paul mc

Just a a quick update to see if it helps. I thought i would try disconnecting the brake lines from the master cylinder and blocking the two outlet ports on the master cylinder with a bolt each. The brake pedal was then completely solid which would suggest the master cylinder is fine, but if i only block one of the ports and replace the brake lines on the other one the pedal is rubbish again, this is the same regardless of if i block the front or the back ports. Is this a good test of the master cylinder or by blocking both ports would this cause a solid pedal even if the master cylinder seals were knackered?

Hi Guys, As I do not use my 1987 RRC enough any more I noticed that last time i took it out on the road the brakes were binding, i assumed because the calipers had seized slightly through lack of use so while it was braking very well, the pistons were not retracting enough to avoid heat build up and causing the brakes to rub and overheat. So, a couple of weeks ago I took off each caliper one by one and gave the exposed bit of piston a little clean and then pushed them back home fully to try to avoid it binding again. The front drivers side caliper was a little worse so i took the pistons out and gave the spots of light rust a light rub before replacing and again pushing the caliper all the way home. When it was all back together and bled the drivers caliper (which is the only one i disconnected from the hoses) i have absolutely no brake pressure at all. Brakes have always been fantastic on this prior to now. What i have done since - complete brake bleed in correct order of primary and secondary circuit, both one man bleed kit and pressurized easibleed. - fitted new master cylinder as the old reservoir had a split it the top anyway, primed the master cylinder off the vehicle - full brake bleed again until no bubbles coming through anywhere, again bled with one man kit pumping the pedal and with easibleed. I've used 4 litres of fluid so well and truly bled! What have i missed? the pedal goes completely to the floor even after all of the bleeding, could i have damaged something by forcing the pistons back into the calipers without opening bleed nipples, i.e. I forced the fluid back into the master cylinder but i do not see what this would damge as the pedal was not depressed so should allow fluid to flow backwards? No leaks anywhere so where in the brake circuits can fluid recirculate past a seal, as the master cylinder is pumping fluid and the bleed process worked on both circuits. Fluid appears to be coming from all bleed nipples in good quantities. Pedal is fairly stiff with engine off so servo is working well. If i clamp one of the front flexi braided lines on the secondary circuit, the brake pedal stops just short of full travel, no difference if i clamp one of the front primary circuit but not sure what this means. I literally do not know what to do next as I can not understand where the problem might be and just keeping bleeding is not working. Any help very much appreciated. Thanks, Paul

Thanks for the reply. The hearings are not gouged or damaged, but at 150k miles they are obviously past their best. I would be interested to hear if others have successfully carried this out at home, as with the useful link you posted, and if they have any advice. I appreciate your comments regarding line boring but then I have to weigh up worn old bearings against slightly misaligned new ones. As I do not expect to rebuild this again as it now only sees very low annual mileage, I would like to do anything now that I can economically do so it does not give me a headache in a few years time. Cheers

Hi guys, I am in the midst of (slowly) rebuilding my 3.5 V8 efi flapper engine. I am doing everything that is sensible while i have the engine out and on a stand, which i thought would include camshaft bearings. After buying the bearings from Rimmer bros, I came to install them today and found the necessary section of the Haynes manual to find the comment 'be careful while removing the camshaft as the bearings can not be replaced'. So, my question, why sell camshaft bearings if they are irreplaceable? I assume they must be bored out or something similar which the average person can not do at home, or is there a way I can do it? Any advice much appreciated. Thanks, Paul

Thanks, i will continue to ignore it then as it does not appear to be causing a problem, but nice to know what it does.

That sounds like you could be right. I took the engine out of a RRC Vogue with aircon but i removed the aircon pump and ancillaries, that would certainly explain why i do not have a connection on my wiring loom to attach to the aux air valve. It looks like this by the way, except instead of a 2 pin plug built in, there is a single male spade terminal on a short fly lead coming off it. presumably then not having it plugged into anything is having no effect. Does anyone know how it works, is it normally open or closed? If i don't need it should i remove it and either blank off or connect the two hoses going to and from it? thanks

Thanks, but there is only one connector on the AAV so i cant run two wires to it. What am i missing?

