Takes ages to start

Just did the head gasket in my wifes freelander 1.8 petrol once head was off i noticed a small nick in no 4 piston, Put it all back together new plugs, cap, leads, filter did job as haynes manual said basically.
have tried starting it and it does after about 10 mins runs ok ish but if you switch it off it then takes about another 10 minutes to start.
Am I going down the new engine route as I cant be bothered to rebuild it
can anyone out there give me some advise please i would be very grateful
thanks

Check your valve timing, (and ignition timing)

Thanks for that i have a workshop manual do you think it may be someting to do with the nick in the piston although that may have always been there though, ie a lack of compression although as i say when it does start it seems to run well

What was it like before the head gasket change. If your engine is not starting correctly it could be a loss of compression or incorrectly timed. If you can, perform a compression test since compression can be affected by the head gasket, I would check this first as it could have been damaged when fitting whithout you noticing. Any broken rings or worn pistons and liners can cause compression loss into the crankcase, when the engine is running remove the oil filler cap and place your hand over the top as a seal, can you feel excess pressure on your hand which would indicate blow by of the piston. Take your hand away and look for excessive (there will always be a small amount) of smoke coming from the filler cap which is another indication. Also check for water in your oil or oil in your water.

George.

Another thing, when the engine runs everything heats up and expands which can sometimes seal small clearances.

Managed to get it running this morning after a short while it all ran well for about 10 minutes did what you said and nothing seemed untoward either. no oil in water or vice versa revved it up a bit then it died im just wondering if its that nick in the piston or a sensor is faulty???

mine was a pig to start when cold, had ecu read and it turned out to be faulty temp sensor( front right of head). but it would run all day when warm.also had prob wi dodgy rota arm.aa told mrs head gasket gone and it was rota arm

Did you do a compression test?, around 10bar when warm.

Although, cold readings should all be similar.

Change your electrics, dizzy cap, coils, plugs etc.

Did you reconnect all sensors, esp the brown coolant one at the front of the block,

Had a bloke come round today to look at it, he says very low compression checked timing, all is cock on, so i reckon a new engine does anyone know if a 1600 k series will fit as I have one spare thats good, if so I will chuck that in and run her into the ground its only for the wife so tesco's wont need to know.
I have a td5 defender so who cares just need to keep her sweet though as im in a no sex zone til its fixed harsh life isnt it??
Graham

check wiv the insurance - dont wanna risk runnin over wun of my grankids

ok will do but does a 1600 fit??

No idea - I wud fit a T220 lump if i was gonna do it.

everning, Trewy.

eey oop Daft.

I think he should torch it and claim on the insurance.

betta than driving it without any.

does anyone else know that isnt fascinated with insurance companys?

Insurance aside, 1.6 will fit, but it will be gutless, real slow and underpowered

thanks for that I may fit it in and get the 1800 rebuilt for me only a temp measure really but wife needs the car i presume its just a straight swap no gearbox issues etc
regards
Graham

as NI said, the freelander is a lot of car to be trying to move with a 1.6, As well as it being slow, it would also be putting a lot of strain on the undersized engine

Don't replace the engine just cos of low compression. If the engine starts then low compression will not cause it to cut out (but depending on how bad it is it may run like a bag of spanners). Low compression will make the engine difficult to start but when running compression will improve as the piston heats up and expands as it was designed to do. There must be something else that is cutting out your engine.