Finally

[Disco 1]

Some may have seen my threads last august or september about my disco being dead and now, finally, it works again.

THE PROBLEM:
it overheated due to rapid coolant loss. it leaked out of the seam around the middle of the coolant tank. (very seemingly insignificant part to kill the whole engine)

THE RESULT:
heads warped
block, crank, pistons, and heads overheated beyond repair

THE OPTIONS:
1. pay land rover somewhere over $14,000 to fix it. (that was the estimate they gave me, but they only accounted for the block being replaced, not everything else)
2. pay a local non land rover shop $4,500 to put a used engine in
3. do it yourself because youre better off buying another disco than going with option one or two

so i chose option three. it took so long cause i was off to college and couldnt work on it much until i got out for the summer. so i pulled everything out and then put it all back in, except i pretty much replaced everything.

i bought: a block, rods, pistons, crank, bearings, rings, crower cam, lifters, timing set, water pump, coolant tank, spark plugs, head bolts, all hoses, all gaskets, belt, and a battery.

the heads were inspected, complete valve job done, theyre all good now

then i put it all together, had some hydraulic lifter tapping noise for a little while after crank up but it went away and now its running great. im still in the breakin period so i havent seen how the oversized cam feels with the pedal down yet. (115/500 miles) saved a lot of money and learned a lot. ive got tons of pics on my camera so ill upload some after i put them on the computer if anyone wants to see.

[flunkster]

congrats.....much better than shelling out a testicle. plus, now your edumacated about engine works and future repair bills will be minimal.

as for the lifter noise at first.....normal priming! in the future you can soak them in a bag of oil first to help decrease this.

im anxious to hear about the crower cam power results as i am contemplating this on my current top end rebuild.

enjoy!

[DenverCurmudgeon]

which Crower cam? and did you go with roller lifters?

$14K!! Anyone can pick up a catalog and find a rebuilt engine for $3k. What did the dealer want to do?

And, like Flunkster, I'm happy to hear that you still have your testicles.

[Disco 1]

my memory card finally filled up so i dumped all my pics on my computer and so i put a few of the rebuild online if anyone wants to see

http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/dmore6/Rebuild

the dealer said a new block was 10k, i would be charged a 2k core charge cause they couldnt use my block, then 2k for labor. so that doesnt even include all gaskets and the head work and everything else

[Buddy Lee]

Originally Posted by Disco 1

the dealer said a new block was 10k, i would be charged a 2k core charge cause they couldnt use my block, then 2k for labor. so that doesnt even include all gaskets and the head work and everything else

Wow that's just insane what was that guy smoking. For that kind of money you could have paid someone to convert you to a diesel. I think you could have found a used low mileage engine for under 2,000 if you looked around a little bit. But the rebuild sounds like it worked out for you.

[Badger1]

Good job on the motor rebuild.

Just curious what your final total is, as this job I am sure is in my future.

[pavel]

Well done Disco1... Its always great to hear that someone was able to complete a job themselves. If you think your cost was higher than expected, remember that you learned plenty - you probably gained a couple of grand worth of experience!

Cheers.

[Disco 1]

the total was about $2200 i believe.

pavel i definitely agree. i know so much more than i did before all this, it was a very good learning experience.

i did not get roller lifters,

cam
intake: duration: 258 deg lift: .430
exhaust: duration: 260 deg lift: .445

[jhmover]

cool on the rebuild. Let us know how that cam is after you break it in. Take it to the dragstrip and let us know whether you can complete the 1/4 mile before you fall asleep...hehe.