Thread: Newbie in the Land of Rovers

Thanks for the reply redandy.

Well the saga continues. 3 /4 weeks of driving and the problem happens. All looked good, but to put it mildly:

Does anyone out there have an equivalent model 3.9L block that they would like to get rid of cheaply.

Basically, the machinist has told me that helicoiling this sized hole is a bad idea and wont work terribly well. So, I am left chasing up another block or chasing up the "mechanic" that butchered the job.

Fun fun fun

Porchy

Might be worth dropping a PM to Bundalene and/or Andrew E (father and son) on this forum. Might have a block out of a Disco 2 that would suit.

Cheers, Paul.

Thanks for the lead Paul. I was wondering if anyone knew which 3.9 V8s can fit in the car. Does it need to be a certain year? Can I use one from a Disco 1 or 2? What are the major differences if any between the 2000 Range Rover engine and the Disco 1/2 engines?

Thanks and Merry Christmas

Porchy

Well, I may have (from discussing/bitching about my problem with a mate) discovered a cheap for now solution to the problem.

My mate mentioned possibly using Devcon Aluminum or Titanium Putty to fill the stuffed 19mm bolt holes. He said that when this stuff sets it is as good as metal and allows you to drill and tap it.

I figure, what the hell! I might have to clean the old holes out and plug them up using what's left of the old thread in the hole to give more surface area for the bond. After an appropriate curing time, redrill and retap or insert a helicoil for the original sized bolts. I'm thinking though that the use of studs (if I can get them) with some shaft seal should hold it.

Apparently the Devcon holds up to 250 deg F for the Al putty and 350 deg F for the Ti one. I figure the engine shouldn't be getting that hot provided that my thermo fans are working. The problem holes are also (thankfully) on the cooler intake side of the block.

Thoughts?

Porchy

Well guys, I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but the bus is fixed.
I did a heap of reading here and other places and came up with the solution myself. I found Bigserts on the web and had my machinist make up a similar type of thing. They were loctited in and the original sized bolts were then inserted. After a bit of screwing around with the intake to match the previously butchered (excessively ground/faced) heads I got her back together. Early days, but the old girl is running better with more power and arguably slightly better fuel economy (drinks like a smaller shark now) than before.
Thanks for the advice etc. It really helps to be able to vent and seek assistance from like minded enthusiasts.

PS. Beginning to feel like a P38 top end specialist.

Cheers
Porchy

Well done... happy travelling!!

Good to hear your on the road again.

Gary

Well, now that the Rangie is fixed, you can drive it like a king, cause the P38 is the vehicle of kings. Lesson learned from this, is to triple check everything before you purchase a Rangie, or any Land Rover product for that matter from careless owners. And if unsure, you can always ask someone here, or even ask someone to come with you as a knowledgeable back up to inspect the vehicle, i'm sure most will only be happy to help.