Advice V8 Short motor 2000 4.0L Auto

Advice V8 Short motor 2000 4.0L Auto
After spending BIG £s on head gaskets, radiator, water pump ECT. I’ve give in to the inevitable that my block is porous! Not that is makes much difference but the liners definitely haven’t slipped. After much deliberation I’ve decided the cars is worth putting a short motor in.
So I need recommendations as to where to go and which to buy? Defiantly don’t want second hand unit to find myself in the same situation in a year’s time. So I go for a top hat unit, new land rover original or one of the Costcast units.
Both heads are good and pressure tested and where skimmed and reconed when the gaskets wher done so no need for complete unit
Any suggestions /recommendations welcome

Cheers

When you did the head gaskets, which sort of gasket did you use?

We picked up a genuine short engine from ebay last year (almost exactly a year ago) from Matford Land Rover, and did the work ourselves.

Done about 14000 miles since the beginning of last July with no issues, other than a wrong camshaft gear which was already in the engine when we got it. It runs on LPG most of the time.

Everything we did, warts and all is on this thread:

New V8i 3.9 Disco owner

You'll need to register to get the images displayed.

Ours wasn't a porous block or heads, we think it was just bad assembly by the guy that did the engine for the previous owner, who used tin gaskets.

The block sold on ebay and went on to a new life with no apparent problems, and the heads we have on the current engine.

Peter

Hi Peter
Thanks for your speedy reply

I’ve read you rebuild thread from start to finish previously, and your apparent success is one of the reasons vie decided to go down the short motor route. Like yours mine is in fantastic condition with the exception of the cooling/heating problems. Even with all the work I’ve had done it still only owes my about £3k because I bought it right so I figure if I get it done right I should get a good few years out of it, especially has it will not get any major use.

No LPG, and I’m not sure whether I will go down that route as I only do around 4-5k a year

The gaskets are composite, and we are sure they have sealed right, have had a hydro test done that confirm no gasses in the coolant, but from what I’ve read and been told that’s not unusual for a porous block. The guy who did the heads is a local independent with over 20 years main dealer experience. He’s offered to fit the short motor and discount the full labour costs that I paid him for the heads, so I think that’s fair

What he thinks and I tend to agree with him is that its previously had something like K-seal put in and that has masked the porous block, and this was washed out together with loads of sludge when the system was flushed after the heads where put back on. The left HG had defiantly blown, so both he and I didn’t suspect the block once we saw and inspected the liners and saw they hadn’t slipped

The only think that stops me doing the job myself is space and time, I run and live in a pub so don’t have the conventional drive garage setup.

I will look on eBay for the short motor but do you remember what you paid?

I’ve been on the phone to Turners and they have quoted me a telephone number!

Stuart

scarr said:

Advice V8 Short motor 2000 4.0L Auto
After spending BIG £s on head gaskets, radiator, water pump ECT. I’ve give in to the inevitable that my block is porous! Not that is makes much difference but the liners definitely haven’t slipped. After much deliberation I’ve decided the cars is worth putting a short motor in.
So I need recommendations as to where to go and which to buy? Defiantly don’t want second hand unit to find myself in the same situation in a year’s time. So I go for a top hat unit, new land rover original or one of the Costcast units.
Both heads are good and pressure tested and where skimmed and reconed when the gaskets wher done so no need for complete unit
Any suggestions /recommendations welcome

Cheers

Click to expand...

Is there air in the coolant system that would indicate the block being porous , I've followed this on your other thread and I'd personally try a new heater matrix. If it's slightly blocked the coolant flush won't reach it as it will hold coolant when you drain the rest of the system. Just a thought as a new short block ain't that cheap!!

smurphy said:

Is there air in the coolant system that would indicate the block being porous , I've followed this on your other thread and I'd personally try a new heater matrix. If it's slightly blocked the coolant flush won't reach it as it will hold coolant when you drain the rest of the system. Just a thought as a new short block ain't that cheap!!

Click to expand...

