Freelander 1 Head gasket vs inlet manifold gasket

Some days it can just be a deliberate swine to get on these.

I seem to remember on some belts that when you line up the cams EXACTLY the belt won't quite fit properly, and because of the nature of the crank being exactly half the teeth of the cams, it's very easy to get half a tooth out.

I'd suggest attempting to time it with the crank ever so slightly retarded - IE the timing line a fraction closer to the most clockwise dot - that should allow you a tiny amount of slack on the front side of the belt and allow you to get a more accurate fit. Just keep trying, eventually it'll go on - assuming that your cams are clocked correctly in the right sprocket holes.

krisboats said:

So you're saying line up the crank shaft dots. Fit the belt to the crank shaft, move the exhaust cam round one tooth clockwise (from being aligned to inlet cam) and pull the belt over, then turn the exhaust cam back a touch anticlockwise to take up the slack between crank/exhaust cam so i can loop the inlet one in normally?

Its such a pain because the guy who did the youtube video just looped it all over and it fit fine, no excessive tension needed.

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First off, don't rely on the crank pulley dots to be in the correct place. For setting cam timing, always use the flywheel locking pin. This is definitely in the correct place. Secondly always use a straight edge across the cam pulleys. This should intersect the center of the bolts and the two central timing marks. It's best to set the correct position then lock in place with a pulley locking tool, although some minor adjustment of position may be needed. Once locked in place the pulleys are held firm while the belt is fitted.

Major problem!!! i forgot the cam locking tool was in and tried to start the engine!!! ****!!! what do i do?

Okay so i managed to hammer the locking tool out from between the cams. I tried turning the engine over by hand a few times and the stiff spots it had before... well it has an insanely stiff spot now when turning it round. Bent valves most likely? I only spun it up briefly but i guess thats still enough to wreck it?

This is why you don't do two jobs at once while you're tired. Think i got the timing belt fully aligned, went into the back seat to get my torch, got distracted and after having the fuel pump out to check what fuel filter type i needed i turned the key. ****.

That's very annoying. If it's any consolation, you won't be the first or last to do it.
First off take the belt off and look at the teath. If they are damaged, then the engine has turned and some valve contact is likely. It should only have damaged 4 to 6 valves however.

Two belt teeth gone

Oh Crap!
Sorry to hear that. So easy done when you get distracted and I nearly did it myself once.
You could try fitting a new belt and see if it still goes, not sure if you would do more harm though.
Anyone know what position the valves will be in with the locking tool in. I thought someone else said they were in the safe position, if so they wouldn't have moved with the locking tool holding them.

With the locking tool in place, my inlet valves on cylinder 3 and exhaust valves on cylinder 4 are extended

Both cams are very highly spung in a single spot when turning them by their nut, much harder to turn than they were before i put it together. I take it i can't re-use my elastomer head gasket now i've driven on it for a week?

Got the options of trying a new belt and see what happens or buying a new engine locally and just replacing the engine completely.

Ahh maaaaaan. That's a bit of sh!t luck right there.

Know anyone with a boroscope to have a look at the valves?
There's not going to be a lot you can do about it at this point - the head will probably have to come back off.

Try timing it and see if it'll run? If one of the valves is bent it'll make an unholy racket while running.
Even if it's only bent slightly it'll burn the valve out in short order

Walk away, come back in a few days so you're not going to throw the head across the garage etc etc.

Alternatively, buy a new head with all the valves in for sub £300 and you won't need to faff around so much.

Recon head and new gasket kit I'm afraid.

Well theres a member on here only a couple of miles away who has an old 1.8 with working engine that is off to the scrappy at the weekend. Wants £100 for the old engine so by the time i've bought gaskets and belts, valves+tool and cambelt tensioner for mine i'll have spent that amount anyway. Think i'm going to go down that route to be honest as its certainly seeming easier...

Will be my first engine swap as well!!

krisboats said:

Well theres a member on here only a couple of miles away who has an old 1.8 with working engine that is off to the scrappy at the weekend. Wants £100 for the old engine so by the time i've bought gaskets and belts, valves+tool and cambelt tensioner for mine i'll have spent that amount anyway. Think i'm going to go down that route to be honest as its certainly seeming easier...

Will be my first engine swap as well!!

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1.8 engine swap is easy enough, even for a novice.
Just be aware that there are some slight differences to sensors and things between certain years of k series.

Nodge68 said:

1.8 engine swap is easy enough, even for a novice.
Just be aware that there are some slight differences to sensors and things between certain years of k series.

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Also at some stage they went from rotor arm/dizzy to dual coil packs.

No help, but what was the battery doing connected if you hadn't finished the timing belt?

freelance said:

No help, but what was the battery doing connected if you hadn't finished the timing belt?

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He thought he'd finished, missed the locking key.

That is **** luck! Just don't need it!

But thinking about, one should always turn engine over by hand after belt fit to ensure the marks are close after a few revolutions

freelance said:

But thinking about, one should always turn engine over by hand after belt fit to ensure the marks are close after a few revolutions

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Yup. **** happens though.

freelance said:

But thinking about, one should always turn engine over by hand after belt fit to ensure the marks are close after a few revolutions

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Yup, hence me going to get the torch so i could see the belts/tensioners were in the right place. Got the torch from the back of the car, saw the new fuel filter there and thought "while my hands are mucky i'll just whip that out".... 30 minutes later i plugged my fuel hose back into the fuel pump and thought 'i'll just turn it over to get the fuel moving through". Turned the key without even thinking about the belts/locking tools. I was just tired and forgot completely about it

freelance said:

But thinking about, one should always turn engine over by hand after belt fit to ensure the marks are close after a few revolutions

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Not sure rubbing it in is very helpful! We've all got distracted and done stupid things. I remember working at the wife's car once and finger tightened the wheel nuts, set the car down then got distracted. Wife was lucky she felt the wheel wobbling and stopped. Around 50 years ago my dad wasn't so lucky and the wheel came off on a corner. The car lurched and the roof rack fell off with all our holiday stuff which went all across the road.