Rover 2000TC- Took the head off and this what I found

[Carlos]

Hi people, I took the cylinder head off and this is what I found.
Please have a look at the pictures, and give your opinions.
Is the first I open an engine and I found a lot of debris in some pistons, especially in cylinder nr.4 (back of the engine)-
I was thinking to send only the head to a British specialist. Do you think that pistons are ok, or looking at the pics
is possible to guess more problems.

Before dismantling, I checked the valve clearance:
Inlets were quite ok.
Exhaust were a little ¨tight¨, as per manual the correct gap is 0,38mm, and my engine
were:
Cyl 1 (front)- 0,20mm
Cyl 2- 0,25mm
Cyl 3- 0,25
Cyl 4- 0,20mm

Any idea ?

Thanks a lot.

 

[Carlos]

Is the first I open an engine

The first time I open an engine

 

[Demetris]

It looks a though cylinders 1 and 4 were using some oil. At the first glance the head doesn't look bad, i mean that the valves are not recessed, but you really need to remove the valves to check the seats and valves for pitting. After all you should remove them for cleaning and grinding anyway. In your case i would also remove the pistons at least for cleaning. Perhaps you will find some broken rings, something that could be the cause of the oil consumption. From your photos, i think that i can see light scoring in the cylinder walls, but i cannot tell you how serious this is. So my advice is to dismantle further, in order to be able to assess what you need to do to the engine.

 

[Carlos]

It looks a though cylinders 1 and 4 were using some oil. At the first glance the head doesn't look bad, i mean that the valves are not recessed, but you really need to remove the valves to check the seats and valves for pitting. After all you should remove them for cleaning and grinding anyway. In your case i would also remove the pistons at least for cleaning. Perhaps you will find some broken rings, something that could be the cause of the oil consumption. From your photos, i think that i can see light scoring in the cylinder walls, but i cannot tell you how serious this is. So my advice is to dismantle further, in order to be able to assess what you need to do to the engine.

Thanks Demetris, I use to work in my cars but only in brakes, clutch, suspension but never was involved in engines.
I'm thinking to send the head to England. I will see if I'm brave enough to remove pistons and the rest.

 

[Vern Klukas]

That looks to be in pretty good condition. Head doesn't show any erosion of the water passages. Overall it looks like it's been using a bit of oil as mentioned, or perhaps over rich/occasional running.

The debris appears to just be carbon, nothing to worry about.

Yours
Vern

 

[Carlos]

That looks to be in pretty good condition. Head doesn't show any erosion of the water passages. Overall it looks like it's been using a bit of oil as mentioned, or perhaps over rich/occasional running.

The debris appears to just be carbon, nothing to worry about.

Yours
Vern

Thanks Vern, I made only 300 km with it before dismantling and I don't know the history with the previous owners.
The odometer marks 45.000 Km ( I guess 145.000 at least ! ). I will dismantle further and see what I find.

 

[chrisw]

I'd say that it doesn't look too bad. Clean the valves, check that they seat properly, ensure the clearances are correct and fit a new head gasket/o-ring.

 

[sdibbers]

I second Dermetris comment about pulling the pistons out. Clean off the carbon at the top and check for a step in the bore. At the very least I would de-glaze the bores. The oil consumption could be because the bores are very shiny and not retaining oil.

 

[Carlos]

I second Dermetris comment about pulling the pistons out. Clean off the carbon at the top and check for a step in the bore. At the very least I would de-glaze the bores. The oil consumption could be because the bores are very shiny and not retaining oil.

 

[Carlos]

Yes I know that the best thing is to strip the engine complete, but is the first time I open an engine.
I´ve already made the cylinder head and was rather easy, but to mess with the pistons is a little intimidating

 

[Demetris]

Sorry, but i have to ask. Why did you decide to pull the engine and remove the head? Did you find any specific problem?

 

[quattro]

Sorry, but i have to ask. Why did you decide to pull the engine and remove the head? Did you find any specific problem?

I was thinking the same thing. I would at the very least want to remove the sump and have a good look around in there, clear the gunge out etc. maybe even have a look at the mains and big end shells.

Richard

 

[sdibbers]

Yes I know that the best thing is to strip the engine complete, but is the first time I open an engine.
I´ve already made the cylinder head and was rather easy, but to mess with the pistons is a little intimidating

The good news is this engine is pretty easy to work on. It’s also more modern in design than others from the 60’s.

you can remove the sump which will give you some access to the main and big end bearings. It’ll also allow you to pop out the pistons. Just a thought. If you belong to a local classic car club maybe ask someone there to walk you through the above. It’s a little less intimidating when you have someone with you. Sounds like you’re doing great so far!

 

[Carlos]

Sorry, but i have to ask. Why did you decide to pull the engine and remove the head? Did you find any specific problem?