Thanks for all of the advice, I've ordered everything suggested including the Dynamat Xtreme as any sound deadening at all will be welcome. I have removed the engine today and will have it on an engine stand i picked up for £25 on ebay from nearby. Wish me luck

Hi Guys, Following on from a previous recent post, i have now pulled my engine to start rebuilding. On removing the wiring loom I remembered that the auxiliary air valve has never been connected. When i first installed the engine i could not find a spare female spade connector on the injector harness which could have been used to connect to the auxiliary air valve. Anyway, the engine ran fine without it and i forgot to investigate any further. So, 2 questions 1) What should it be connected to? There is only a single wire coming out of it with a male blade terminal so presumably it needs a 12v feed, but should it be ignition or a feed from the ECU or something else entirely? 2) What is the effect of not having it connected? It is a 1987 3.5 V8 Efi flapper Thanks, Paul

Thanks foer all the useful info guys, I will add core plugs to the shopping list and reface the oil pump and replace gear. What should i be checking of the core plugs to see if they need replacing or are they so basic i should just do them anyway? I should have said it is an auto so i dont need to do the clutch but anything inside the auto i should do with the engine out? I serviced it with a new filter screen etc a few hundred miles ago.

I am not averse to removing the engine if it means i can do things which i can not do with it in the car, but i can let the oil drain for a week with the sump pan off so i'm not worried about a few drops of oil in the ear'ole. But as I do not have an engine stand it will be another £50 for a single use so I would rather avoid it if it does not benefit me except being a bit more comfortable. As it is dripping oil in so many places are there any seals i can only replace with the engine out?

Yes, I have had the heads off once before and replaced the tin gasket with a tin gasket. I just did a compression test on the weekend and the numbers are around the 140-150 mark with a good increase of circa 30psi when oil is added, so along with crankcase pressure i am happy enough the rings are worn (also it is a 170k miles engine!)

Good idea, the big ends will be easy as the pistons are coming out anyway but is there enough clearance to do the crank bearings while it is still in the car?

Hi Guys, After neglecting my RRC project vehicle for far too long i want to bring it back into service. During the original build i carried out a compression test which showed the compression to be an OK 140-150psi, but i have since noticed that I am still getting quite lot of pressure in the crankcase so the rings are obviously on the way out. Over the years I have done new 3.9 camshaft (and valves, springs, etc) but have never really given the engine a good rebuild. So, this time while I am changing the rings i plan to carry out any other few jobs I can while i am in the engine. The bodywork is all off (its a Series 3 hybrid so the wings etc pop off in minutes). There is also a lot of oil on the floor wherever i go so I will change sump gaskets, but what other seals or gaskets should be changed as a matter of routine? And can i do these with the engine in the car, albeit with very good access all around? I plan to change rings, head gasket and valley gasket fit ARP head stud kit (as this will be the second time i have head the heads off) Oil sump gasket and sump plug washer Any other recommendations greatly appreciated. Thanks, Paul 1987 RRC 3.5 V8 flapper with Series 3 bodywork

Thanks for the replies and advice guys, i will contact your suggestions and get hold of the 10 bolt kit. Thanks, Paul

Hi, I need to start planning for the rebuild of my 3.5 efi (flapper) 1987 RRC engine (the compression is a bit low). As I have already been in there a few years ago to change the cam and used the original bolts I want to change to ARP studs this time. Does anyone know where I can still buy them, the usual places (paddocks, Rimmer bros, arp web site) do not seem to sell the 14 bolt versions anymore. eBay has a set for the Buick 215c.i.d rover 8 head stud kit which i think should be the same as IIRC Rover developed their engine from the Buick, but i am not sure enough to chance £150. Can anyone help? Thanks, Paul

thanks for the help. I've bought an OE sensor so will whack it on when it arrives.

