Engine replacement RRS Supercharged

[p38arover]

That's today's project. Last night I helped (very little!) Brad Pollard remove the body from a Sport. Today we'll pull the engine and fit a new one.

The original engine had an overheat and lightly seized a piston with consequent liner slip.

'Tis amazing how well designed the Sport is for removal of the grille, headlights, front apron, tailights (to unplug the rear bumper park sensors), etc.

Something for Sport owners. Remove the lower screws at the rear of the rear wheel arches and grease them. They rust. Ditto with the two front body mount bolts (the RH one requires removal of the oil cooler - if fitted on a standard RRS - that is in front of the RH wheel). Also, the rear of the front wheel arch liners hides a collection of leaves and crap that could accumulate and cause corrosion issues.

[p38arover]

A few pics from today.

Body off. That took about an hour. Mechanics experienced in doing it would do it faster. Once off, access is unparallelled.

Engine about to come out. Another workshop had already removed the supercharger and heads before it was realised a new engine was required. It would have been easier to have done it with the body off.

The new engine just out of the crate. It was in this afternoon and it should all be running tomorrow. Working out where to refit everything that had previously been removed as a headache as we didn't know what came off where.

The rear end.

I have some more pix if anyone want to see them.

[101RRS]

Well that looks like a fun job. Was the body hard to get off?

Why not do a body lift while it is off??

[PAT303]

So it took an hour to remove the body?. Pat

[Xtreme]

That's faster than it used to take me to remove the floor and seat box in a series in order to do a gearbox job. :o

[rick130]

Ron, just for curiosities sake, any chance of a better pic of the rear anti-roll bar ? (I actually typed ARB as that's the shorthand I used to use years ago but thought better of it )
There's a lump on it on the drivers side, does it have a sliding collar/spline to disconnect ?

Some more pics of the rear suspension as well :D

[p38arover]

Will do, Rick. I'll take some more today.

Is this what you want more detail on?

[clubagreenie]

What the hell kind of pressed metal POS chassis and suspension is that for a LR? If they're going forward in design, then I'm going backwards in purchasing.

Thats not Pollard from Pollard's that used to be up at Colo is it? Used to be a std stop off on the way back from weekends away up there.

[p38arover]

Hilton Pollard is up at Colo. Brad Pollard is Hilton's nephew. Master Chief on this forum is Hilton's son, Justin.

I'll add some more chassis pics. The front suspension arms were, I'm sure, cast and not pressed. The chassis is fully boxed, not just a pressed U-channel.

[PhilipA]

Another planned obsolescence.
Who in years to come will have the facility to DIY an engine change which needs body off?
So the value will probably plunge in years to come as the Used trade realises they have enormous liability if any problems arise, or that they will have to pay a specialist shop for repairs and not do it in their workshop.
Sounds like the 38A doesn't it.
Regards Philip A

[Wilbur]

What the hell kind of pressed metal POS chassis and suspension is that for a LR? If they're going forward in design, then I'm going backwards in purchasing.




Errr...from what I have seen and heard, it is a pressed metal POS chassis and suspension that works better than the chassis and suspension on any other vehicle ever built!

[p38arover]

According to the workship manual, the engine can be removed without lifting the body but it is a lot of work.

[clubagreenie]

Doesn't mean I have to like it...

[DavidL]

Is that a p38 with rear wishbone suspension?

[Jamo]

What the hell kind of pressed metal POS chassis and suspension is that for a LR? If they're going forward in design, then I'm going backwards in purchasing..

The chassis itself is hydroformed steel. I'd take an uneducated guess and say it's probably stronger than the one in your D2!

[roverrescue]

PhilipA,
As far as specialist shop... it seems to me the only special equipment is a 2 post hoist?

I think the concept is actually pretty sound. And really just a simple version of a series or fender. Undo a bunch of bolts, a few wires, lift body off. Access all areas.
If it only takes an hour or less it is probably easiest to pull the body if doing any mechanical work on one of these things.

I cant wait till those airspring/damper units start to become cheaply available.
They will make awesome offroad trailer suspension! Triangulated 4-link with a pair of those babies!

