Running-In Rebuilt Engine

Start it up and run it at 2000 rpm for 15 min, if you let it sit at idle for even just 15 sec you will cause cam lobe wear. If you need to shut it down for any reason (running very lean or retarded timing, both indicated by glowing red manifolds for example), then do so but on restart go straight to

2000 again. Only after this can you let it idle and accurately set timing and mixture. The rear crank seal will be fine as long as you lubricated the seal lip on installation. For the first few hundred miles, do not let the engine sit at a constant rpm or throttle setting as this is what glazes the bores. Vary the load and speed, keeping the revs below 2500 and throttle below half, if possible. For the next few hundred miles, steadily increase the ammount of throttle and revs until it has done around 500 miles, it will now be effectively run in. I reccomend oil and filter changes after initial few hours of running, then a further oil change at 500 miles, then an oil change every 3-4000 with the filter being replaced every second oil change. Remember not to remove the filter whilst the sump is drained as the system might not self-prime again, wrecking all your rebuild work. Procedure best followed is:-

Drain oil. Replenish oil to full mark. Start engine, ensuring oil light goes out, and idle for 10 seconds or so. Stop engine, remove filter. Fit new filter, pre-filled with fresh oil. Start engine, ensuring oil light goes out, run for 10 sec or so again. Stop and check level.

Make sure you use the correct grade of oil, this engine was designed to operate with a high-flow, low pressure oil system using 20W50 grade oil. Halfords do a suitable oil in the red plastic containers, although it is a

15W50 it will be just fine, or Castrol Classic 20W50, these are the 2 oils I reccomend.

Badger. B.H.Engineering, Rover V8 engine specialists.

Remove spark plugs and turn it over on the starter until you get oil pressure. I would then run it on tickover for 4-5 minutes while I checked everything for leaks and blows. Then fast idle (1500-2000) for ten minutes to warm everything through, keeping a close eye on all dials, indicators etc. Allow to cool and check for leaks again. Then I would use as normal, taking usual running-in precautions for the first 500 (or 1000 if you can bear it). ICBW, but I don't think the cam needs any special bedding in apart from the above.

As far as avoiding glazing the bores goes, the usual advice is

a) avoid wide throttle openings and labouring the engine in a high gear b) let engine rev freely, keep it working, vary the speed c) avoid sustained high speed for the first x* miles

• I would say at least 500, preferably 1000, but then I am fairly patient. My experience in cars I (or my Dad when he was around) have owned is that engines that are sweet, quiet, efficient and use no oil at 100k miles are invariably ones that were run-in for a good 1000 miles by a patient owner.

Don't forget to change the oil after the first 1000. No-one bothers with any of this these days. Perhaps engine manufacture/materials/tolerances are better, but I reckon it's more to do with regarding cars as consumable items rather than long-term investments, and people who can't be bothered to wait for anything. We recently got some new Meganes as pool cars, and it breaks my heart to see how they are being treated with less than 2000 on the clock.

Just read Badger's comments on not letting it idle. While this is new to me, I won't disagree with someone of his experience.

My sister has a new work car (a TD corsa).

I think it is now on close to 30k miles (in under a year) and it hasnt yet been in for its first proper service and oil change (which is due at 30k now after they decided to skip the 20k service).

He's spot on with his comments. Hopefully the new cam came with some decent follower lube that was used when it was assembled too.

I wonder whether the oil pump was packed with vaseline as part of the rebuild - otherwise my money is on it failing to pick up oil pressure on initial start up.

As an aside Brian, have you come across any of the pison ring sets that say to fit them into dry bores with NO oil (and that they don't need a running in period)? I've used them a few times, and followed the instructions whilst my heart screams at me to use some oil on them. The results have been fantastic - rings that bed in immediately and the engines have lasted very well.

Haven't used them myself, I'm more of a "traditionalist" (sceptical distruster of technological advances, some may say... ;-) ) and prefer to use normal chrome rings. Had an engine in part-ex once that was drinking oil like crazy, it had been built with cords rings!! Badger.

Going off tack a bit - what's the view on running-in oil? I hadn't seen if for years, but Morris Oils list it so I suppose it would be a good idea to have some understading of any issues around it.

Richard

initial few hours of

Hi Badger, wouldd i be right in thinking the reason for the 2k revs is better oil delivery??? Or is it for another reason i can't work out?

--

Subaru WRX Range Rover 4.6 HSE (The Tank!)

WANTED: Series Project but must be runner with MOT

'"I don't remember asking you a goddam thing"

Believe it or not, Nige, it's to work-harden the cam lobes and follower faces correctly! Also, the lobe nose force reduces with rpm so prevents the nose "digging in" to the base of the follower. 15 min is regarded as being the minimum time that is sufficient to achieve this hardening, personally I adjust the throttle cable to hold it at this speed and leave for 20-25min if possible. Badger.

