muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 I was taking a closer look at a D11 V8 (2002) that I'm thinking of buying. The engine is removed and sitting in the load space of the vehicle. looking at the cylinder bores, I noted that the original cross-hatched honing is still visible. Also the valves, heads, and indeed every other component looks near new. There is no physical damage apparant to the vehicle or engine. Why or what would cause someone to remove and strip down an engine that seemingly is near new? I have asked the yard owner, but he has no idea. The vehicle was bought in auction from an organisation that has a reputation for 'throwing' vehicles away - similar to the UK military concept of allocating a fixed sum to each vehicle for repairs and once that sum has been exceeded the vehicle is cast. I ask because the yard owner is asking what seems to be a very reasonable price for the complte vehicle. A DII Disco with less than 50K. What am I missing?? Regards, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 it might have a porous engine block, some of the later V8's suffer that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest diesel_jim Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 like Ralph said... ^^^^^ or they ran it dry of oil and knackered the big ends? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 it might have a porous engine block, some of the later V8's suffer that. How would I tell? Would there be any residual signs, or does a porous block manifest as overheating/ coolant loss only on a running engine? This vehicle has done less than 50K in 5 years. Would a porous block show up early i.e. would the dealer have a record of overheating/coolant loss problems from new? I don't have great faith in the main dealer here, with regard to technical abilities and diagnosis, so I'm trying to asceratin whether it's worth buying this vehicle on spec. Are ther any signs that I could look for on a stripped motor that would guide my decision? Regards, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 Direct replacement lumps could be £££ but then 4.2's aren't too much money and a 3.9 (or even 3.5) would drop in although with obvious loss of horses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 don't know how you would tell on a partially stripped engine, I run a Tdi so have never owned or wanted to own a v8 LR/RR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 poros blocks are well diagnosed by mayonaise in the expansion tank- but it doesn't always happen- i had a porous block that only used water up, never shoved it into the oil. porosity seems to be more unlikely in the very late RV8 engines- alledgedly the casting improved and the water and oil pump efficiency greatly improved as did the fuelling of the engine which reduced the possibility of the engine running lean. However there is no real way of being sure that a RV8 is totally porous proof apart from fitting a top hatted block. Turners will supply a well manufactured top hatted block for £1250 and it will have been line bored too. As most of the engine rebuild has been done for you it could be worth building an engine rebuild into your budget, buying the vehicle and fitting what is in effect a better than new rover v8. The only thing you can't be sure of are problems with the crank- you might strip the bottom end to find a crack in the crank. You should proberly put asied a couple of hundred quid for a crank regrind just to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Love tdi's. But then I loved my '82 V8 and the chance of getting a 2002 DII V8 for peanuts is sooooo tempting. Course the missus might interpret this as me deliberately exceeding my remit to build the D90SV. Looking at the striped engine, I'm struggling to find a mechanical reason for why they removed and stripped it. It looks immaculate. It's clear that this is the first time it has been dismanteled since new. Most parts literally look as though they have just been removed from the steam cleaner. No careless csratches on mating surfaces, the crank turns over nicely, no signs of cracks etc on the heads, no signs of dodgy head gaskets, oil is light brown, valves and pistons are clear of deposits, the bores still have the originall cross hatched honing marks, and it goes on. I know that electronics throw even the main dealer into a tzzy, so I'm wondering if wiggly amps might be the root cause. If so, this could still be a good bet. How the hell do I tell whether it's a dodgy block??? Regards, Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 Pugwash, Thanks for that info. Our last posts must have crossed... Using your figures and a worse case scenario, it might still be worth buying the DII. Hmmm. More digging required... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
western Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 IIRC the only certain way to tell if the block is sound is to have it pressure tested/x-ray for hairline cracks. but x-ray non destructive testing maybe next to impossible in your part of the world & probably really expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 [quote name='pugwash' date='Aug 10 2007, 01:38 AM' post='171422'. porosity seems to be more unlikely in the very late RV8 engines- Can you define 'very late' RV8 engine? Would 2002 be 'very late'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 9, 2007 Author Share Posted August 9, 2007 IIRC the only certain way to tell if the block is sound is to have it pressure tested/x-ray for hairline cracks. but x-ray non destructive testing maybe next to impossible in your part of the world & probably really expensive. Funny enough, NDT testing would be free... I work for a foreign airforce... we have a fairly sophisticated NDT bay. Wonder if I could 'borrow' the block for a weekend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pugwash Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 it's all a little bit of hearsay to be honest- i don't think anyone has any true figures to prove that later engines are more reliable- but anecdotal evidence does seem to suggest that they are. basically any engine with no dizzy and a serpentine front end is of the later variety. if you really want good advice then PM'ing bullbar cowboy would be worth it- his knowledge of rover v8s isn't exactly small! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill van snorkle Posted August 9, 2007 Share Posted August 9, 2007 It doesn't always show up like this, but a mate of mine's 4.6 engine had a porous block and this was evident after removing the heads in that the top of one of the pistons had the appearance of being steam cleaned. It was also revealed that being the plonker that he is, he fitted 3.5 litre head gaskets, which explained why I could never get the engine to run properly with the stock ignition timing once it warmed up. Bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02GF74 Posted August 10, 2007 Share Posted August 10, 2007 have you seen the registration document? Is the engine the origainl engine? maybe that dies and you are looking at a partially rebuilt replacement perhaps? does the engine bay/engine look like its been in deep water? best advice I can give is to factor a replacement engine into the asking price and then see if it is still worth while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 have you seen the registration document? Is the engine the origainl engine? maybe that dies and you are looking at a partially rebuilt replacement perhaps?does the engine bay/engine look like its been in deep water? best advice I can give is to factor a replacement engine into the asking price and then see if it is still worth while. The vehicle was bought at auction from the Palace Office. The PO is upgrading all its Disco IIs to LR3s, so its possible that this engine was removed years ago and left sitting as the PO has literally hundreds of LRs. It is the original engine and the vehicle has definitely not been flooded. I would recognise the signs having just rebuilt my own Disco post flooding Aye, a replacement engine or at least a block might be on the cards... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 10, 2007 Author Share Posted August 10, 2007 It doesn't always show up like this, but a mate of mine's 4.6 engine had a porous block and this was evident after removing the heads in that the top of one of the pistons had the appearance of being steam cleaned. Interesting that you should say that. Did I did mention that the pistons looked spotless? Zero carbon on most and very little above the wear ring in the bore. That said, I don't know how much carbon to expect on injected engines. There is no sign of mayo in the oil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaky Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Do you need a 2nd hand block? Fat Ishmail in Sharjah has a couple of V8 DII's laying around.(they came up from Oman) You might have to buy the whole lump though...heads etc. But it can still work out cheaper than stripping down and rebuilding etc. There would be some faffing around if you wanted to drop a 4.2 or 3.9 block straight in...the ECU would probably needed looking at...perhaps even the cam also? Regards. S. PS. I'm getting a price for you by comparison anyway! Will post up when he calls me back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
streaky Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Muscat. 2004 Discovery with 65,000km. Engine only for 13,500Dhs (1875 quids)negociable. Available immediatley...two weeks warranty, but I'm told it's in excellent condition after being removed froma write-off vehicle. Regards. S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 Streaky, you're a scholar. Many thanks for that - much appreciated. At least I have some figures to work with now.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muscat Posted August 13, 2007 Author Share Posted August 13, 2007 Streaky, do you have contact details for Fat Ishmael? I keep hearing his name, but I rarely get up Sharjah way. You wouldn't know whether he has any D90's lying about? Chassis and/rear tubs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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