Steve

[PAT303]

Hilton Pollard is up at Colo. Brad Pollard is Hilton's nephew. Master Chief on this forum is Hilton's son, Justin.

I'll add some more chassis pics. The front suspension arms were, I'm sure, cast and not pressed. The chassis is fully boxed, not just a pressed U-channel.

Does Hilton still have that big arsed snake crawling around his workshop?. Pat

[PAT303]

PhilipA,
As far as specialist shop... it seems to me the only special equipment is a 2 post hoist?

I think the concept is actually pretty sound. And really just a simple version of a series or fender. Undo a bunch of bolts, a few wires, lift body off. Access all areas.
If it only takes an hour or less it is probably easiest to pull the body if doing any mechanical work on one of these things.

I cant wait till those airspring/damper units start to become cheaply available.
They will make awesome offroad trailer suspension! Triangulated 4-link with a pair of those babies!

Steve

An hours work for all over access,yes please.For any of you that think it's stupid,change a set of plugs on a Japanese made front wheel drive car. Pat

[PhilipA]

OK as long as you have an 6+ metre high ceiling.
They must have employed some old mark11 Jag designers by pulling them out of the nursing home.
Regards Philip A

[PAT303]

A 6+ metre high ceiling is easier to get than a pair of triple jointed elbo's. Pat

[roverrescue]

Philip... I cant see how you would need a 6m roof clearance, they seem to have done it with a clear floor hoist. It doesnt even seem to have an extension?

Pat, thats why the back plugs on Japper V6s are good for the life of the engine... well they never get changed till the engine is pulled! Keeps the price of servicing down, only need 4 plugs!

S

[Leo]

The D3/ RRS chassis is incredibly strong, bear in mind that the body is basically a monocoque as well.

I wish they built the rest of it as well as they did the chassis....

[Mike_S]

Take the opportunity of the body being off to change anything else that wears out, suspension bushes / wishbones etc. My local main dealer does the body off job all the time, the TDV8's are renowned for needing the body off to do lots of jobs to the engine as it's so tightly packaged. Turbo changes & manifold gasket changes are a case in point, they're a regular body off job over here.

I'm having all 4 lower wishbones changed on mine in the next couple of weeks, they're afairly hefty unit but cheap as chips to replace, doesn't make financial sense to change the bushes when the whole arm is only a few £'s more.

I see several trucks delivering the D4 / RRS chassis' to Solihull on my way to / from work every week, each truck has 24 chassis on it, they look pretty damned strong to me, although I would say they're not very well protected. The surface rust on mine is fairly widespread.

[p38arover]

Regrettably I was unable to get back to the workshop until lunch time yesterday and, by then, Brad had the body back on. All I could do was help him with the last of the engine bay refit and fitting the front end and lights. So there are very few additional pix.

I'll continue putting up those I did take the day before.

[stig0000]

takes about 3-4 hrs to get it off, and a good 4 to get it back on,, need to blead brakes ect,,

cant say wev ever had the body of a tdv8 tho, they seem prity well sorted here, wev had more bodys of d4s then d3s tho,

[Michael2]

OK as long as you have an 6+ metre high ceiling.
They must have employed some old mark11 Jag designers by pulling them out of the nursing home.
Regards Philip A


A 6+ metre high ceiling is easier to get than a pair of triple jointed elbo's. Pat

A tree, a snatch block, and a winch. The monocoque body shouldn't flex too much, and a couple of snatch straps lashed underneath should hold & balance it all quite well.

If towing a trailer, just slide some tubular steel bars underneath, and you can always pull them out and build an A frame for roadside repairs.:D

How much does the body (minus chassis & running gear) weigh? Maybe 4 hefty guys could grab a wheel arch each!:eek:

[bbyer]

How much does the body (minus chassis & running gear) weigh? Maybe 4 hefty guys could grab a wheel arch each!:eek:To me, the D3/4 does not look much like a Series model any longer.

I think about the only commonality between a Series body which 4 guys could carry around, and the D3/4 is the aluminum pressing and the name on the bonnet.

I am certain that the BMW body design team thought they were building a unit body vehicle and the guys in England figured it was a heavy duty Defender. When the two teams finally met, I think they found that there was more than just a communications concern.

