Project Freebie...

Nodge68 said:

Yes it is. Incidentally the only components that the shared between the K4 and KV6 are the liners. Every other component is different between the two engines.

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It was the liners that made me ask as I remember being offered a FL1 2.5 V6 for £100 that had cracked/slipped/porous liners and a little bit of googling showed the same part for both engines, I didn't buy it but wish I had

Fancy a KV6 myself to have a play with..

Always fancied a Rover 825 auto with the 2.5

dieseldog69 said:

It was the liners that made me ask as I remember being offered a FL1 2.5 V6 for £100 that had cracked/slipped/porous liners and a little bit of googling showed the same part for both engines, I didn't buy it but wish I had

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The HG is more likely to be the problem, than the liners of the FL1 KV6. By the time the FL1 went into production, the KV6 had been sorted to the point that it was Rover's most reliable engine. The HGs go because the thermostat leaks, unseen, which allows the coolant level to drop. This results in air locks and overheated HGs, which is why they fail.

This is interesting stuff chaps. The longer i spend on here, the more i learn about the K-Series engine. I like the look of the Kv6 too.
Anyway, i've spent an hour or so working on the Hippo this morning and have managed to get as far as re-fitting the cylinder head.

Obviously, the uprated MLS head gasket (with steel shim) and inlet manifold gasket have been fitted.
The cylinder head bolts have been replaced and are all torqued down!
The next job is too replace the timing belt, tensioner and water pump.

Smashing job there

Landy-Pandy said:

Obviously, the uprated MLS head gasket (with steel shim) and inlet manifold gasket have been fitted.

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Looks good. Although there's a trap for young players here.

In my experience the MLS gasket isn't good for all engines, so often leaks coolant out the block, or into the bores if the liners aren't exactly in spec.

I always use the latest Payen BW750 gasket, as it's guaranteed to seal the joint correctly.

I have read a few posts about the Payen gaskets and how they seal better than the MLS gaskets if the liners are sitting low in the block, but this Camtech gasket kit was recommended and supplied by the cylinder head specialists that i used... so i'm gambling a little and trusting in there wisdom but it's definitely something that i already considered.

Landy-Pandy said:

I have read a few posts about the Payen gaskets and how they seal better than the MLS gaskets if the liners are sitting low in the block,

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Not low liners, as no gasket will work correctly if the liners are below the level of the block. The Payen BW750 elastomer gasket is designed for the K series, especially if liners are slightly uneven in hight. This is something that the MLS gasket doesn't tolerate at all. For a MLS gasket to work correctly and reliably, then all the liners need to protrude from the block by 1 to 3 thousandths of an inch. However more importantly, all liners MUST be within 1 thou of the adjacent liner. If not, then the MLS gasket can't compensate for the difference in the same way the elastomer gasket can, with failure is the result.

Landy-Pandy said:

Camtech gasket kit was recommended and supplied by the cylinder head specialists that i used... so i'm gambling a little and trusting in there wisdom but it's definitely something that i already considered.

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I don't know how the head builder can say your liners are suitable, unless they actually measured them for you. There's nothing worse than taking someone's word that a product will do the business, if it's not the case. Hopefully it'll be ok for you, but in my experience, this isn't always so.

I think it may be the gasket kit that they supply with every K-Series rebuild.
Having said that, it seems to have some great reviews on the internet, although i understand that the issue with liner heights is a fault of all MLS gaskets.

Heads on... belts are on... new tensioner, new water pump, cam cover gasket, coolant elbow gasket, inlet manifold gasket, exhaust manifold gasket, oil filter, spark plugs, air filter and fresh 10W 40...
But most importantly, she runs!

I'll be flushing the coolant system throroughly, bleeding repeatedly, checking for leaks and filling her up with some good quality OAT before getting on the road again.

I’ve just read, and enjoyed this thread! Keep up the good work.
Personally I’d go for mud terrain tyres and a touch of lift. I reckon it’d be quite a capable machine.......

Don't know much about FLs and enjoying this. Keep it up.

Thankyou!
I'm glad you guys are enjoying the thread. I've actually discovered a leak since my last post and am in the process of replacing the radiator.
Once this has been done, the whole coolant system (more or less) will have been renewed!

Well done, nice to see a proper thread with a proper hippo

Did you clean up the bores/crowns at all after?

RangeRoller dt said:

Did you clean up the bores/crowns at all after?

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I did! Although it was just a case of using some wet 'n' dry on the cylinder liners, some grease to keep the dirt away from the piston rings and a hand held vacuum cleaner to remove it.
I also gave the crowns a going over with a long wire brush until they were relatively clean.

I just so happen to have a set of 4 steel Freelander rims with nearly new Mud terrains fitted.
I've got a Defender now, so would let them go nice and cheap to a fellow forum enthusiast.
pm me if you're interested.

Nice one! Thanks for the offer Wayne but i think i'm going to go with all terrain tyres. This is also my daily drive, so i don't want it to be too noisy or too rough.
Thanks again though.

Landy-Pandy said:

Nice one! Thanks for the offer Wayne but i think i'm going to go with all terrain tyres. This is also my daily drive, so i don't want it to be too noisy or too rough.
Thanks again though.

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You're Welcome mate.
They'll probably be still in my storage next year, as they're just a tiny bit too small to go on my Defender.
I've also got some other exciting Freelanderer bits from when I was going to do my TD4 up, but this isn't a sales thread so I'll leave it at that.

Looking forward to some piccies of yours progressing.

Seriously consider BFG if you're going A/T's.....they'll perish from old age after about 20 years before they'll wear out

Nice.
I've been looking at the Yokohama Geolander A/T GO15, although it could be a while until i free up enough funds to fit five of these...
I'm just looking forward to having her back on the road at the moment!

Good news! She's back on the road and equipped with a new radiator...
Bad news... she just failed her MOT...
Two worn tyres (debatable), some rot under the offside sill and a leak on the rear diff.
Very disappointed.