Ex. Army Series 3 GS 109 6 cyl 2.6ltr - Never Say Die

After a solid day's work, then a bit of fencing and after changing the battery in the mower, I thought I'd check the valve clearances on Regie.

Regie starts first go and runs smooth, and although the engine will need a refresh, the tappety noise was bugging me.

So never having checked the valves on a Rover 2.6 I thought - 'how hard can it be'? I can get this done quickly....

I pulled the top tappet cover in a couple of minutes. Yep, definitely going to be easy and quick. Then I had a look and - hang on... there's some valves missing here.

Consult manual. Ahhh, I need to pull the side cover. That would be a fun job when the engine was at normal operating temp given it's under the exhaust manifold.

I undo the 4 bolts holding the side cover - 2 from the front, 1 through my favourite little panel in the passenger wheel well and 1 from the cabin.

Not too hard, but still more than I was expecting.

Went to remove the side cover and nope. Not going anywhere until the dipstick tube is removed.

Well, the manual is blissfully blank on how to perform this crucial operation. I tried pulling on it, with no upwards movement. It turns from side to side though.

I couldn't find the removal procedure in the army manual either. Anyhow, it looks like I will need to unscrew a retaining bolt at the base of the dipstick tube. Which may mean that I will need to remove the oil filter housing and maybe, the oil pump.

Then I wondered, wow, not the easiest job, I wonder how often it needs to be performed? Manual says at the minor and major service intervals. Cool.

The dinner bell was ringing so had to leave it there for the night. Will investigate and have another go tomorrow. Quirky, but I'm enjoying learning the ways of some Land Rovers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dordie

Went to remove the side cover and nope. Not going anywhere until the dipstick tube is removed.

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I found that removing the dipstick tube so that the cover can be removed was easiest, some people talk of removing the manifold to get the cover off !
Then up on top of the motor and hang down to adjust the tappets.

https://live.staticflickr.com/4207/3...a391575c_z.jpgEngine 6 by Colin Radley, on Flickr

Adjusting is such a pain no wonder they used to burn out exhaust valves

Thanks Gromit, that helps a lot. I don't think they've been adjusted since Army last serviced the vehicle, which is probably why she's a bit tappety. I'll drop the oil filter housing again and see if I can loosen the retaining nut for the dipstick tube.

Anyhow, it can't be too easy - takes all the fun out of it https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/icons/icon11.png

After work I thought I'd give valve adjustment another stab.

Removed the oil filter housing which made it much easier to access the 3/8 sized nut at the bottom of the dipstick tube. Access is very limited, but I managed to get the nut loose with a smallish shifter.

After removing the dipstick tube, the side tappet or rocker cover could be jiggled out.

The gasket was cactus, and the cover was caked in dirt and baked on oil.

Cleaned the top and side covers, the mounting hardware, dip stick and tube + the oil breather filter. It all came up very well and the parts are very serviceable.

Didn't get time to actually adjust the valves as the smell of sizzling snags on the BBQ was too good to resist.

I've ordered an engine gasket set with a whole swag of other goodies from the UK, so will wait for the new gaskets before I install the valve covers.

Finally I can adjust the valves. I also sacrificed a $5 shifter so I can easily tighten or loosen the dipstick tube retaining nut in the future.

Have you adjusted them, and if so how close were they?

Hi John,

No, not yet. Didn't get a chance today. I did have a quick squiz at the exhaust valves this morning as I wasn't sure where to put the feeler gauge.

Studying the picture in the manual quickly sorted that.

I'm hoping to get the valves adjusted tomorrow, so will see if I can determine how much they're out of adjustment.

I've been keen to get the valves adjusted, but with the break in the rain, I've been tied up doing outside jobs around the property. This arvo I had a chance to get the job finished.

So, steeling myself for what looked like a mission I got into it.

The inlet valves where all over spec by around 0.10mm (I think I have the measurement correct :)

The dreaded exhaust valves were pretty good. I only had to adjust No. 1 and No. 4 which were about 0.05mm over spec.

The job was made considerably easier with the short 1/2" ring spanner I got from the tip the other day. There's not much room to swing a spanner for No. 5 and 6 inlet valves, and under the exhaust manifold.

I needed to use the side access port in the wheel well and the open area exposed with the removal of the bellhousing cover in side the cab, to access No. 5 and No. 6 exhaust valve tappets.

The factory manual was really helpful and gave more info, especially about the exhaust valves, than the Army's manual.

After adjusting the tappets, I reinstalled the tappet covers without gaskets to protect the engine from dust and debris until the new gasket set arrives.

All in all, adjusting the tappets wasn't as bad as I thought.

I thought I'd have a look at the brake master cylinder.

The reservoir bottle on the cylinder was kaput - the plastic was brittle and degraded - a result of sun damage.

But, I could substitute another reservoir, albeit, not with a genuine Girling reservoir bottle and I was hoping that I could get away with a rebuild kit with new seals etc.

On removal, there was a little rust between the master cylinder and the booster, but nothing serious.

With some gentle wire brushing with a brass brush I removed the surface rust inside the sleeve of the master cylinder, then popped the piston out with compressed air. An hour in Citrus acid cleaned the cylinder up nicely. On inspection though there is a small corroded area that has damaged the bore. Drat.

So, ordered an after market brake cylinder.

Kept the old parts as many of the internals are still in good condition - even the seals are pretty good.

Mate you are making great progress. Keep it up. [emoji1303]

Thanks Grey-Ghost. I'm learning a lot and really enjoy tinkering. Slowly getting tooled up too. I'm looking forward to painting and putting stuff back together eventually.