Rover v8 water loss - what's best to do?

[Tom1809]

Well it seems that I have now have a small problem, the 3.9 v8 isn't over heating and seems to be running really well but there is a small issue of water loss. Not a great deal but enough that I'm topping it up once a month. It isn't leaking anywhere else in the cooling system so assume I have a gasket failure or cracked bore.

What's the best thing to do?

A) Buy a new block and build up using my heads and ancillarys with new internals?

B) strip it down and see if a head gasket has gone and replace (but doubt its a head gasket as surely it will pressurise the cooling system)

C) what other options do I have?

Cheers

Tom

[Fatboy]

You could start by pulling the plugs out to see if any of them are really clean which would tell you which cylinder is "burning" water,

Then take that head off for a look and take it from there.

I wouldn't buy a new block, send your current one away and have top hat liners fitted. There are a few places which can do it now.

HTH

[zoltan]

I'm half way through putting my 3.5 back together which had light blows from the fire ring into the waterways on cylinders 1 and 2.

To be fair, the tin gaskets have lasted a while (failed softly) but it is going back together now with composite gaskets, a 20 thou skim, new Kents H180 cam, duplex chain, ARP studs and genuine followers. A proper birthday.

The water loss has rolled on for a number of years and only recently got so bad that I have been forced to do something about it

[Tom1809]

You could start by pulling the plugs out to see if any of them are really clean which would tell you which cylinder is "burning" water,

Then take that head off for a look and take it from there.

I wouldn't buy a new block, send your current one away and have top hat liners fitted. There are a few places which can do it now.

HTH

That's a good idea. I hadn't thought of that to see which side its on. Am I right in thinking top hat liners can be done for around £700? And as I had already put a new cam in, timing chain and gear set i can re use all that, I could have my crank checked and just put new pistons & ring set. New tappets and go down the route of a stud kit and then composite gaskets again.

The only other thing I've wondered if its possible is that when cold and. Is that i have a head gasket failure than water can seep in to the bores, not a lot but enough as it does seem to have a lot of condensation in the exhaust until its warms, but surely it would pressurise the coolant system?

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to see what quotes I get for top hat liners and take it from there.

Cheers

Tom