Classic Range Rover V8 DISASTER STRIKES

[@bn1studio429]

Do compression & leak-down tests to get an idea of how well the valves are sealing and listen to see if there is air escaping past the rings or the valves. These engines suffer from a worn cam and this saps power. I'd suspect this is part of the problem. I had an 82 with the emissions gear and it lacked torque but could be wound up quite nicely. Best mod I ever did was to fit a Lumenition ignition and have the timing reset. This gained about 1.5 mpg - nearly a 10% improvement! With eight ignition events per revolution a good spark & correct timing is vital. Play in the distributor shaft causes timing scatter which does not help. Fundamentally the engines are great but the low compression tune plus emissions gear makes it very flat and remarkably uneconomical. Most of the fuel exits the tailpipe unburnt

[@cogfuel629]

Hello and thank you so much for your advice. I ended up rebuilding the whole engine and then it went quite well. Sadly I ran out of money and between covid and the various crisis's there have been I had to sell the car. Here is the video of the engine rebuild: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eX_RmpyHmZyYY5o All the best

[@F06M6]

Ah man this takes me back. Funny, I'm in the USA and I had almost an identical car. 1984, twin SU carbs, Astral silver, 35k miles. Bought it out of a barn for $200. But yeah, the 3.5 with the carb was a dog. Much much slower than my 91' 3.9.

[@cogfuel629]

Hey man. Glad you liked the video. Yes the 3.9 injection is much more perkey than this 3.5 litre. All the best man

[@jd6ss]

Is your timing 100%? Also have your carbs properly balanced. When one of mind was out by a fraction i lost heaps of power. Hows your fuel filter and fuel pump? Carbs getting enough fire juice?

[@cogfuel629]

Hello JSD. Thanks for your input. I have indeeed balaces the carburettors the best I can, but I always seem to have a little less suction on the left hand one at idle. The timing is right, I used a timing light. the fuel pump is new and so is the fuel filter, the fuel lines are new also. All the best

[@jd6ss]

@@cogfuel629 you probably have a small vacuum leak on the left carburettor. That or the gasket may be leaking allowing more air into the system than normal. Good luck!

[@jjackmanster]

The distributor driven oil pump drive apparently did not have adequate clearance. I made the opposite mistake. I installed a new front cover and oil pump assuming that would solve my low oil pressure problem due to excessive clearances. Wrong! The engine wouldn't prime to generate oil pressure. When I pulled the pump I discovered the chamber in the new cover was too deep. Apparently it was designed for the SD1 pump gears which are longer. I used sandpaper on glass plate to bring the depth to .OO3 which is within specifications. Problem solved but a lot of labor. Best wishes.

[@mrman17]

I hate to say this, but even though it is a V8, they are absolutely gutless (especially if it's an automatic) by today's standards. I haven't driven yours (obviously), so I can't tell if it is bad, even for what it is. I also feel you have wasted your time and money chasing down the oil pump and that won't directly cause a lack of power - apart from not lubricating the cylinder bores, and causing ring/bore wear, and by this point, you probably would have noticed noise from the bearings. You don't have to guess with the oil pump - they are easy to measure to see if they are in spec with a feeler gauge (and it may have been more prudent to hire or buy an oil pressure gauge to be sure). The last time I looked, they showed how to do this in Haynes manuals. I would also advise that you now replace the whole pump. I'd advise going basics and doing a compression test - I don't know what the figures are for your engine, but I believe they should be at least 135psi. Each cylinder should be within 15% (as a rough guide) of the manufacturer's specs and within other cylinders. I also believe these can suffer from cam wear - if so, you can fit a new and uprated cam to help give a few more horses.

[@cogfuel629]

Hello. Thanks so much for your comment and input. I really apreciate it. Yes I have had a few V8s, big old yank tanks like my Ford Crown Victoria which was a 5.0 but definately not a fast car by any means. But this Rover V8 is unusually gutless. I have checked online and the 0 to 60 in this car was originally 14.5 seconds. I can barely do better than 24 seconds. Of course I am not looking for a vehicle that has an impressive 0 to 60. And when I tried a 0 to 60 I didint thrash it either as she is an old gal. So I could have possibly shaved a second off, but a 0 to 60 was a way of getting an idea of what the performance should be as im not familar with the vehicle. But what I would like is to be able to just pull away in a normal fashion without having to mash the pedal to the floor because of a semi truck catching up with me. When I continue with the work on the car ( within the next few days hopefully) I am going to whip the rocker covers off and check the cams for wear. I am also going to take the sump off whilst I am at it. And yes, do a compression test. I should have dont that ages ago. I must order a pressure gauge. Many thanks again. All the best. Will

[@mrman17]

​@@cogfuel629 Hmm, it's been a long time since I've driven one, but 24 seconds does seem wrong. I would still say do the compression test before anything else, as it will guide you on what to do next. There's no point in messing around with other stuff at this point if compression is low and it needs open-heart surgery. There's a chance a worn cam could cause lower compression, but a drop of oil in the bore will help show if it's the rings or elsewhere (leaking valve seats, for example). I've nearly been rammed by a truck, and yes, it can cause a bit of a rear-end puckering. It's hard to put a detailed plan (or explain it) in a comment here, but this is what I would do. * Do a compression test - If the compression is good, look at other areas such as cam and lifters for wear, ignition and fuelling, etc. It's still worth checking bearings, etc., for wear. - If the compression is lacking, and it's rings. I would remove the heads and inspect the bores for wear and damage (scoring). Then, decide whether I'd do an in-place "refresh" or engine out rebuild. Or even find a good second-hand unit. There are other areas such as valves and/or seats (I won't go on further for now as I've rambled on enough for now.)

[@johnkemple]

good god thats a real bad use of sealant on that oil pump...way too much they make a gasket..lol you don't want that goop in your oil relief valve

[@cogfuel629]

Yes That was a disaster, trying to get it done with what I had to hand. So badly wished that I had waited for a gasket to arrive. The thickness of the gasket was critical.