Hi Richard, main thing is not to use an oil full of anti-wear additives, as they will prevent things from wearing-in to each other as they are meant to during the running-in phase. It's also a good idea not to use an extremely high detergent oil (such as Duckhams) whilst running-in. I hear good things about Morris Oils, but there's no outlet for them near me so I stick with Castrol products as they are a good known quality. Castrol classic 20W50 has none of the anti-wear additive packages added so is also a good oil for running-in a rover v8, as well as being the correct grade. I use it permanently in my own 4.0 110, I drive it hard around rally stages when required, I tow heavy loads behind it and generally abuse it! last time I had a rocker cover off, the innards were as clean as the day I built it some 5 years ago. The oil pressure has sat at 52psi (hot, 2200rpm) since it was built also. In my book that shows that the oil is doing its job, lubricating and preventing wear correctly. Badger.

Crikey, you learn something new every day!!

Looking at your site matey. My 4.6 HSE has got 150k on the clock. It's a 1996 model. I have the full dealer (H R Owen) service history with it. It's as sweet as i have ever heard, am i right in thinking if i was ever to encounter slipped/cracked liners it would have pretty much shown it's self up by now? The block does look a bit newer than the heads, but it's mucky down there!!

I wonder if it's had a new engine block at some point. I cant see any water use or any kind of head gasket type signs. The reason I'm asking is i like this car more than any LR i have has so far (thats a few now!!) & wonder if it's something that might crop up.

If it does, how much??

Nige

--

Subaru WRX Range Rover 4.6 HSE (The Tank!)

WANTED: Series Project but must be runner with MOT

'"I don't remember asking you a goddam thing"

Burnishing them too.

steve

Unfortunately time is no indicator of failure rates, a lot of early failures occured if the engine was ever overheated (the infamous P38 top hose saga...), it wasn't really until then that the rover engineers understood the problem, allegedly. One word of caution, if you ever get any water loss on a P38 and can't find it and are getting paranoid, remove the dash lower panel and look at where the heater rigid aluminium pipes enter the heater box (using a mirror and torch!) and check for leaks there. Very common and often overlooked in favour of blaming the block, I'm afraid. The 2 "O" rings are penny's, but the labour is a bitch as it's a big job. The heater box has to be unbolted and moved rearwards (after removing half the interior!!) off the pipes that are rigidly attached to the inside of the bulkhead! Better by design, eh?

No way of knowing, other than to strip the engine and x-ray the block to check the ally thickness behind the liners! Even then, the failure rate is higher with the thinner castings but no way of telling when.

Either a known good second-hand block at whatever you are prepared to pay, (bearing in mind the 4.0 block is identical but suffered more failures due to rover grading the blocks eventually and using only the best ones for the

4.6 and the "lesser" ones for the 4.0), or have your own block bored out and a set of top-hat liners fitted, this being a permanent fix but costing around £850ish. I'm currently putting the finishing touches to a new engine for my 110, 4.7ltr (bored 4.6), top-hat linered and cross-bolted block, stage 2 heads, Lund LE1 cam, 9.8:1 c.r., hybrid hot-wire efi system on a thor inlet manifold and decent tubular headers into a 3" free-flowing system. Hoping for around 290 lbft and 255-260 bhp!! Here's hoping the ZF autobox hangs in there....... Badger.

I know about this one. I looked at a very nice Autobiography last year. It smelled a bit like old curry inside & i became a bit susp. I got it nice & warm & lo & behold you got two small trails of heater water dripping down the side of the inner footwell bit. I pointed it out to the bloke, but he wasnt interested so i walked away!! I think there may be a way of doing it without the full monty stripout, but I'm no expert!

heheh - kind of defeats the point really!

block bored

Can you do this if the problem exists, or is it only possible as a prevention? £850 sounds a lot, but these are cheap cars now, very cheap indeed for what you get. I can get my head round most things carwise & this car is actually a keeper for me (yeah, it is!!)

Mind you, mine never breaks sweat anyway, if you boot it the fuel gauge goes all wobbly!!!

Nice!! I always remeber my first time of hearing a V8 at full burst. I was an apprentice motor mechanic at Appleyards Bradford BL garage in 1984 & we used to PDI Police & public Rover Vitesse all the time. It was also the first time i shagged a spark plug thread on a V8 too!! It was also the last.

Nige

--

Subaru WRX Range Rover 4.6 HSE (The Tank!)

WANTED: Series Project but must be runner with MOT

'"I don't remember asking you a goddam thing"

Yes, even if cracks are found in the ally after boring out the old liners. Sealed at bottom of liner and top, with head gasket sealing against wider "top-hat" of liner instead of across block face due to thin liners.

'S funny, my disco and 110 both do the same, must be a "design feature, sir, they all do that".

Just got back from a week in L.A. recently, that place is V8 heaven but then petrol is only $2.94 per US gallon!! I know now exactly what my 110's new engine needs to sound like - after visiting Boyd Coddington's Hot-rods!!! Badger.

To my mind the V8 currently idling outside my door (stockcar) is how they should sound - it's a 350ci Chev de-stroked to 248ci (stupid NZ stockcar rules) so it revs fairly highly, and it's running thru one flowmaster muffler on each bank without any balance pipe. It starts sounding just about perfect from 6000rpm onwards (to it's 480BHP peak at about 9500rpm).

The cams lubed up and the oil pumps full of Vaseline. I'm aiming to get the engine back in this weekend, wife permiting... Thanks for the advice.............. start it up and run at 2000rpm for at least 15 minutes.

Hubba hubba hubba!

Badger.