Thread: Not noisy lifters, then what?

Well, an update... tired auto trans fluid then drained, filled with Penrite HPR30... and now it's noisier than ever. It's a shame because other than the noise it seems to be a really good V8 - it goes really well. It is so damn offputting... the last thing to try before I give up is rockers. It has got to be that, surely there is nothing else that could make the engine so tappety when hot?

I tried all the other stuff that was mentioned here and had the same results as you and i'm sorry to say it because it aint cheap but it sounds more and more like your liners moving as its always louder when the motor is up to running temp and usually alot better at start up

I have a Rover P6 with the 3500 engine, the symptoms are as you describe. I have been told it is moving liners caused by reboring the old ones instead of fitting 8 new ones.

I also have a 3.9 disco what I thought was a tappet noise, it turned out to be a worn out big end bearing, it sounded exactly like a tappet! We eventually diagnosed it by short circuiting no. 4 spark plug and the noise would go away.

In any case I wouldn't drive it much at all until you can afford to have the engine stripped. If it is a lifter you run the risk of the head of the valve breaking off from all of the snapping shut, rather than being lowered shut by the camshaft. If it is liners, the tapping is the noise of the crankshaft balance weights hitting the liner, eventually something very expensive will happen.

I commiserate with you, I still haven't had the heart to strip my 3500 after spending $2800 on the rebuild.

Usually the Rover blocks have a ledge machined at the bottom.
The cold liners are dropped into a hot block. the problem is that as the liners expand they do not seat right down.
If the engine gets hot ( over 100c) the liners loosen as the coefficient of expansion is greater in aluminium than steel, in many cases the block cracks behind the liner which reduces the interference fit.
AFAIK the noise is usually the liner, lifting up with the piston and striking the head, as the gasket fire ring is outside the liner, then moving down to hit the ledge.
This is how it is explained in the "tuning rover V8s " Book.
So it may not end in a engine destroying catastrophe but the economic cost of relinering a block is usually more than a new block. You have to do em all.
Regards Philip A

Originally Posted by mrapocalypse

Answers have included
1. It's perfectly normal.
2. It's there but is perfectly acceptable.
3. Rover engines always soud like that.
4. I heard it but the cheif Technician can't.
5. We might try putting heavier oil in it.
6. There's nuthin there mate


Ian

Lesson 1 at Service Manager School- " Look interested and say, with a note of genuine concern in your voice,"That's funny, I've never heard/seen one do that before"."

If it's liners, then wouldn't it then be using coolant?
The LR tech who replaced the head gaskets a few months ago claims that there was no liner movement and there was no excessive wear on rockers. The only thing remaining was lifters, which they replaced. So I am none the wiser. Perhaps they didn't look at rockers properly, that's the only thing I can think of, and oil thickness does make a difference. If it was a big end, wouldn't there be other symptoms eg rough running?
Oh well, I like the clattery sound because it means that I will never jump into the car and try starting it when it's already running because it's too quiet. I won't damage the ring gear or starter motor so I am very pleased about this Land Rover safety engineering. Bloody clever Brits, eh?. ;-)

Hmmmmmmmmmm??

My 4litre D2 'knocks' when cold. When it gets up to operating temperature, it purrs like a kitten.

I'll be interested to hear if you find a solution.

my 3.5 wasn't using any coolant but it was still the liners have to do all of them as mentioned before and was told by kevin at rover tech that its quiet a common problem with landrovers cost about $2k to get new liners put in