Yes, there is air in the cooling system and its pressurising but only under load and it’s getting worse. However it will till over all day without problem, no white smoke and no coolant loss. Even the heater has started to blow warm when ticking over so coolant is circulating until the pressure builds up that’s when it starts blowing cold, that has made me rule out an air lock and that the head gaskets haven’t sealed properly.
But within a few minutes of putting the engine under any load either uphill or high speed it starts to get hot and bump coolant out of the header tank overflow, has it didn’t do this before that’s what makes me think it’s had K-sealant or something like that in hiding the block problems and since it’s been flushed out and the heads have been sealed the pressurising has started.
I first had the heads done because there was water in the oil (cream cheese in filler cap) and excessive white smoke and of course the heater wouldn’t blow hot (which have all been cured). But it seems the coolant flush that we did after the heads has uncovered the block problems and turned the thing on its head. Before the heads where done I was getting water in the bores, white smoke from the exhaust and water in the oil my problem now is getting combustion gas/pressure in the water.
I’m tempted to try ”Irontite ceramic sealer” that I’ve read good things about on rover V8s and get shut but the cars is otherwise as near to mint as a 10year old motor can be. So before I get shut and have to go shopping for another that could just lead me back to where I am now I’m going to at least price up and doing the job right and knowing exactly what I have got
Just got to convince the wife now!
Stuart

scarr said:

Yes, there is air in the cooling system and its pressurising but only under load and it’s getting worse. However it will till over all day without problem, no white smoke and no coolant loss. Even the heater has started to blow warm when ticking over so coolant is circulating until the pressure builds up that’s when it starts blowing cold, that has made me rule out an air lock and that the head gaskets haven’t sealed properly.
But within a few minutes of putting the engine under any load either uphill or high speed it starts to get hot and bump coolant out of the header tank overflow, has it didn’t do this before that’s what makes me think it’s had K-sealant or something like that in hiding the block problems and since it’s been flushed out and the heads have been sealed the pressurising has started.
I first had the heads done because there was water in the oil (cream cheese in filler cap) and excessive white smoke and of course the heater wouldn’t blow hot (which have all been cured). But it seems the coolant flush that we did after the heads has uncovered the block problems and turned the thing on its head. Before the heads where done I was getting water in the bores, white smoke from the exhaust and water in the oil my problem now is getting combustion gas/pressure in the water.
I’m tempted to try ”Irontite ceramic sealer” that I’ve read good things about on rover V8s and get shut but the cars is otherwise as near to mint as a 10year old motor can be. So before I get shut and have to go shopping for another that could just lead me back to where I am now I’m going to at least price up and doing the job right and knowing exactly what I have got
Just got to convince the wife now!
Stuart

Click to expand...

AH I see if I were you I'd try the Irontite just get it running for now. If its a porous block it won't do any more harm until you decided what to do!!

K seal!

Re the short motor, we paid £700 for it, in a crate, plus shipping. It was on ebay.

Watch out for the earlier short engines that have the wrong crankshaft sensor mounting, they can be converted but it's a pain, as you have probably seen from our rebuild.

Peter

The rebuild of my engine is on this website Armson Automotive Engineers - Home I too thought my liners had slipped because of a tapping noise when the car was warm,I changed the cam,tappets etc so decided to get Stu to rebuild the engine,the cause of the tapping was a sticking valve!Anyway I had my original block top hatted as it is a seasoned block and Chessman Engineering who did the work for stu fully test the blocks as well.Maybe a option for yourself?

matchmetisse said:

The rebuild of my engine is on this website Armson Automotive Engineers - Home I too thought my liners had slipped because of a tapping noise when the car was warm,I changed the cam,tappets etc so decided to get Stu to rebuild the engine,the cause of the tapping was a sticking valve!Anyway I had my original block top hatted as it is a seasoned block and Chessman Engineering who did the work for stu fully test the blocks as well.Maybe a option for yourself?

Click to expand...

How much did all that cost? what engine is it?

Thanks

John

Hi John,it is the 4.0l from my 1999 disco 2,I spent more on the engine than the car is worth but I have had it built to how I wanted it,the car accelerates soon as you look at the accelerator,the car is in the video on the web site

what do you want standard or hi comp engine install or just supply parts cheers stuart

For CosCast, then TVR Power. get then to tophat it as well.

John Eales is worth a shout. Not sure if Jamie at STR8 does RV8's or just sticks to S6 / AJP?

I've heard mixed reports about Real-Steel, and not much good about RPI.