over heating L series

nicko500s
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Re: over heating L series

Post by nicko500s »

well the car is a 45 on a 52 plate, so i assume it can be classed as a later car.
if the head gasket cant be replaced under the garage warrenty then i guess i will be rebuilding it myself, i have no knolage of this engine at all, but i have rebuilt rover V8 engines so i have some idea. do you think i would be ok attempting the head gaasket myself and how much should i expect to spend, do i need a tool to lock the cam shaft?

thanks for all the advise its much appreciated.
E_T_V
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Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:38 pm

Re: over heating L series

Post by E_T_V »

The L series engine is fairly simple in design so if you can build a Rover V8 then changing the headgasket shouldn't be too complex.

There are a few things to bear in mind.

The fuel pump timing is critical, so never remove the pump pulley from the shaft (as they are not keyed together), unless the timing is locked in position. You can use some locking pins to set the timing in position. One pin in the flywheel and another in the fuel pump sprocket I think from memory. Just make sure everything is locked into place before releasing the tensioners or slotted pulley as that is the mistake people usually make.

The head bolts use a spline drive rather than the usual Hex heads so the right socket will be needed.

Also there are 3 thicknesses of headgasket available so check which one you have fitted before ordering the replacement. (You can check the gasket thickness whilst it is still in the engine by the number of holes there are in the tab sticking out from the joint).

Heads are alloy as with the V8 and so can warp. If not perfectly flat then a light skim will be needed. Heads can crack so may be worth getting it pressure tested to be sure. Check the block condition for corrosion and make sure the mating faces are clean
nicko500s
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Posts: 175
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:22 pm

Re: over heating L series

Post by nicko500s »

update

on a recant visit to my trusted mot guy he informed me that in his opinion the engine back pressure was caused not by the head gasket but by the piston liners? apparently these are "wet" liners and there is paper gasket that seals these preventing them from leaking. he says you can get replacment ones that work better?
i did try some abro super seal as a last resort, but the leak was far to bad although it had some affect and had come highly recomended, i think on a normal leak it would have worked.

l looked at all the options regarding the overheating of this engine i.e recon engine £2000! or a second hand unit for between £150 to £450.
i was in premiers in romford, an old rover dealer picking up the replacment water pump bolts i had lost after i had put them "somewhere safe" and asked if they had any L series engines, they said they had a customer who had bought two but was selling one of them so i ended up getting this new engine in the original box for £500.
they where originaly £1500 but at one point premiers where selling them for £250! the engine has the timing belts already fitted i just have to swap the rest of the parts over, i have never worked on this car before but me and a friend got the engine ready for removal in a few hours and would of had it out completly if we had a engine hoist.
i had thought it would be a long job.
so now im looking for advise on what things i should change while doing the engine, i will check the clutch of course.
does any one know where i can get the gear linkage bush kit that stops the gear leaver from ratteling and bieng sloppy i have seen it some where but cant remember where?
E_T_V
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Posts: 439
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2009 9:38 pm

Re: over heating L series

Post by E_T_V »

nicko500s wrote:update

on a recant visit to my trusted mot guy he informed me that in his opinion the engine back pressure was caused not by the head gasket but by the piston liners? apparently these are "wet" liners and there is paper gasket that seals these preventing them from leaking. he says you can get replacment ones that work better?


does any one know where i can get the gear linkage bush kit that stops the gear leaver from ratteling and bieng sloppy i have seen it some where but cant remember where?
I've never heard that before. There are liners but I don't think they are wet ones. The MOT tester probably heard "rover" and "headgasket" and so assumed it was a K series.

The rattling of the gear leaver is usually due to the internal bushes.

The sloppiness can be be a number of things. Worn bushes under the car or on the gearbox but the more usual cause is the linkage or the spring pin that joins the gearbox to the lever mechanism.

Mark at silverstormai can supply the bushes for under the car.
http://silverstormai.com/
nicko500s
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Posts: 175
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:22 pm

Re: over heating L series

Post by nicko500s »

thanks for the link, good linkage bush kit.
nicko500s
Spanner Twirler
Posts: 175
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:22 pm

Re: over heating L series

Post by nicko500s »

for any body interested the car is now fixed with the new engine, however the cooling problem was still there, i assumed it was an air lock in the cooling system as i could not get the heater hot, i was running the engine with the heater set to hot with the expansion tank cap off to let the air out of the system.
im no mechanic by the way, i just learn as i go, i realised there was no coolent flowing from the rad to the expansion tank and wondered if this was a problem, i asked a few people and sure enough it was supposed to return coolent from the rad to expansion tank so it was blocked, the plastic pipe is the type that becomes brittle over the years and is hard to get so i replaced with trusty water hose, i have had no problems since.
if only i knew more in the first place i would have spotted this sooner!
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