As a follow up to the top-end strip down, I have now removed the left bank cylinder head.....interesting experience!
Jeremey Clarkson the presenter of 'Top Gear' the BBC motoring program should include in his show a feature called 'I would like to meet the man that designed this part....' I say this because removing the alternator and power steering brackets was a job to test even Harry Houdini and if I were ever to met the man that designed this setup I would certainly share my thoughts with him!
The latest surprise was that the 'black death' factor on the left bank was far greater than on the right. The head bolts seemed tighter as well, which made me think that this side had not been removed before. Also the 'C' locktabs on the manifolds were folded over at 90° indicating that it was done at the factory.
With the head off it was obvious where my 'pressurising problem' was coming from.
The gasket material around the water passages at either end of the head had rusted/eroded away leaving a jagged edge allowing the two closest cylinders to pressurise them. Also there was a clean break bewteen on the gasket between the centre bores. USE GOOD ANTI-FREEZE
Again, camshaft followers and the bores look fine.
A quick check on a surface plate showed that I had some twist in head mating surface.
I called RPI V8 in the UK after having a long look at their very detailed and excellent website (
www.rpiv8.com) and have gone for thicker composite head gaskets which should give extra insurance in the future. Great service and friendly advice from RPI BTW.
My local machine shop is going to take 0.25mm of each head to bring back the CR to 9.35:1 or close.
So far so good, no snapped bolts and no stripped threads.
However I have got a nagging thought though. The RPI website has got me thinking about camshafts and if it is worth upgrading now....
They say the Rover camshaft is good for 80k miles. My car has 50k miles. Seeing the complexity of the strip down, I will not be in a hurry to do it again in the near future.
The question is can I replace the camshaft with the engine in situ. What else do I need to remove to get at it? Is there enough space to wriggle it out with the radiator removed? What nasty surprises do I expect to find?
I do not have the car close by so cannot just run out and check.
Does anyone have experience of the RP4 optimax cam?
More postings as they come. Cheers, Philippe
