Head Gasket Blown 2 times in the last month

Should I sand down the little bumps on that corner or are they meant to be there?

Diesel Do said:

Inc. cam belt kit. Water pump. Mls head set. New bolts. Skim. Coolant. Flush. New hoses. Thermostat. Oil. Filter. Engine flush. more oil Clean out rad. Plus 5 or 6 hours labour?

Or are you talking headset oil and filter and coolant?

Click to expand...

It's not necessary to change the cam belt if it's done less than half it's service life. The water pump is'nt going to fail because the HG did. Why change the hoses? Most garages don't!! And the K series should never have the head surface skimmed unless absolutely necessary to true up a warped head as it removes the case hardening from the surface which speeds up fire ring recession and subsequent failure. Skimming the K series can cause knocking as there are no knock sensors to keep it in check! Result? Faster HGF! The gaskets fail on the K because the gasket is rubbish at doing it's job. They allow water to mix with the oil or vise versa. The fire rings fail because the engine air locked and over heated due to low coolant!! The head bolts only need to be changed if they have stretched over the service length too, although I would change them just to make sure. There are suppliers out there that supply a complete kit which includes a MLS Gasket, Bolts, Steel Dowels and uprated oil rail for around £100. What i'm saying is some people a making good money at the misfortune of others!!

cj86 said:

Should I sand down the little bumps on that corner or are they meant to be there?

Click to expand...

Never sand a flat surface as it will no longer be flat!! If there are small lumps that are proud of the surrounding metal then all you need do is dress them down a tiny bit at a time with a flat abrasive like a new oil stone. If the surrounding lower metal is removed you will have a disaster in the making!!

Diesel Do said:

He does sound the type that gets the trade a bad name!

Click to expand...

Are you referring to me? I'm a time served engine builder!! I've spent the last 25 years building high performance road and race engines fitted to Triumphs, Lotus powered Sunbeams and MG ZR/ZS's to name a few so know a thing or two about engines including the K!!
I'm one of those guys that thinks the K is a good engine which is more than a lot of ill informed people out there. If you bothered to read what I said. I said you can "face" the K block!! It's not really possible to skim it. The reason is simple enough, the liners must protruded above the deck by a set amount or the gasket will never seal!! It is possible to whip the fly cutter over the top to remove any high spots which would cause incorrect gasket compression!!

cambelt kit, head bolts, water pump, all done but the hose I am on a bout has split but the rest needs doing I think.

cj86 said:

Should I sand down the little bumps on that corner or are they meant to be there?

Click to expand...

:nopics:

I think that is the least of yo probs.

Nodge68 said:

Are you referring to me? I'm a time served engine builder!! I've spent the last 25 years building high performance road and race engines fitted to Triumphs, Lotus powered Sunbeams and MG ZR/ZS's to name a few so know a thing or two about engines including the K!!
I'm one of those guys that thinks the K is a good engine which is more than a lot of ill informed people out there. If you bothered to read what I said. I said you can "face" the K block!! It's not really possible to skim it. The reason is simple enough, the liners must protruded above the deck by a set amount or the gasket will never seal!! It is possible to whip the fly cutter over the top to remove any high spots which would cause incorrect gasket compression!!

Click to expand...

Epic FAIL the K series is unreliable as proven by low residual values

Nodge68 said:

Are you referring to me? I'm a time served engine builder!! I've spent the last 25 years building high performance road and race engines fitted to Triumphs, Lotus powered Sunbeams and MG ZR/ZS's to name a few so know a thing or two about engines including the K!!
I'm one of those guys that thinks the K is a good engine which is more than a lot of ill informed people out there. If you bothered to read what I said. I said you can "face" the K block!! It's not really possible to skim it. The reason is simple enough, the liners must protruded above the deck by a set amount or the gasket will never seal!! It is possible to whip the fly cutter over the top to remove any high spots which would cause incorrect gasket compression!!

Click to expand...

haha you wont find real experience necessarily counts for anything

jamesmartin said:

haha you wont find real experience necessarily counts for anything

Click to expand...

If you are referring to the K then you are spot on they are a challenge!! I've blown up a couple but on whole they are can be made pretty reliable!!
They seem better than some of the French rubbish i'v seen of late!!

Nodge68 said:

If you are referring to the K then you are spot on they are a challenge!! I've blown up a couple but on whole they are can be made pretty reliable!!

Click to expand...

mine was reliable.



























reliably ****

Nodge68 said:

K series then you are spot on they are a challenge!! no **** sherlock


made pretty reliable!!

Click to expand...

hahahahaha

Of course the K is'nt the only engine LR fitted that pops HG'S is it?

they did build a cracking prone v8 block too

fanatic said:

Epic FAIL the K series is unreliable as proven by low residual values

Click to expand...

not entirely true is it, most other engines develop some problems at some stage in there lives.
the main faults with the K series is that was engineered to be a high output to weight ratio engine. when it was built corners were cut by usung cheaper materials and parts.

If a K series engine is looked after it will last quite well, mine is proof of this.


all is not lost if you add the various mods to this engine and take care of it.

Freelaner said:

not entirely true is it, most other engines develop some problems at some stage in there lives.
the main faults with the K series is that was engineered to be a high output to weight ratio engine. when it was built corners were cut by usung cheaper materials and parts.

If a K series engine is looked after it will last quite well, mine is proof of this.


all is not lost if you add the various mods to this engine and take care of it.

Click to expand...

this is true ive several customers have had theres for years with very little trouble apart from service items

cheers James

and don't doubt what he says, cos he knows more than most about this and all the other LR engines.

I love the K-Series engine

Nodge68 said:

Are you referring to me? I'm a time served engine builder!! I've spent the last 25 years building high performance road and race engines fitted to Triumphs, Lotus powered Sunbeams and MG ZR/ZS's to name a few so know a thing or two about engines including the K!!
I'm one of those guys that thinks the K is a good engine which is more than a lot of ill informed people out there. If you bothered to read what I said. I said you can "face" the K block!! It's not really possible to skim it. The reason is simple enough, the liners must protruded above the deck by a set amount or the gasket will never seal!! It is possible to whip the fly cutter over the top to remove any high spots which would cause incorrect gasket compression!!

Click to expand...

No I wasn't referring to you! I was referring to the muppet that caused this. But you do seem to have ego issues while we're on the subject! Because you have opinions doesn't make them right! There are many points of view. Eg when hoses are contaminated with oil for any length of time it attacks the rubber and causes swelling and failure! But you know that. I'm sure race engine building is relevant to the average freelander owner! Whether it be exhausts with no back pressure or throttle body size change that's very well documented! We arent talking race engines we're talking bog standard ones! You're always right. It must be hard being perfect! And for the record Im a time served Mercedes technician. So not the clueless ****wit you try to make everyone else sound! grrrr

Well I think both of you should get on the Norty step.................NOW

Freelaner said:

If a K series engine is looked after it will last quite well,

Click to expand...

Not true. it is down to luck. Although looking after it wont do any harm.

Freelaner said:

not entirely true is it, most other engines develop some problems at some stage in there lives.
the main faults with the K series is that was engineered to be a high output to weight ratio engine. when it was built corners were cut by usung cheaper materials and parts.

If a K series engine is looked after it will last quite well, mine is proof of this.


all is not lost if you add the various mods to this engine and take care of it.

Click to expand...

Absobloodylutly spot on