As a matter of course to try and cure idling problems, i am going to replace the coolant sensor on my 3.5 V8 flapper. The two sensors at the front passenger side of the engine have excatly the same plug (how useful!), but what do they both do? Which one is the coolant sensor, i.e. is it nearest the front of the engine, and what does the other one do? Thanks, Paul

Hi, My 3.5 flapper V8 is runnig well on single point LPG but rubbish on petrol. All the usual suspects changed during the course of my rebuild, dizzy, leads, plugs etc. Can anyone tell me how to correctly set the adjustment on the airflow meter, which is the allen key type grub screw at the oulet end of the AFM, i know i messed around with it ages ago to see if I could get it to idle better but did not note down the original setting so now want to get it back to standard to rule it out from being a possible problem. Basically it does not rev on petrol and feels like it is underfuelling, the engine bogs down instantly if you press the throttle when idling in neutral, I really need to tease the throttle to get it to rev by pressing it quickly and letting go, etc etc. Also, the engine runs better if I block off the inlet which connects the engine breather to the plenum, so I really feel like it is running too lean Any help much appreciated. Paul

My 3.5 V8 Efi flapper runs lovely on LPG but not on petrol. When idling on petrol it hesitates severely when the throttle is applied. I pulled all of the HT leads one by one when running on petrol to check which one was mis-firing and sure enough 2 cyliders were missing, the middle two when viewed from the drivers side of the engine bay. I plugged each injector plug into a spare injector and they were not ticking, which suggests to me that a pulse is not being sent to these injectors. Does anyone know what could be causing this and what I can do to fix it? I also pulled each HT lead while running on LPG and all 8 cylinders were running properly. Thanks, Paul

Thanks for the quick replies. What actually happened was the bolt sheared in the clinder head and trying to remove the broken stud from the head has not worked out very well, so I would rather a replacement head than make do with a damaged face against the valley gasket

I stripped the threads in my cylinder head the other day so I need to get another one. There is a pair from a 3.9 V8 on ebay at the moment, will these fit on my flapper type 3.5 V8? I only ask because they are a good price and there isn't many on ebay. If it will fit are there any advantages or disadvantages to it? Should I use the standard tin or composite head gasket? Thanks and Happy Easter, Paul

i use red rubber grease, was suggested to me by some motocross friends of mine. It's really really sticky and doesn't get thin when wet, i pack it into terminals in exposed environments like tow sockets with good results. You can get it from a good motor factor, cheaper than vaseline!

Now that I am getting out and about in my hybrid a bit more, it is very clear that my 3.5 V8 efi flapper is not producing full power. I have been off road a few times and when in low range around off road sites the power seems good and instantaneous, but out on the open road it is struggling to acelerate properly at about 50mph, and 60mph feels like the engine is going flat out, even though the revs are only at about 2500. When going along a flat bit of motorway, approaching an uphill section, I can floor the accelerator, the automatic box will kick down but I won't get any more serious power, and I will have to keep it in the kicked down gear to maintain about 50mph on a gentle uphill section. Over the course of the build it has had new dizzy, magnecor leads and champion plugs. It is running on lpg better than petrol, i think the injectors may need a clean but this high speed problem is when I am on LPG, it doesn't run well enough on petrol to drive around on petrol. There is a bit of a misfire on petrol only which is why i suspect the injectors. In neutral it revs freely and smoothly up to 4-5000rpm, but 2500revs is max when under load. My only thought is for anew exhaust as it is a homemade custom job, and while it is OE diameter, it is a bit more convoluted than it could be so may be hampering the breathing, so I'll sort this out anyway and up the bore diameter from 50mm (standard 3.5 exhaust) to 65mm or similar. Its engine, gearbox and runnign gear from a 1987 RRC (flapper type) Any advice much appreciated. Thanks, Paul

I'm happy to say that I have received a refund from Billing for the tickets and camping, which is much appreciated. If you go to the LRO website and see the Billing FAQ's http://www.lro.com/news.php?sid=1320&page=1 you will find a number and contact details for Valerie Herman who sorted out my refund. I hope anyone who can still make it has a good time.