Head bolt re-torque

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The Mad Hat Man said:
As Jimbo says, and as I have stated many times, sequential HGF is a common occurance on K series, whether that is indemic (as I believe) or poor workmanship ( as James believes) is irrelevant. It happens, and all too often :(.
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It happens all to often as you said. There is sometimes no obvious cause ether :(
The problems with an engine overheat can multiple. The head could be warped to it's maximum tolerance, combined with 1 liner at it's minimum hight with 3 others at there maximum. Then the fact that the MLS gaskets don't compensate for this like conventional gaskets. All these things are fixable but it's an engine out job which is time consuming and if any machining needs to be done can be costly too.
 
WLJayne said:
A pinhole would not explain why the gas ingresses more rapudly during a hard drive - the pump speed is no longer tied to RPM so I doub't it's that. I think I've done my best to pinpoint any leaks, there are no antifreeze stains and I don't get any drop when the car isn't driven. If there is gas getting into the coolant and the level is dropping then what alternatives am I left with but head gasket? The gasket simply CANNOT have failed after 3k with no serious overheating, that just makes no sense. So I think it's a combination of low liners and not enough clamping pressure.

I could do the 1.8T conversion but that would cost a minimum of £800 ish as it needs to be mapped, whereas a normal K is about £250-300. I can't justify that right now.

At this point all I want to do is get it to a reliable working condition so that I can save for my Defender project.
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Going to a turbo 1.8 is'nt as expensive as you think
You need the complete engine including the turbo and inlet manifold. The standard turbo ECU will work fine but will need to be coded to your alarm ECU. Other than that it's pretty straightforward. The fuel lines are much the same as is the fuel pump. It would be a good conversion to carry out.
Going down the T series route would be much harder as you have to find a working gearbox if you want to keep with 4 WD? I've got this current problem as I want a manual V6 which uses the same bell housing bolt pattern as the T series engine, sadly the 1.8 box doesn't fit the V6/ T series pattern :(
 
To be honest I think I'm going to rule out an angine conversion, let's face it there's no guarentee that a 1.8T isn't going to be a metric ####load of ballache too and the other options are a time sink.

Lets get thissun fixed, enjoy it and save for a rebuilt tratter. If it stops misbehaving I may even keep it and give it to the missus if I do get another Landy to work on.
 
Keeping it standard. The better option might be to find another engine and rebuild that prior to fitting. Do the job rite with the engine on a stand and you should have a long term reliable engine ;)
 
Nodge68 said:
Keeping it standard. The better option might be to find another engine and rebuild that prior to fitting. Do the job rite with the engine on a stand and you should have a long term reliable engine ;)
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That was my thinking yes, a low mileage one is less likely to have had multiple HGF at least. Mine has got so badly hot at one point in its past that the timing belt cover is partially melted!
 
No guarantees with these all you can do is fit all the recommended upgrades and hope for the best.
Trying to turn a sows ear into a silk purse is just an exercise in wasting time and money.
However technically challenging this may be.
 
Freelaner said:
No guarantees with these all you can do is fit all the recommended upgrades and hope for the best.
Trying to turn a sows ear into a silk purse is just an exercise in wasting time and money.
However technically challenging this may be.
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The K series can be made reliable but the build needs to be done correctly ;) The Lotus Elise boys do well with them. It's not a bad engine but it doesn't tolerate bad tolerances or shoddy assembly !! Do it rite, do it once ;)
 
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Nodge68 said:
The K series can be made reliable but the build needs to be done correctly ;) The Lotus Elise boys do well with them. It's not a bad engine but it doesn't tolerate bad tolerances or shoddy assembly !! Do it rite, do it once ;)
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Yep :) absativly
They view hgf as a given and just get on with it.
A small price to pay for the many race winning merits.
 
Nodge68 said:
The K series can be made reliable but the build needs to be done correctly ;) The Lotus Elise boys do well with them. It's not a bad engine but it doesn't tolerate bad tolerances or shoddy assembly !! Do it rite, do it once ;)
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Have yu not been reading?
You can do everything right, and it will still go wrong :(.