Speaking of communications, then there was the contribution from the Air Bus electronics teams as that is what the wrist thick wiring bundles remind me of.

No, four guys, not, and the tree had best be Ironwood.:cool:

[juddo]

Ron,

Is that at the KLR workshop? I heard in passing that they were changing a Range Rover engine.

Matt.

[Celtoid]

Hey Ron B,

Did you actually mean that it only took an hour to get the body off, or did me and some other folks mis-read your intent.

Stig0000 is adament that it takes 3 - 4 to get the body off.

:confused:

Cheers,

Kev.

[p38arover]

Ron,

Is that at the KLR workshop? I heard in passing that they were changing a Range Rover engine.

Matt.

It started there but the body was removed and engine reinstalled in Matt and Brad's Diesel Gas Technologies workshop two doors down.

2019 Edit

At the time, Brad and Matt had sold KLR and were concentrating on Diesel Gas Tech. A few years back, they bought KLR Automotive back and still own it.

[p38arover]

Hey Ron B,

Did you actually mean that it only took an hour to get the body off, or did me and some other folks mis-read your intent.

Stig0000 is adament that it takes 3 - 4 to get the body off.

:confused:

Cheers,

Kev.

Yep. I was there for all of it and helped a bit. Brad Pollard did most of the work and Damo (also from this forum) and I looked useful. :D

OK, my timing might have been out but not by more than 30 minutes.

Don't forget that as the engine had been partially stripped, i.e., heads, supercharger, exhaust manifolds, heat shields, aircon, etc., off. we only had to unbolt the body, disconnect the steering and gear selector, undo the brake lines, remove the wheel arch liners (we didn't remove the wheels), remove front and rear bumpers, remove front grille, front slam panel moulding, headlights (really quick), left rear taillight (to unplug park sensors), etc.

Admittedly, a lot of that stuff previously removed wouldn't have had to have been removed if it had been known the engine would need to be replaced.

[Scouse]

Damo too - gee, they are hard up for workers if they need Damo & Ron !!

[Celtoid]

That's today's project. Last night I helped (very little!) Brad Pollard remove the body from a Sport. Today we'll pull the engine and fit a new one.

The original engine had an overheat and lightly seized a piston with consequent liner slip.

'Tis amazing how well designed the Sport is for removal of the grille, headlights, front apron, tailights (to unplug the rear bumper park sensors), etc.

Something for Sport owners. Remove the lower screws at the rear of the rear wheel arches and grease them. They rust. Ditto with the two front body mount bolts (the RH one requires removal of the oil cooler - if fitted on a standard RRS - that is in front of the RH wheel). Also, the rear of the front wheel arch liners hides a collection of leaves and crap that could accumulate and cause corrosion issues.

Hey Ron,

Forgot to ask out of interest sake, how did the motor get cooked in the first place......blown cooling hose?...no indicator lights, etc?

...and why did he opt for an out-of-the-container replacement verses a rebuild?

Cheers,

Kev.

[isuzurover]

Certainly is an easy way to do any work on one!





Forgot to ask out of interest sake, how did the motor get cooked in the first place......

I'm interested in this one too...

[p38arover]

I don't know how he cooked the engine. A rebuild wasn't available in Australia nor was a short motor available from the UK so a long motor was the only choice.

[abaddonxi]

Hey Ron,

Forgot to ask out of interest sake, how did the motor get cooked in the first place......blown cooling hose?...no indicator lights, etc?

...and why did he opt for an out-of-the-container replacement verses a rebuild?

Cheers,

Kev.


Never realised that was a possibility.:eek:

Guess it won't be just at rego time that I pay attention to blown indicator lamps.:D

[Celtoid]

I don't know how he cooked the engine. A rebuild wasn't available in Australia nor was a short motor available from the UK so a long motor was the only choice.

Thanks mate,

Turns out my D4 has just joined the Bleeding Heart Valve AKA turbo-charger club........ :mad:

No smoke, no rough running, no marks on the garage floor, no oil leakage reported (on the gauge)....but a tiny oil drip had 'eaten' a roll bar bushing causing a squeak which I got LR to look at....

Go figure.....

But at least they were honest.