In keeping with my 'I don't know naff about engines and cars but I want to build one anyway;' kit car build I excitedly got my Rover 3.5lr V8 engine up one its stand at the weekend.

I decided to have a poke around the engine and remove the spark plugs. Having removed 4 plugs and inspecting them (then replacing in the correct cylinders for later reference) I noticed dubious watery stuff on one plug. Like I all newbies I got a torch and peered down the plug hole. Nothing to be seen. Worrying I dug out a Cable Tie and jabbed that down there are twirled it about. Results of this was some worrying brown goo, quite a consistent texture and I lovely shade of rust.


Engine Strip?

Toss it away and purchase another block?

Ditch the V8 idea (I love the sound though) and go for something else for the Viento?

Please advise?
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brown goo engine [/img]
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yep, take it apart and have a good look. i would do this even if in hadn't found the goo. you will effectively have mostly new or good re-con bits on your car so why leave the engine to chance.

remember, your car is only as good as the weakest component.

full strip, clean, new bearing shells and gaskets all round. not to forget piston rings.

on your engine, these things arent expensive and its a good way to get aquainted with the heart of your car.

the goo needent be the end of the world.

just have a look and tell us what you find..

[Edited on 9/2/10 by skinned knuckles]

looks like a rebuild to me. What was the history of the engine? Either its caused by condensation, a blown head gasket, or your dipping the wrong hole!

Is it like this in all of the bores?

Strip it, you have nothing to lose.
They are amazingly easy to rebuild. A good local engine machine shop will sort the engineering.
It is quite common for the metal shim gasket in the V between the heads to fail letting water into the inlets

That looks fairly unpleasant

I think it needs a strip down and investigation. in any case you can't try and start it with that stuff in it. if you are lucky you will be able to clean it up and reassemble with new gaskets etc.

It not like this in all the bores.

Sadly I bought the kit as a part built job from a ill fella and I have no idea what happened to the engine before I got. The two engines I got with the kit were a bonus really.

I think I will probably strip it down regardless now. even if I don't use the engine it will be valuable experience for me as a newbie

Thanks for the replies guys

Rover V8's are so cheap, I'd just go and buy another one - just make sure it's a good one.

By the time you've stripped a rocker cover off, you could have a decent engine running, saving a) money and b) time, both of which can be spent on something else.

I bought an excellent 3.9 for £500, which came with ALL the running gear from a Range Rover, incl ECU etc. Chucked it in, played with a couple of wires and we're running.

ATB

Simon

Simon has a decent point BUT for the fun and experience, i'd personally do the rebuild. I knew naff all about them and with a haynes manual and my camera / pen and paper it was really easyt keeping track of what came from where etc.

Took me about 7 hours to strip and rebuild but i had all the new parts ready next to me.

Strip it down - you can learn so much from books / the web, but there's nothing like seeing it all stripped open to know how it all works. It's also much easier to do on a stand, rather than when you've fitted it in the car!

That's what I did, and I'm pleased I did it that way...

HTH


Vince

yes strip and rebuild. You will see whats in there and how it all works. You will learn a lot.
Even if you just strip and put in a box!

If the block is scrap, then steam clean it, hone out the bores to clean. Spray in clear Laquer, use the pistons and rod bolted to the top of the block, and put a bit of nice wood on top and make a coffee table. (The pistons form the levelled support for the wood).

Great talking point. Line the cylinders with felt and use as a wine rackas well.

Rover V8's are reasonable to do up.

use www.v8tuner and real steel.

Paul at v8Tuner is a good bloke and wont sell you what you dont need.

I would stip both engines and build one good one. I expect there is water and rust in that cylinder with the goo. Strip and find out.

Its a simple engine, and easy to work on.

Camshaft will probably be knackered, as they usually are at 80k miles. Still time for a Hot Cam and new followers. (Dont fit a new cam with out new followers, or it will trash itself)

Above all have fun. I probably have an electronic copy of the rebuild manual about you can have. u2u me if you want it.




EDIT:
Check you engine number here to see wich is the better engine. Later ones had a stiffer block.

http://www.capriracing.co.uk/RoverV8EngineNumbers.htm


[Edited on 10/2/2010 by wilkingj]

The V8 i bought for £50 (complete SD1) on face value was a smokey knackered lump, yet a good clean up, and no mechanical updates, remove a ton of gunge from the rocker covers, new oil filters etc, continued in my SD1, untill my father had it, for nearly another 20 years
then the car fell to bits

V8's dont actualy work that hard, especially in an auto SD1

I wish i had that type of torque now in my Rover 75

Yet im glad i dont have it as towing a caravan to devon, gave me about 10mpg

not very funny !!!

Am I the only one thinking it's a good colour match with the rocker cover ?

Thanks for the replies guys - you have all confirm my intial thoughts that no matter what state the engine is in a strip down will be invaluable to me. Even if the only thing gained is my own knowledge of engines. I will probably start a build thread with photos.

thanks for the offer of a manual but I have virtually all manuals ever produced by Land Rover on the V8 now. I bought a DVD from ebay containing Overhaul, workshop Manuals, microcats and other documentation. Annoying though as it comes to a 1000 pages printing it is bad for the environment. The V8 is recycled so I think its green!!!

quote:

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Originally posted by steve m
V8's dont actualy work that hard, especially in an auto SD1

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