Yes, the first problem appears when taking the car back home from the seller in Italy: the gear lever got stuck in reverse when I made 160 km from departure. A local garage mede an emergency repair and I put the car in a ferry in Genova to Barcelona; I made 120 km from the port of Barcelona to get home and then I decided to take engine and gearbox out together. I found that there were missing some bushes in the linkage system, so I ordered the parts. In enclosing some pics to illustrate.

The thing starts to complicate because, you know, the engine is there, looking at you provocatively, like asking: Do you want to have a look to see what I have ? And now here I am with the cylinder head off and the sump asking: What about me ?!

 

[Carlos]

The good news is this engine is pretty easy to work on. It’s also more modern in design than others from the 60’s.

you can remove the sump which will give you some access to the main and big end bearings. It’ll also allow you to pop out the pistons. Just a thought. If you belong to a local classic car club maybe ask someone there to walk you through the above. It’s a little less intimidating when you have someone with you. Sounds like you’re doing great so far!

Hi Demetris, yes I agree with you that some company helps, but I live in a tiny town and is not easy to find people with knowledge about engines.
Anyway, I will have a look in the three manuals I have ( Official /big one, Haynes/not so good, and another ) to see how it is.
I allready made the cylinder head off following instructions from the manual, and was rather straightforward.

One question: to get access to the pistons, do I have to remove the crankshaft, meaning all the things about chain timing and camshaft has to be started from zero ?
( Excuse my English please)

 

[sdibbers]

Hi Demetris, yes I agree with you that some company helps, but I live in a tiny town and is not easy to find people with knowledge about engines.
Anyway, I will have a look in the three manuals I have ( Official /big one, Haynes/not so good, and another ) to see how it is.
I allready made the cylinder head off following instructions from the manual, and was rather straightforward.

One question: to get access to the pistons, do I have to remove the crankshaft, meaning all the things about chain timing and camshaft has to be started from zero ?
( Excuse my English please)

Accessing the pistons is pretty easy with the head and sump off. Remove sump then remove nuts holding big end bearing cap from con rod. You can then gently tap the piston and con rod up with a piece of wood.
One tip, put some rubber tube ove the studs on the con rod before removing or replacing the piston. That will protect the bearing surface (journal) of the crank.
Your English is a lot better than my Spanish .

 

[sdibbers]

Accessing the pistons is pretty easy with the head and sump off. Remove sump then remove nuts holding big end bearing cap from con rod. You can then gently tap the piston and con rod up with a piece of wood.
One tip, put some rubber tube ove the studs on the con rod before removing or replacing the piston. That will protect the bearing surface (journal) of the crank.
Your English is a lot better than my Spanish .

By the way, you might find this helpful in how to access the bottom end and inspect the bearings. Changing Main Bearings

 

[Demetris]

OK, i understand.
You should definitely take the sump off to clean everything, including the oil pick up. From what i can see in the photos the oil looked rather too black, so you should expect some sludge in the depths of the sump.
If you enjoy working on cars already, you should not be afraid. You have the correct manual, read it, make sure to understand what you read, and you can definitely ask your questions here. I am just an amateur like you, but there are members in this forum that worked in these cars for a living when they were current, so you will find plenty of correct advice.
In fact, if you are not in a rush, and you understand what you are doing, you will find that working on this Rover is quite enjoyable.

 

[Carlos]

Accessing the pistons is pretty easy with the head and sump off. Remove sump then remove nuts holding big end bearing cap from con rod. You can then gently tap the piston and con rod up with a piece of wood.
One tip, put some rubber tube ove the studs on the con rod before removing or replacing the piston. That will protect the bearing surface (journal) of the crank.
Your English is a lot better than my Spanish .

Thanks Sdibbers, I was afraid of having to mess with the crankshaft timing, but is quite logic that I can tap the pistons up and have a look at the rings and check the bores.
And about your Spanish, I don't know your skills; but if you have to deal with British cars, better English.

 

[Carlos]

OK, i understand.
You should definitely take the sump off to clean everything, including the oil pick up. From what i can see in the photos the oil looked rather too black, so you should expect some sludge in the depths of the sump.
If you enjoy working on cars already, you should not be afraid. You have the correct manual, read it, make sure to understand what you read, and you can definitely ask your questions here. I am just an amateur like you, but there are members in this forum that worked in these cars for a living when they were current, so you will find plenty of correct advice.
In fact, if you are not in a rush, and you understand what you are doing, you will find that working on this Rover is quite enjoyable.

Hi Demetris, I definitely enjoy messing with cars and after all the feedback I'm getting, I will open the sump see what I find.
I need to have the car running in July, because I've already started the papers to get the Spanish Historic Plates, and the next thing is to pass the MOT. I think that I have enough time to fix everything...I hope...