The Triumph Stag V8 Engine - A Turbulent Journey?!

🎥 Embark on a captivating journey through automotive history as we delve into the turbulent saga of the Triumph Stag V8 engine. Uncover the triumphs and tribulations that define this iconic powerplant, from its promising inception to the unforeseen challenges that plagued its performance.
🚗💨 Join us as we explore the technical intricacies, design flaws, and the subsequent impact on the legendary Triumph Stag. This video promises an in-depth look at the highs and lows, offering insights into the remarkable but troubled journey of the Triumph Stag V8 engine.
🚀 Whether you're a car enthusiast or simply curious about the fascinating world of automotive evolution, this is a story you won't want to miss. Buckle up for a captivating ride through history with our exploration of the Triumph Stag V8 engine's turbulent journey!
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[@KJs581]

I have done 330,000 kms in my Stag, and from 93 to 2000 was my only car. From 2000 to 2013, it then shared daily driving with a Dolomite Sprint. Since then it is driven on sunny days (Dolomite is retired) and shares duties with my "newish" car (2006 Chrysler 300C) and an old Jag. From 93 to 2000, every year for 7 years I drove it home on Xmas leave (for 4 weeks at home, our summer) from Melbourne to Perth return. I am from Perth, but back then I was posted to Melbourne (I was in the Navy for 40 years) The trip is 3500 kms one way, so 7000 kms return. Temps from mid 30's to 48 degrees (C). Melb end leave Melb lunch time Friday, arrive in Perth Sunday arvo. The other way I would leave Thursday morning, arrive Melb Saturday arvo. I did it once in the Dolomite from Perth to Melb return in 2003 to get a manual Gbox to replace the auto in the Stag, and has been a manual since then. The Stag was an auto for all the cross Oz trips. I used to change my timing chains every 40,000 kms, so have done it 8 or ten times. Compared to new cars, it isn't a big deal.I used to use AE chains, and always measured how far out the tensioners were on removal/recorded it, to see "trend". They were always the same, ie chains had worn/"stretched"/elongated the same amount. Then about 2005 or so I researched IWIS chains. I contacted IWIS in Germany, and also the Australian rep. He said they use them in drag cars and have no drama. I fitted them then, and while I don't do the miles I used to, I haven't touched them since, and don't expect to ever have to, but if I am ever worried, I look with a bore scope (take tappet cover off) can see how far tensioner is out = shows how far they have to go. So much about the Stags "problems" really are rubbish. The early cars got bad write ups, and they have just been repeated again and again. I can give countless examples..................... but most have made their minds up. Honestly, back when the Stag was new, BL couldn't put together a Marina and other cars with cast iron heads, HOW were they ever going to assemble an alloy head OHC engine????? And the penny pinching was ludicrous. I have a copy of a BL service bulletin that says "Due to a shortage of anti freeze, dealers are to re use old anti freeze drained from other cars until further notice... " NONE of us would do that. How reliable is a new Honda or Toyota???? That story about "sand left in the engine blocks". That made people think "Stags were rubbish". Ok, put a handful of sand in a new Toyota or Honda (or any OTHER car) and that means "they are rubbish as well?" They have a lot of niggles and silly things on them. All cars do. But nowhere near the bad press they get. But once a legend starts, people LOVE to keep it going. That show "for the love of cars." Ant hated it, but even he had to admit there was little wrong with it. Their viscous fan drive failed (they are rubbish/bad batches, I have been through 3), but apart from that, nothing. But it's a Stag - it HAS to break down!!!! Can't disprove the legend. So he goes for a drive with Alexi Sayle. I watch and wonder why he is driving on a sunny day/idling in stop and go traffic WITH HIGH BEAM CONSTANTLY ON!!!!!!! So then they look at each other in surprise and "Oh no, it's broken down!!!!!!!" and they call the AA. Who turn up and get out a jumper battery. They idled it with the high beam on (and most people uprate the high beams) and ran the battery flat, "because a Stag has to break down." More about theatrics than reality. Idle any 70's car in traffic with high beam on = that will happen. I bought mine 16 years old in 1993 for $15,000 AUD. It was the only V8 touring convertible I could buy for anywhere near that price, it has served me well, and I will have it FOREVER. :-) Each to their own.

