1998 Disco Engine Rebuild

[isr2kba]

Hi all,

I am about to pull my 98 Disco (170k mi) into the garage for some engine work. It's been parked in the yard since the radiator let go 11/09. I bought the new radiator at that time, but when I looked under the hood carefully to see how I was going to install it, I noticed coolant leaking from the front of the left bank.

At that point I knew it needed head gaskets.

There's valve train noise on the same side as the gasket leak and the engine leaks oil from below somewhere.

I drove the thing for six years before it broke, so it owes me nothing and right now I'm into it for the radiator, a bunch of coolant hoses and a thermostat - $700 or so.

Here's my strategy: Push it pull it tow it drive it? into the garage, pull the motor and start tearing it down before I spend another penny on parts.

Assuming I still have a good motor on my hands, here's my punchlist:

head gaskets (and every other gasket I can find)
Have machine shop rebuild & resurface heads
probably a new camshaft
front/rear main seals
timing gears & chain
oil pump rebuild
cylinder liners
rings
(at least) inspect the crank

I know my way around the shop and motors in general, but I'm going to need some guidance on the liners (whether they're dropped or whatever) and what to do about it even if there is no obvious movement since I'm going to be spending some serious money to get this thing back on the road. Should I get the "top hat" style liners? Who is going to install them for me. How hard is it? That sort of thing...

Any comments on these points would be much appreciated.

Off to the garage....

 

[alzerom]

The expertise is here, tear it down and report your findings. There are some pictures by chongo posted here etc. After you get it torn down weigh the cost of rebuild versus locating a salvaged motor. Can't tell until you remove it and tear it down. Thats why the responses are a bit slow.

 

[isr2kba]

I don't have a lot of progress to report, but I'll report what I have done. After taking a bunch of "before" photographs, I:

1. Removed the hood
2. Removed the battery
3. Drained the coolant and engine oil
4. Removed the coolant reservoir
5. Removed the Radiator and plugged the tranny / oil cooling lines

None of this posed any unusual challenges and the only non-standard tool that I wished I owned is a 24mm flare nut wrench. The big surprise of the exercise was to discover all of the junk that accumulates between the base of the radiator and the nose panel of the Rover.

 

[Disco Mike]

Don't machine the heads unless they are more then .004 out, as for rings, probably not needed but an entire valve train would be good using an after market 4.6 cam.
I have a long list of stuff we could talk about when you get the time, send me your number if you want.
Oh, also a new AirTex fuel pump, cause yours is gone based on age.

 

[isr2kba]

Yes,thanks for the good advice on the valve train. In the course of my research I have come to realize that the valve train including the cam is probably all worn.

My fears are head warpage and crank runout. I haven't pinned the temp guage, but I have certainly run it very hot on more than one occasion.

I saw the instructions for measuring the head warpage and it looks straight forward. I'll see what a quality straight edge costs and hopefully invest in one so I can at least get a good guesstimate at the warpage.

I also saw the instructions for measuring crank runout when the crank is out of the engine. Not sure if there is even a procedure to measure it when it's installed.

 

[Disco Mike]

And don't plan on liners, at that point it is cheaper to but a new short block.

 

[RobertColunga]

Hi all,

I am about to pull my 98 Disco (170k mi) into the garage for some engine work. It's been parked in the yard since the radiator let go 11/09. I bought the new radiator at that time, but when I looked under the hood carefully to see how I was going to install it, I noticed coolant leaking from the front of the left bank.

At that point I knew it needed head gaskets.

There's valve train noise on the same side as the gasket leak and the engine leaks oil from below somewhere.

I drove the thing for six years before it broke, so it owes me nothing and right now I'm into it for the radiator, a bunch of coolant hoses and a thermostat - $700 or so.

Here's my strategy: Push it pull it tow it drive it? into the garage, pull the motor and start tearing it down before I spend another penny on parts.

Assuming I still have a good motor on my hands, here's my punchlist:

head gaskets (and every other gasket I can find)
Have machine shop rebuild & resurface heads
probably a new camshaft
front/rear main seals
timing gears & chain
oil pump rebuild
cylinder liners
rings
(at least) inspect the crank

I know my way around the shop and motors in general, but I'm going to need some guidance on the liners (whether they're dropped or whatever) and what to do about it even if there is no obvious movement since I'm going to be spending some serious money to get this thing back on the road. Should I get the "top hat" style liners? Who is going to install them for me. How hard is it? That sort of thing...

Any comments on these points would be much appreciated.

Off to the garage....

Hi man! How was the engine rebuild? were you able to do find those Land Rover parts you were needing? can you post some pics? i'll be doing the same thing too.

 

[Donjames911]

Wrong dude, man.