3.5l V8 Rangie

[Jojo]

Hi Mates!
Recently I was offered a Rangie (MY 1984) with the 3.5l V8 and an interesting price tag on it.
Since I am from the LR-Diesel department I have little experience with the engine mentioned above. I would therefore appreciate if someone with more knowledge would give me an update about the pro's and con's and especially the weak spots of the big lump. Okay, I know it needs a lot of fuel but...

Thank you for any comments!
Cheers

[HSVRangie]

Top engine.
easy to work on.

loves fuel.

Michael.

[discowhite]

rockers can get noisy, from rockers and shafts being worn
and or the cam and lifters are in the same boat!
but that wont stop the 3.5l they just keep going and going and going
going and going and goinggoing and going and goinggoing and going and going

well you get the drift. great under powered motor!
i love mine.
fuel price is overated anyway :roll:

cheers phil

[camel_landy]

Ditto above... It's a great engine & good for 400k+.

The main thing that engine needs is an oil & filter change every 10k and if the temperature ever starts to rise you must stop & investigate immediatly (the heads warp easilly).

When checking the engine over, listen for the usual noises but also check for excessive pressure in the cooling system after a run. If there is... It's a head gasket that has blown. The other thing to do is to have a quick sniff of the oil on the dipstick... If it smells like burnt toast, the engine is knackered and it's burning oil.

HTH

Mark

[Pedro_The_Swift]

if avalanches are a concern Jojo,,
leave the exhaust standard. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[CraigE]

Good engine, simple to work on, long lasting if treated right and serviced regularly. Only real downside is they develop oil leaks frequently no matter how many repairs or gaskets are replaced.

[Ralf_the_RR]

Originally posted by CraigE
Good engine, simple to work on, long lasting if treated right and serviced regularly. Only real downside is they develop oil leaks frequently no matter how many repairs or gaskets are replaced.

All of the above is not a myth, it's all true style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

[landy_man]

Originally posted by Ralf_the_RR+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ralf_the_RR)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-CraigE
Good engine, simple to work on, long lasting if treated right and serviced regularly. Only real downside is they develop oil leaks frequently no matter how many repairs or gaskets are replaced.

All of the above is not a myth, it's all true style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif[/b][/quote]

Sorry guys... I disagree, if you use good quality seals or gasket goo there is no reason why it should leak... my Rangie does not drip 1 drop of oil from anywhere... and it is an offroad only car that is parked in the garage for sometimes weeks at a time... there are NO oil spots on the floor...
good maintenance (and lots of goo :wink: ) is the key...

[Michael2]

Great engine
Mine's done 408,000km, I've replaced the water pump, engine mounts and A/C pump (had it since 220,000km). Been on LPG since 350,000km.

I service it every 5-8,000km (oil & filter). I'm hoping to get 1,000,000 km + 8O . No oil leaks (except power steering- which is not motor related).

Never overheats and a great long distance cruiser (rover).

[camel_landy]

Originally posted by landy_man+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(landy_man)</div><div class='quotemain'>
Originally posted by Ralf_the_RR@
<!--QuoteBegin-CraigE
Good engine, simple to work on, long lasting if treated right and serviced regularly. Only real downside is they develop oil leaks frequently no matter how many repairs or gaskets are replaced.

All of the above is not a myth, it's all true style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Sorry guys... I disagree, if you use good quality seals or gasket goo there is no reason why it should leak... my Rangie does not drip 1 drop of oil from anywhere... and it is an offroad only car that is parked in the garage for sometimes weeks at a time... there are NO oil spots on the floor...
good maintenance (and lots of goo :wink: ) is the key...[/b][/quote]

If you use the very late gasket sets, you shouldn't have a problem.

They changed the design of the main 'V' and the rocker cover gaskets to cure the oil leaks.

Anyway... They're not oil leaks, just built in 'rust proofing'. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Mark

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Originally posted by Michael2
Great engine
Never overheats and a great long distance cruiser (rover).

This part is also true,,
in fact the faster you cruise, the better it likes it,

BUB91 just LOVES 3 grand,, 8)

[dungarover]

The old 3.5 yes, agree with all here, but nowhere near a road rocket so don't be toom dissapointed with it.

Oil leaks, live with them as long as its not Exxon Valdeiz style leaks style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif

Yes, they do love a drink for measerly returns, but will keep going til you kill it one way or another. keep them standard and don't play around with them, not worth the time and effort. Extractors do help with a bit more performance though, bar that nothing else really is worth wastibng your hard earned dosh on.

If it's got a Holley fitted to it, give it the big A if you want off-road performance. The twin strommies (standard fitment) are not a preformance breakthrough carb, but will be a godsend in steep off-road work. Simple design as well that even dills like me understand :oops:

Anyway, good luck with it if you go the Rangie route. Best money ever spent.

Trav