[@ArryTheStag]

Great post - sincere thanks for commenting! Join us for more if you like on a weekend www.arrythestag.com/saturday-sockets Incidentally we're likely to do more on the engine on the Channel soon! All the best and many thanks again! TR T

[@davidstaines5440]

Just a small comment as far as I know the stag engine was developed by Triumph, as a v8 that could be cut in 2 to become a 4 cylinder, not the other way round. It was not a Saab engine, Triumph sold the right to the 4 cylinder to Saab, it was always t Triumph engine. I just suffered the budget cuts that hammered the rest of BL. If Triumph had the resources to sort it out properly it would have been a fantastic engine. The same happened to the PI engine in the 2500. One big problem with both the stag and the PI was the dealer service department had no idea how to look after these cars. No One knew how to tune the PI and no one knew job to look after the cooling system of the stag.

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks David - much appreciated! Best TR T

[@brianwhittington5086]

Triumph originally developed it as a slant 4 cylinder engine to fit under the low bonnet line of their compact saloons. Then, it was expanded into the V8 for the Stag when it was realised the 2000 - 2500cc engine would be too underpowered for the proposed American main target market, when strangled with all the necessary emissions equipment. In house rivalry took over as Triumph's engineers resisted the BL management proposal to fit the proven Rover V8 in the Stag. That was based on the claim it would need major reworking to the Stag bodyshell and running gear, which we all now know was not needed. I think it was originally only planned as a 4 cylinder in a deal with SAAB, where they funded some of the development costs, in exchange for them having exclusive use of the new slant 4 engine for the first couple of years production, then SAAB further developed it for their own later models.

[@KJs581]

@@brianwhittington5086 Correct Brian, well said. There are many refs to it, but Graham Robsons book is as good as any. Most of this is from that book, but other refs support it. The Triumph engine was being developed as a 4 early 60's, when Saab wanted a 4. There were two engines considered by SAAB, a Ricardo engine, and the Triumph. The Triumph was on the drawing board in 63, and that is when Saab talked to them. It was running ready for Saab in 65. But Triumph didn't have the cars ready for that engine, hence Saab had the engines running in a car before Triumph did. Then they looked at the Stag.......... and needed a V8. So they used the 4 (by now ready to go) as a basis for the Stag, then the Dolomite got that engine 2 years after in 72. From that, people presume that "Saab had first, THEIR engine" or "Stag had V8 before Dolomite 1850, so 4 came from V8". Both not correct, but if you have parts of the story, easy to assume. So, what happened was Triumph develop engine, Saab buy it, modified version goes into a Saab, while engine waits for Triumphs to be ready. Stag appears BEFORE Dolomite is ready/takes priority/make a V8 version, THEN fit the engine that has waited for 7 years as a 4 into the Dolomite. Open the bonnet of any 1850 Dolomite or TR7, and you can see the Stag origin. Wheras the Sprint (which I have one of) looks little like it, as totally different head. No one book is ever gospel, and Robson would have got his info from elsewhere, but enough facts and time lines support the above, ie, it "makes sense." So many people go on about "all the things wrong with the Stag" and most are rubbish/pub talk; or ALL can be fixed. But the ONE thing we can blame Saab for is the terrible water pump design. If not for Saab, it would be on the front/conventional. And on it's own, not a bad design, as proven by Saab not having much trouble with it. Saab use the engine 180 to the Triumphs, ie power take off is from the cam chain end (Yeah, bizarre), hence a WP there was not on. But the precision involved in that gearing was beyond later BL. Early on = ok. But later, a batch of improperly hardened WP shaft gears led to breakdowns, so much so (that after buying a NEW unipart WP and it shredding my drive shaft within 2 weeks) that I had to revert to second hand WP shafts as I could only trust old ones. Once I ran out, had to look at alternatives. There is a Ford V6 pump people use, but I don't like it. I tried a Triumph 6 WP and a Hyundai Sonata WP, and got them 70%/99% going, but lost interest and had to use other means. The Sonata and my custom set up worked, but a bit close to power steering belt, and I got sick of it....................... If only Triumph HAD used the engine before Saab, they would have put WP on front. THEN Saab come along "We want that, if you can move the WP" = two versions. But no, Engine wasn't finished, Saab said "Want that, but with WP on top." Wasn't finished yet, so WP goes on top for Saab, later when Triumph use it = "it's already there, just leave it............................ " Everything else on a Stag is pretty much ok, but that WP...... I had mine in and out over the 30 years and 330,000 kms I have done, and am a dab hand at rebuilding the pumps (only thing that fails it the seal) but the lottery of not hardened shaft gears I just can't trust.

