
It's easy to put waves in a cylinder honing by hand.
Can it be done, and the engine still run well? Probably so?
Can it be screwed up by hand? Absolutely.
Can a stone hone be used? Sure, it does a better job...in a fixture in a machine shop. In a drill, a stone hone is a sure fire way to ruin cylinders.
My 4.6 block is still at a very reputable, local machine shop. Getting cleaned, honed, cam bearings, freeze plugs, and they are also polishing the crankshaft.
I don't have a bill yet either, but the original quote was around $130 for the cylinder honing, $65 for crank polish, and I forget the rest, but it was $400ish, ballpark.
I'll post it when I get it back.
Considering a ball hone was $50 too.
I do all of my own work, and will plastigage and reassemble the whole engine.
I weighed my options, the reputation of these engines, the money pit it's become, and figured paying a little more for a machine shop to do the above mentioned things, was worth the peace of mind to me.
You may want to consider it also.
Good luck with whatever you choose
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 240
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
...
So, assuming reliability and ease of maintenance were your #1 priority, you had a 175k truck that you're not terribly confident in, and you're willing to spend what it takes to have a reliable DII... What would you do?
Thanks!
* "Comftortably" meaning I can keep it above 55 MPH on all but the gnarliest hills.
So, assuming reliability and ease of maintenance were your #1 priority, you had a 175k truck that you're not terribly confident in, and you're willing to spend what it takes to have a reliable DII... What would you do?
Thanks!
* "Comftortably" meaning I can keep it above 55 MPH on all but the gnarliest hills.
New piston rings. New valve seals. New cam bearings. New crank Main bearings. New rod bearings. New lifters. Performance cam. New coil packs. New spark plug wires. New spark plugs. Machined the crank. Honed the cylinder sleeves.
Life is good.
So, that *is* what I did, since you asked.
https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...tom-end-87018/
Last edited by No Doubt; Mar 4, 2018 at 05:16 PM.
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 240
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
I re-used those B pistons along with new piston rings after honing the cylinders.
I mic'd everything but don't remember the #'s, just that everything was within factory manual tolerance limits.
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 240
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
One thing that I did was to hand lap all 16 valves with the wooden dowel+suction cup tool and valve lapping compound.
Before I did that I sprayed carb cleaner en masse into each exhaust port and intake port of both heads, then flipped them 180 to inspect for leaks.
7 valves had leaks!
After I lapped the valves, no leaks. This also let me closely inspect the vertical edge of each valve to insure that enough metal was still there to reuse each one.
Another thing that I did was spray carb cleaner into the fuel input of the fuel rails while my 12 year old son clicked the two fuel injector terminals via long wires to a 9 volt battery so that I could inspect (audibly and visibly) for proper clicking, spray pattern, fuel volume output into cup, and that each fuel injector didn't leak when the 9 volt power was off.
All passed!
Before I did that I sprayed carb cleaner en masse into each exhaust port and intake port of both heads, then flipped them 180 to inspect for leaks.
7 valves had leaks!
After I lapped the valves, no leaks. This also let me closely inspect the vertical edge of each valve to insure that enough metal was still there to reuse each one.
Another thing that I did was spray carb cleaner into the fuel input of the fuel rails while my 12 year old son clicked the two fuel injector terminals via long wires to a 9 volt battery so that I could inspect (audibly and visibly) for proper clicking, spray pattern, fuel volume output into cup, and that each fuel injector didn't leak when the 9 volt power was off.
All passed!
Three Wheeling
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 55
Likes: 5
With all that said I watch a lot of old Top Gear from the 1980’s and the other old British car shows. The Rover V8 is always referred to in glowing terms as extremely reliable and a wonderful engine in those old shows. I watched one show the other day where a Rover V8 was turbocharged, intercooled, Water-injected and Nitrous-injected for Hill Climbs and praised for its power to weight. These Rover engine blocks are not fundamentally flawed in its original form. They just got bored out beyond original design and the tooling just got real old. Make a LS2 with old tooling and bored out to 8L and it won’t be reliable either. Need proof?? The latest Corvette Z06 over heats in less than 15 minutes at the track and there are many class action lawsuits about it.
And I just LOVE my Disco II. I have a great Rover mechanic and the car has been running awesome this past year.
Last edited by JimmyChooToo; Mar 6, 2018 at 02:55 AM.
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,238
Likes: 240
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
Are you sure?? I have a Ferrari V8 in my California. 4.3L naturally aspirated. It is currently at the dealer for an oil change and airbag recall. It’s been there for 6 days and counting now and they “MOST certainly do not give out loaner cars”. 6 Days for an oil change. And you have no choice but to take it to dealer or you’ll take a $5,000 to $10,000 hit on the Carfax when it comes time to sale it. My car has only 8,800 miles but is out of warranty already (3 years) and the Getrag DCT can fail at any time now. That is a $7,000 to $40,000 transmission repair depending on what stage the failure. The Ferrari V8 is indeed “bulletproof” compared to the Rover V8 because nobody drives it. You rarely see one with MORE than 50,000 miles, just like you rarely see a Rover with LESS than 50,000 miles.
With all that said I watch a lot of old Top Gear from the 1980’s and the other old British car shows. The Rover V8 is always referred to in glowing terms as extremely reliable and a wonderful engine in those old shows. I watched one show the other day where a Rover V8 was turbocharged, intercooled, Water-injected and Nitrous-injected for Hill Climbs and praised for its power to weight. These Rover engine blocks are not fundamentally flawed in its original form. They just got bored out beyond original design and the tooling just got real old. Make a LS2 with old tooling and bored out to 8L and it won’t be reliable either. Need proof?? The latest Corvette Z06 over heats in less than 15 minutes at the track and there are many class action lawsuits about it.
And I just LOVE my Disco II. I have a great Rover mechanic and the car has been running awesome this past year.
The Disco 2 motor is non-interference, though... which is ironic because it uses a reliable timing chain, whereas the Ferrari V8 from that era is an interference motor that *can* smash its pistons through its valves if its rubber timing belt slips (or breaks!).
Then the irony reverses on cooling. The Ferrari, which runs cool, uses 3 radiators (plus a 4th for the A/C) whereas the Disco, which runs hot, uses 1 undersized radiator for the motor (and another for A/C, plus a 3rd tiny one for cooling the transmission).
They needed a happy medium!
Three Wheeling
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 55
Likes: 5
Disco 2s use the same coil packs as the Ferrari 348. In the 348, they are individual (one for the left half of the motor, the other for the right). In the Disco they are bolted onto a shared bracket.
The Disco 2 motor is non-interference, though... which is ironic because it uses a reliable timing chain, whereas the Ferrari V8 from that era is an interference motor that *can* smash its pistons through its valves if its rubber timing belt slips (or breaks!).
Then the irony reverses on cooling. The Ferrari, which runs cool, uses 3 radiators (plus a 4th for the A/C) whereas the Disco, which runs hot, uses 1 undersized radiator for the motor (and another for A/C, plus a 3rd tiny one for cooling the transmission).
They needed a happy medium!
The Disco 2 motor is non-interference, though... which is ironic because it uses a reliable timing chain, whereas the Ferrari V8 from that era is an interference motor that *can* smash its pistons through its valves if its rubber timing belt slips (or breaks!).
Then the irony reverses on cooling. The Ferrari, which runs cool, uses 3 radiators (plus a 4th for the A/C) whereas the Disco, which runs hot, uses 1 undersized radiator for the motor (and another for A/C, plus a 3rd tiny one for cooling the transmission).
They needed a happy medium!