Rover K Series Cylinder Head Removal

Now you've lost me.

That won't cushion the big end bearings though. Put the right amount in & they'll be fine.

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Well, a progress update so far.......

Got the crankshaft pulley off no probs using the brake pedal trick. I think it was looser than it should have been from when I had the Cambelt changed 4 years ago. It was tight, admittedly, but certainly not hugely difficult to shift. Got power steering and alternator belts off. Disconnected everything in and around the engine bay. Got crankshaft in position and fitted the camshaft locking tool. Only one problem so far - the exhaust manifold studs. 4 of the 5 loosened off fine, but the fifth one (the central one) literally disintegrated when I offered up the socket to it. I did in fact drop the exhaust at the point at which it meets the manifold so I can actually remove the head, but am worried about the stuck stud in case I have to take the manifold off for skimming purposes.

What's the best way to deal with this problem? Incidentally the stud itself looks to be in a pretty poor state (just corroded really) in that the threads are pretty much knackered, so I don't think I can try that trick where you tighten two nuts on the stud and use a ring spanner from behind (not that I've ever had much success with that method anyway!). Or am I worrying needlessly - should I just get the head off then worry about the exhaust manifold as and when I have to?

Thanks again

Luke

just cut the nut off and change the stud while the head is off.

This made me smile and remember... In the early 60's I had to replace the blown cylinder head gasket on my old 1936 Standard 10, the most serious job I'd tackled. At that time I was in the Works Engineer's office at a large factory in Openshaw.

One of the manifold studs snapped off almost flush with the head as I tried to remove it.. I borrowed a stud remover from the machine tool maintenance section at work, and started drilling the stud. The drill broke off flush with the stud, which appeared to be heat-hardened. 8-(

When the maintenance foreman stopped laughing at me he asked if I could bring the head in to work. I did so, on the bus wrapped in an oily rag, and they took out the stud, then passed the head on to the millwrights who said: "It needs de-coking and the valves need grinding in. While we're at it we'll replace the valve springs. Got any money"?

They sent the works wagon out for the springs and presented me with the finished head next day. It cost me a few pints, and it gave them a change from their routine work...

I have done several of these and the studs just unscrew easily

Ah, I was trying to imply it wasn't going to be an issue, as you say it'll probably come out easily. YOu might as well change the one that come out easily whilst you can, they're not expensive.

Yes I think you're right. However, I am having trouble finding cheap 10w-40 now - I was buying Wickes DIY @ £12 for 5l, but they have stopped selling it. Homebase want £20 for 5l of their own brand. Anyone know where to get cheap oil?

And at least I can get £2k of new car now! Not bad, considering the trade-in value estimated by Auto-trader is £50...

Very very few people go from a 50 quid banger to a new car. And even fewer to a like for like one.

Cynical me says the discounts will also disappear on this sort of deal. Rather the same as getting a grant for a new efficient boiler (where you can) or insulation.

Lidl

A final update on the job!

Took the head off and asked an engineering shop (Padfields in Bristol) to check and skim if necessary. Had to cycle there on my pushbike (approx. 2 miles) with the head balanced on the handlebars which was no mean feat I can tell you. They seemed pretty decent blokes and unbelievably turned the job around within a day, and sold me a complete gasket set at the same time - one of the Multi Layer Steel (MLS) efforts. They reckoned it HAD needed skimming - in any case the skim only set me back =A332 + VAT so no complaints there.

Got it all back, cleaned up the block and all associated mating faces, and put it all back together again. This took me quite a long while (about 5 days doing the odd hour here and there after work etc). The aspects of the job I was most apprehensive about (e.g. ensuring the crankshaft was aligned, refitting the crankshaft sprockets correctly) were pretty straightforward. The hardest parts of the job were the fiddly/awkward stuff like refitting the inlet manifold - even for a streak of piss like me it was a bit of a squeeze getting everything tightened up properly - good job I haven't got arms like Popeye's.

I filled up the coolant, connected up the belts, had a final check around the engine and cranked her over. After a few attempts it burst into life, settling to a steady (if noisy) idle. I was quite worried about this as I knew it was the hydraulic tappets that were responsible for the noise, and I feared I'd put them back together incorrectly or had inadvertently blocked an oilway. I left it idling for a few minutes but it didn't get any better. Sounded a lot like my old Ford Escort, and we know all know what a racket they make. Hmmmmm.......

I decided to take the rocker cover off and have a look inside, lo and behold the cams were drenched in oil, so no starvation in the supply. I put it back together again and went for a gentle drive up the road, and gradually, as if by magic, the noise disappeared and by the time I got home, the engine was humming beautifully like it always used to. Phew! Perhaps it just takes a while for the tappets to pressurise themselves, but I'd have thought we should be talking seconds, not minutes!

Having left it running for a while, it actually looks like the radiator has a leak at the top, which probably is what caused the car to overheat in the first place. I'm going to get a new rad as they're not expensive - =A340 or so, and I want to be able to sleep easy in my bed.

Overall cost was just over =A3200 and that includes a few tools I had to buy such as a E12 female torx socket and a swan-necked 13mm spanner, so I'm fairly happy in that regard.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Luke

In message , Wingedcat writes

Glad it all worked out. Also glad my £200 estimate was realistic. Definitely worth doing rather than scrapping the car. FWIW, the one I did also took over 5 minutes for the tappet noise to subside.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Luke

Nice one ! I do it for a living, so its good to see someone having a go, also good of you to come back and let us know how you got on. I know what you mean about the noisey tappets, i did one & it took bloody ages for the tappets to settle down !!!

worst one I ever did for tappet noise was an audi auto, I had bought an engine from a scrappy, I was promised it was good, when fired up it rattled from the tappets like an old taxi, after it had warmed up fully (thermostat open) it was no better, I phoned the scrappy who could hear it on the phone, he promised me that if I left it running for half an hour the noise would stop, I was a bit dubious but left it running and almost exactly on the dot of half an hour total running it stopped rattling and sounded as quiet as anyone could want.

Many a VW engine does that if you leave it for a long time.