[@Fintoman]

The water pump postion in the block comes in for a lot of critism too. My understand it was engineered there at the instigation of SAAB as they wanted to turn the engine 180' in the engine bay because of its intended front wheel drive configuration. The planned front mounted water pump on the original 4 cylinder meant it was inaccessible with the engine turned around. It was therefore designed in the block for better accessibility. It is true SAAB did redesign the water pump seals for better reliability. I think this was all done around 1968. Another point of note is that 'Ricardo' a automotive engineering company of note, I think they were based in Shoreham, were employed to help design the original cylinder heads, particularly the porting and combustion chamber design. Ricardo were no fly by night company, their expertise was used by several high level racing teams and to develop technologies for F1.

[@jimspc07]

I had problems with the service department understanding a problem I had with my 2500pi mk2. They tried to get me to pay for all sorts of things that were not possibly a cause. I determined myself that the problems were the injector unit neoprene non return valves hardening and pitting especially the 2 banjo ones next to the block. Using a bit of reasoning I put them on an oilstone and flattened them. Problem went away just like that. I tried to get new ones but they were a never used never had spare part. One of the block welch plugs under the intakes failed. No one wanted to fix it as it meant taking off all the injector inlets and linkage and they had no clue how to set them back up. I eventually got a repair shop to fix the plug and just put the injector units back on and I took it home and set it up myself. Another issue was lubrication the hollow oil channel rocker shaft wore into steps, a new shaft was obtained but the blanking plug for the bottom end was impossible to find, another never used never had spare part. Had to have the bottom end rebuilt as the pistons were slapping the hellout of the bores, however I would not be surprised if it was not because the owner continually drove it over the RPM red line. They did not torque up the exhaust manifold properly and I got leaks. Then when the steering linkage donut rubber parted company with its metal parts I decided after fitting a new one it was time to part company with it. Oh yes under acceleration on a right hand corner the left rear half shaft splines would lock in the body rolled positions, ease off the foot and it would release with a tail twitch. All in all though one of the best cars to drive I ever had. Accelerated well up the hill from Wollongong to Sydney. Mother in Law would complain about the speed and I would point to rev counter and say see its not so fast. She thought it was MPH.