The lotus boys have nothing to do with a gaylander. The cooling design is different (better?) and it ain't trying to pull a brick in 4wd!

I still maintain getting a good one is more luck than judgement, as a lot of competant guys on here will testify :(.
 
Freelaner said:
Yep :) absativly
They view hgf as a given and just get on with it.
A small price to pay for the many race winning merits.
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I am sorry, but I disagree :(. A race car is tuned for performance, not longevity. Stripping an engine after every race is not unheard of. Rebuilding a road car after every trip to the shops is another. A road car has to be reliable. The gaylander as built isn't! :(.
 
I'm fully aware of your view MHM and mean no offence.
A lot of peeps are stuck with their motors and really do have to make the best of them.
 
We've been offensive to each other for years :) and respect each others views.

You have been lucky and that's good news. Not everyone is and you have to weigh up how much money you are going to pour into a motor and decide when it is not cost effective. That has to be the owners decision.
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
We've been offensive to each other for years :) and respect each others views.

You have been lucky and that's good news. Not everyone is and you have to weigh up how much money you are going to pour into a motor and decide when it is not cost effective. That has to be the owners decision.
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:) vive la difference

Mine cost me an arm and a leg at the start.
I check it everyday.
If it ever goes again i'll repair and get shut.

The cost of repairs for most folks is not viable cos they pay a garage to do it.
If i'd payed a garage I would be seriously in the red and unable to buy another car.
 
WL sorry to hear about the problem looked through the thread. But never saw anything mentioned about thermostat, water pump replacement and new radiator or professional radiator cleaning. One of the contributing factors is over heating causing a HGF
 
The Mad Hat Man said:
Have yu not been reading?
You can do everything right, and it will still go wrong :(.

The lotus boys have nothing to do with a gaylander. The cooling design is different (better?) and it ain't trying to pull a brick in 4wd!

I still maintain getting a good one is more luck than judgement, as a lot of competant guys on here will testify :(.
Click to expand...

Yes I have been reading but have you? I have actual experience with the engine having rebuilt a few ;)
The engine is generally a sound design but it's badly let down by the production tolerances and the fact that if an engine does fail? The correct reason is'nt always found by the guy putting it back together so it fails again!!
The cooling system does play a part in keeping the K series working long term but the engine needs to be put together properly to start with!!
The Lotus cooling system is in many ways worse than the Freelander as the rad is at the front but the engine is in the middle. This causes the same delayed stat opening as all other K series have. It's true that the Elise is lighter than the Freelander so whilst under cruising conditions is worked less hard, however how often is the Freelander's engine pushed to the limiter? There are lots of things that need to be corrected to make the K series reliable but sadly bolting on some uprated parts is only part of the cure ;)
 
Thor1950 said:
WL sorry to hear about the problem looked through the thread. But never saw anything mentioned about thermostat, water pump replacement and new radiator or professional radiator cleaning. One of the contributing factors is over heating causing a HGF
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All of which he is fully aware of :p


That's why they weren't mentioned
 
Nodge68 said:
Yes I have been reading but have you? I have actual experience with the engine having rebuilt a few ;)
The engine is generally a sound design but it's badly let down by the production tolerances and the fact that if an engine does fail? The correct reason is'nt always found by the guy putting it back together so it fails again!!
The cooling system does play a part in keeping the K series working long term but the engine needs to be put together properly to start with!!
The Lotus cooling system is in many ways worse than the Freelander as the rad is at the front but the engine is in the middle. This causes the same delayed stat opening as all other K series have. It's true that the Elise is lighter than the Freelander so whilst under cruising conditions is worked less hard, however how often is the Freelander's engine pushed to the limiter? There are lots of things that need to be corrected to make the K series reliable but sadly bolting on some uprated parts is only part of the cure ;)
Click to expand...

3k rpm is the norm for mine:)

Red line at 8ish k for the elise :eek:
 
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