[@martineyer5336]

I had done 180k in my Stag in hot AUS summers went across the country twice and finished 3rd in a tarmac classic rally and still running the original engine. Must have got a good one it was the last production run. Just meticulously maintained and everything is fine. 😂 never had an issue. 👍 Actually one issue that I did suddenly developed is smell of fuel in the boot once full. Replaced everything with new even the fuel tank, but still have the smell. Drives me crazy. 😀

[@andrewhopper9852]

I used to work on Stags for a living back in the 80s -and owned one myself for 5 years. The viscous coupling mentioned in this piece could on occasion fail to the point that it parted company from the front of the crankshaft and tore into the radiator core. I used to recommend to customers that it was better for the car to remove the viscous coupling - and replace it with an electric fan - in those days a Kenlowe fan, now no longer made. In some cases, including my own Stag, it would be a 12-inch Kenwloe that was selected and fitted neatly between the radiator and the front grille. The 12 inch fan was fine, my Stag had one for 30,000 plus miles and was still spot on when I sold the car. There was a 14.5 inch option also - which came in a bright orange colour - when I asked Kenlowe why the garish colour, they said it was due to it being 'capable of taking fingers off'! We fitted quite a few 14.5 fans to Stags largely for customers who wanted extra peace of mind. The fan was so powerful it sounded like a hovercraft starting up - and would blow the dust off the workshop floor everywhere! One customer I remember booked his immaculate, low mileage stag in for new timing chains saying he was going on a summer European tour of 2,000 miles including crossing the Alps. We recommend the removal of the viscous and the fitting of a 14.5 fan - which was done. After the trip, the fellow came in clutching a pack of German beers saying his stag had done really well - and he'd enjoyed the trip that much more as he wasn't worried about his engine overheating. These days, Revotec fans would probably be the go-to brand. I agree with the views mentioned in this piece, the stag is often unfairly maligned - people like to sound off and exaggerate because they think they sound good - but actually, they don't know what they're talking about. These days, things like larger-capacity aluminium radiators and turret-mounted expansion tanks provide further peace of mind against overheating. Always run with a 50/50 antifreeze/demineralised water mix in the cooling system. Change your oil and filter every 3,000 miles, change the timing chains, tensioners and guides (and inspect the sprockets) every 25,000 miles and the engine is well capable of running beyond 100,000 miles.

[@ArryTheStag]

Hi Andrew - really appreciate your reply. Will likely feature it in a forthcoming www.arrythestag.com/saturday-sockets as I'm sure others will be interested in all your points too. Best wishes TR T

[@kennethbedwell5965]

Here in Western Australia Stags are very popular. The TSOA (Triumph Sports Owners Association) alone has 62 Stags amongst it's membership, many of which are in regular use. There was a large turnout of them (and other Triumps) on November 19th to celebrate 100 years of Triumph car production. Despite our hot climate overheating problems are now very rare as the causes are understood. Well over 100 Triumph cars attended and a grat day was enjoyed by all

[@ArryTheStag]

Brilliant Ken - glad to see the Stag being enjoyed around the world. All the best TR T

[@fuzzjunky]

i'm trimming an orange stag in perth as we speak!!

[@Bob-rn5ho]

Spot on comments Tony. Totally agree with you regarding the Stag with service products we use. As you may remember I’ve had my Stag for 44 years now and it’s used a lot and drive’s really well. All the best Bob

[@GlennPowell-ls3lg]

Wow.Nearly half ever built are still on the road.Thats incredible.The thing is as a kid I loved them because of their design so engine issues that plagued them aside its a true test of a timeless design and simpler times engineering wise.If I had the chance to get one it would have to be the period yellow or brown because men of a certain age basque in nostalgia for cars we grew up with.I would equally love a mk 1 granada preferbly in green.

[@ArryTheStag]

Hi Glenn - yes, I was lucky in the 70's as my Dad bought a couple of Granadas. The last one was a 3000 fastback..rare as hen's teeth now! Thoroughly enjoy my Stags and Saloon these days and they are so much more affordable now than when they were new. All the best TR T

[@WOFFY-qc9te]

@brianwhittington5086 is correct about the engine, I don't know where the idea that this was a SAAB engine, originally if I recall it was Triumph Standard castings and as Brian describes was then made into a V8 to try to avoid the use of the Buick Skylark Rover V8. The SAAB engine was the left hand side of the Stag V8. The SAAB 99 Combi Turbo was the same block but SAAB built the head and the engine was mounted with the clutch forward so the head was to the O/s. I worked on Stags in the late 80's and had a SAAB 99 for Rally, and 900 Turbo. My chum still has a Stage I worked on then. I eliminated overheating by ironically fitting a SAAB header tank on the bulkhead above the water pump, fit electric fan and most important an oil cooler. Never had a Stag overheat since. Put a half penny under the pressure relief valve on the oil pump to bring the pressure up 5 psi. My engines hit first time which was not wanted from cold so I wired the oil pump switch to short out the points so it will only fire after oil pressure is satisfied. Check the head bypass pipes are not crushed and watch for leaking vacuum which will screw the carbs operation. Use SAAB 2.L turbo bearing shell and bucket shims as they are sized better than the BL parts. Also use SAAB suspension shims to sort out front en geometry. An oil cooler on the PS pump won't hurt. Spark-right TAC ignition helps a great deal. Don't follow the Triumph head tightening sequence it is stupid as the head drifts away from the angled bolts and is stressed and warps, slacken the vertical bolts a quarter turn then back down. Thanks for the video but I cant agree with your interpretation of the Stag engines evolution. PS, it was LUCUS that killed the Stag in the US along with many other good British cars.

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks Brian - great info.. much appreciated Kind regards TR T

[@Steviegtr52]

Having owned & rebuilt a Stag many years ago, we all knew then the issues. One issue with converting to the Rover V8 motor was the engine did not rev as high. 6500 on the Triumph vs 5500 on the Rover. So without converting the diff to something with a different ratio the car was too slow. After having a lot of powerful sports cars since then, I have recently purchased a Lovely 2001 Tvr Chimaera 450. These engines have a rev limit of 6500. So with a little work on the Rover engine it would be a suitable upgrade for a non purist. Yes you are correct the Stag was a amazing car. I had the hard top on pulleys on the garage roof above the car for easy storage. Keep up the vids. I'm doing quite a few on the Tvr at the moment. Steve.

[@ArryTheStag]

Sounds good Steve - join us on a weekend and share with us some pics, we love all classics here! www.arrythestag.com/saturday-sockets [e-mail] All the best TR T

[@claytonjones5857]

Great video Tony, had a bit of doubt whether a Stag was a sensible buy. Bombarded by non Stag owners negative opinions the last few weeks and this has just reaffirmed that bugger it I really do need to scratch that spotty teenagers itch after he heard and saw his first one back in the seventy’s. Really must give Paul a ring next week, enthusiasm was dulled yet again after another wasted trip Friday all the way to Norwich…..oh the perception of owners flawless cars really does bring a whole new meaning to Rose coloured spectacles 😂

[@ArryTheStag]

Yep it's worth hanging out for the best you can find. Plenty out there, you just need the 'one' Keep us posted! Kind regards TR T

[@bobspeller2225]

Well said that man, You're spot-on Tony the Stag is now a well sorted car and just great fun to drive, been out in 'The Red Devil' today and it's run like clockwork (it cheaper than a petrol engine). Have a great week . Bob

[@ArryTheStag]

Nice one Bob - 'Appy Days!! Best TR T

[@mattheww6167]

Very informative, I've been a big fan of the Stag since i was a kid, hearing my late uncles Stag, getting him to rev it up!

[@ArryTheStag]

Good stuff Matthew - likewise, I was impressed as a school boy waiting at a bus stop with my Mother when I clapped eyes on the very first one we'd ever seen. We were both very impressed I seem to remember.. but sadly they were so far out of reach financially back then. It's great to make up for it now though, 50 years or so later! 'Appy Days!! Best wishes TR T

[@gordonbunyan]

Thanks Tony for another lovely video! Another fact for you: The hard work of late John Powell (Stag Register creator) established that 57% of Stags imported into Australia have survived. Not a bad record for a snag! And more evidence for you of the real capability of the design of the car when the poor production and quality control problems which plagued the car initially, are eliminated from the equation.

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks Gordon - he did a great job recording all of that and that's an amazing stat! All the best TR T

[@michaelg4083]

The noise that you keep hearing is the timing chain, it caused from the top bracket that holds the gear, the bracket that holds the gear just needs to be bent back a little bit so it's not catching

[@maxdegraaf5893]

Great info, thanks

[@ArryTheStag]

Glad it was helpful!

[@terrywrist8448]

thanks for the vids always an enjoyable watch

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks Terry - all about sharing the classics dream! Best wishes Tony

[@kevinisaac9139]

I had 2stags I loved them bit of a money pit used to tow a caravan with mine no overheating 👍👌

[@brianwhittington5086]

The Torquatrol unit is a sealed, oil filled viscous drive that can be unreliable or fail completely. The best solution is to remove it and fit a temperature controlled electric fan. You must ensure the electric fan polarity is wired corectly, for how it's mounted, it must spin to draw air from outside, inwards to the engine bay, or you'll get engine overheating. The Torquatrol unit was designed to provide a varying viscous drive to the fan blades, almost solid when cold, stationary, or in slow moving traffic. As road speed rises, air flow through the front grille, and hot viscous oil in the unit, should gradually give less drive to the fan blades as air flow begins to overcome the viscous drive and stall the fan. It was designed for making less high-speed rasp from the fan blades, saving engine power as the revs rise. The unit bearings can wear, seize, or leak oil with age, leading to loss of viscous drive and a real possibility of the fan and worn out drive unit breaking off the engine and causing catastrophic radiator, engine bay, and bonnet damage. When working correctly, it should be quite stiff to turn the fan blades on a cold engine, but easy to spin when hot, with no sign of bearing wear or oil leaking.

[@ArryTheStag]

Hi Brian - all good thanks and useful to know. We had one go on the Red Barrow a couple of years ago and it sounded terminal I must admit!! All the best TR T

[@brianwhittington5086]

Hi Tony, if you know your way around viscous drive units, some are interchangeable between manufacturers. I know some Ford ones will fit the Rover V8 and 6 cylinder engine water pump pulley thread, I've fitted them to SD1's in the past when the Rover part was unavailable. So, Triumph, and other BL models possibly use the same thread size, the crucial thing being whether it's a left, or right hand thread. Ford ones were much cheaper and plentiful too, especiall as used parts. Yes, they certainly sound noisy, like a catastrophic failure is imminent when they go wrong, and they will waste an awful lot of fuel and engine power if they fail and seize up solid.

[@alanforsyth2628]

It would be interesting to have a comparison of the survival rate of the Stag compared to other vehicles. Apparently the Land Rover series and Defender is one of the highest.

[@julianwinn4502]

Interesting. Glad to see that these cars can be kept running reliably and achieve high mileages without issues.

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks Julian - yes we know of hundreds of Stag owners who travel miles in their cars without any issues. All the best Kind regards TR T

[@royster3345]

Mine I used an airline on the head waterways as you could see a build up of sediment in the rear waterways when I had the inlet manifold off, use safety glasses....! Also flushed out using the block drain holes. All back together, and the viscous coupling was shot. Always after a drain and fill, the temp will go three quarters of the way up, then bounce down to normal, and stay there never getting that high again. Assume its the last of the air being flushed out. I have the external Ford water pump installed low down where the alternator used to live. The standard Triumph water pump location is dangerously too high running the risk of running dry with little water level drop. I've also got a Volvo header tank mounted high up, the aftermarket aluminium ones look too bling for my aged engine bay.

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks mate - much appreciated. Will spread the news/top tips. All the best TR T

[@natesteiner5460]

Problem with sand in the block is sooner or later it end up in the coolant. Plugs up the radiator and the engine overheats. Shop replaces head gasket and the poor owner drives away again with a plugged radiator.

[@ArryTheStag]

The perfect storm! Such a shame it curtailed the length of Stag productions and afflicted it for may years. A lot now still running around, which is great news. All the best TR T

[@Fintoman]

Having rebuilt several Stag engines, I am very familiar with it's construction and I am very conversant with its problem areas also, whether they are true or have become slightly mythological and exaggerated over the years The single most effect thing to do after rebuilding one of these engines, I cannot stress how important it is to retouque the head bolts after 500 miles and again at a similar interval. This is crucial in preventing head gasket failure. I believe many Stag engines fell foul to this oversight, either by enthusiastic but unknowing private owners or garage repairs that just weren't followed up on. Stag engines are not alone in requiring this procedure. Many engines with alloy heads and iron blocks can suffer similar issues because of different expansion coefficients of the materials. Head bolts need retorqueing after initial ' stretching' too. Assuming correct assembly and all that concept entails. Subsequently followed by proper maintenance, my experience leads me to believe the engine should remain as reliable as any other.

[@fuzzjunky]

i think that noise is a bad bearing in the water pump

[@ImpManiac]

May I correct you. The Triumph Stag V8 engine was the first in Triumph' modular engine concept. The slant four is, in fact, half of the V8. Keep up the great work on the videos. 🙂 Paul 😎

[@stevesalvage1089]

We all no the early problems repeated time and again , most good stags well sorted years ago , no body maintained them properly in the day , who is responsible to check and maintain and service your vehicle ,? I now have one mk 1 it's super , thanks for the viscous fan tip , can be tricky finding where certain noises are comming from , always look forward to your videos

[@ArryTheStag]

Thanks Steve - that viscous fan noise is horrendous and when you first hear it, it defo sounds terminal! All the best Tony

[@dungareesareforfools]

It seems that these days, these cars could be more reliable than they ever were, and equally as reliable as other classics. All of these mods and maintenance procedures are standard fare on e.g. a fairly mildly modified Ford Escort - improved water pumps, bigger radiators, frequent fluid changes.

[@kennethcohagen3539]

The proven engine, used in the Land Rover, was a Buick Aluminum V8 that was sold to Land Rover. In the US it was used in the Spark and an Oldsmobile of the same size. It was underpowered by American standards but good enough to be used in some Kit Airplanes. Now if you find one of those cars it’s best to restore it because of the restoration craze.

[@garysweetland32]

The only thing I can add to your list is broken main bearing caps. I can see your local to me and I worked at Barnes engineering in the 70s and 80s. And saw a few with broken caps which we had to line bore replacements. The Stag certainly kept us busy then and I would be the first to say one of the worst engines to come out of British Leyland. But I would have one in a heart beat. Such a beautiful car with a beautiful sound track.

[@ArryTheStag]

Stag engine reliability when up together is a lot better now. Back then it really was a combination of poor working practices and a lack of quality control in its manufacture that was the cause of so many issues that could have easily been picked up! All the best TR T

[@frankabels5761]

What is this Window in the back?

[@michaelg4083]

I seem to think a lot of Stag owners are quite aware of the sand being left in the steel block from casting, it was a nice easy way to sabotage the stag !.🤔🤔🤔

[@ArryTheStag]

Unbelievable that that happened and probably was one of the biggest causes (knock on effects) of the Stag's demise. Simple to fix when it's known and it's a testament to the design that so many (nearly 50% I believe) of all the Stags made are still going now 50 years later. Can't imagine too many marques/models have had that same level of success for that long! Thanks for posting! Best wishes TR T

[@harrys40]

My first thought fan had similar problems on v6 ford

[@rtfazeberdee3519]

Surely the Triumph Slant 4 - not SAAB (but used by SAAB before Triumph)

[@michaelg4083]

Also the 6th vein pump is much better than the 12 vein, I actually had this tested by a water pump specialist !. 🤔🤔🤪