Yabo

Well, it's official. Time for the winter rebuild of the engine. I had it planned, but I was hoping I could make the last couple weeks before my Range Rover was going to be ready.

Ever since i got it last november, I've had mysterious missing coolant. every couple weeks I would be low and have to top off. Car ran beautifully though, never had problems.. But then I found that on cold days, after sitting for a day, it would run on 3 cylinders for about 5-10 seconds and then clear up. I've heard this is a symptom of headgasket failure, but I never had white smoke in the exhaust, nor smell antifreeze in the exhaust, so I didn't worry about it. Ran beautifully all summer, until now.

For the past month everythign has been going wrong... and it's my only form of transportation to and from school each weekend (an hour drive). I blew my transmission, then my rear wheel bearing went, belts popped off because my AC Compressor mount broke, etc... The Range Rover is almost ready, I figure by thanksgiving, and I was praying I could make it until then. Then a few weeks ago, i'm driving home, and the temp gauge is up near the red. Not in it, but at the 2nd whit emark, so when I get home, I bled the system and filled it.. and it took over a gallon of coolant/water mix (which is about half of what should be in there). I was worried... but the drive back to school it was fine, but the oil pressure was low for that week. (2 at idle, 3-3.5 at 4-5k RPM). I changed my oil teh following weekend, and the oil pressure was back to normal, but I was losing coolant at a good pace (I was topping off before every drive to be safe, and ONLY driving it to get to and from school once a week.) and then I started noticing little black drips in my coolant floating around.. and I had to put a lot more coolant in this past week.. Oil doesn't look like a milkshake, but it's new oil.. probably hard to see the water in the mostly clear oil? I have been babying it.. keeping it under 3k rpm as much as possible..

Now just please don't flame me about still driving it. I know it was wrong, and I felt like crap for doing it.. But anyone who has been in my situation.. Driving an old car, as a daily driver, using every bit of your money you have to keep it running and in good shape.. being swamped at school with work and only having sunday mornings each week to work on it... I just needed to get through another week or two. So I drove it.

So anyway, the coolant got progressively more disgusting from last weekend, and now today. My freind was desparate and needed someone to get him to the orthopedist today for his sprained ankle, so i wen tthe 15 minute each way drive after topping off the coolant, then parked outside my dorm to get my laundry and things for the weekend. when I parked.. More steam then should be (albeit it was raining) was coming from teh front of the car... and I let it sit for half an hour, then popped the hood and saw nothing unusual except my coolant was low again. I topped it off.. drove straight home. Temp stayed fine until the last 5 minutes towards home it was at the top white mark. Pulled in my driveway, said goodnight for the winter.... The sleep will come early I guess. I'll have to just hitch rides back and forth to school.

So here is the plan for the winter. Once the greenhouse gets cleaned up with enough space for my car, (Hooray for flower room again!), I'm pulling the engine.

Here's what I plan to replace:
Front and rear engine main seals
Water Pump, belts, rollers
Headgasket (probably get head machined and such?)
cam seals
New clutch (while i'm in there.. I think it could use it)
Motor Mounts
Oil pan gasket
Oil cooler seals
Probably all new radiator hoses and air/vacuum hoses
Expansion tank
Intake manifold gaskets
and anything else that comes up that it needs once i'm in there... I'm going to check the bearings and see if any damage was done, and if needed, replace them.
Oh, and I still need tires.

I have from now until may that I would like to be finished. This is my first time going into an engine, but I've done basically everything else on vehicles, I'm sure I will be able to figure it out, with the help of you guys/gals of course.
I think I might have just enough saved up to complete this work, but I plan on spending my whole winter break from school working as much as I can to possibly have enough to finish the job/pay for gas for the rover.

Wish me luck.. Not in good spirits.. but I guess I just have to look forward to next year, when hopefully she'll be good for anohter hundred thousand miles or so...

Lead Foot 944

WOW have fun and good luck, and be sure to write it up and post pics.....

DAmian

PCinDC

Sorry to hear it! I went through some of the same headaches you did and am just finishing the end of my rebuild. Just be happy you are doing yours in the winter. I didn't have much of a choice and did mine over the summer. The car will probably be ready to drive at just about the time when the weather won't let me. Joy.

Good luck with the rebuild. It will all be worth it once its running again and you can say "I did that!"

Swagger93

An old porsche and a range rover, sounds like a reliable combination! hehehe, i give respect to you, being a college student who also has no money and has oddball european cars i understand your situation...

Yabo

My last Range was actually very reliable until the last year I drove it. My dad drove it since 94 and I drove it a yearor so at least before it ever stranded us. And we never maintained it very well (well after the first 3 or 4 years of ownership anyway.

I'm actually anxious to get this one running, so that I can have a reliable car again.. Lot's of little things go wroong with the rovers, but overall they are pretty reliable. Parts are just expensive when they do go, and are not terribly friendly to work on.

And with all this said.... I may not be smart for having these as my only two options (did have the volvo wagon before, but even that had 270k on it), I always keep around enough that if I had to, I would pick up a 200 dollar beater and drive that. I'm never stuck, just slowed down.

josephsc

I'm sorry to hear about your troubles -- I think you get a prize for hanging in the hardest when the going gets tough. With that title, I thought you were giving up on the car or something....

I know what it's like having to drive even when you know your engine is going bad -- I had the exact same problem you described, except this was during a cross-country trip (moving out to Boston). We started getting mysterious coolant loss somewhere in Ohio and by the time we got to Connecticut, it had developed that sweet white smoke out back. After I got to Boston, we pulled the head at the shop and found that not only was the headgasket gone bad, one of the cylinder walls looked like you can grate cheese on it. I hope you case is not as serious -- but be sure to find out what happened. Head gaskets go bad for a reason...

Good luck.

Yabo

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I thinkl one of the reasons this headgasket probably went, because the engine could have god knows how many miles on it, its from eithe ran 83 or an 84, and it was pretty Ghetto installed.. Probably was taken from the junkyard and slapped in with no prep. Hopefully its something rebuildable!

Chris_924s

Devon, make sure to take some "Inside the greenhouse" pics!!

Hope all goes smoothly.

Kevin Baker

Best of luck with your winter project. Way to hang in there, don't give up on it, the rewards will far outreach the pain and suffering of doing the job.

Mighty Shilling

good luck man. get things done well... While your at it, do the rod and main bearings. safe assurance so you don't have to tear it apart again...trust me... it's not fun or cheap to rebuild the engine twice...

dme

Heck yeah, I agree. As long as your in there why not do the bearings and what about the rings? If it wears then I'd put it on the list to consider. How many miles do you have on this engine?

Now I feel bad about buying that window switch from you for soo cheap on eBay!

Yabo

You bought a switch from me? Hey don't worry about getting parts cheap off me. Hopefully the range rover will run well, and if I have to, the 944 will be a project until I can finish affording the parts. I'm sure my dad will help me out with $$ if I need it, but I prefer to pay for it on my own, teaches me what it takes a little more. Although, that doesn't mean I won't be asking for my christmas present to be waterpump and rollers..

I'm sure I'll post pictures askign you guys what you think should be replaced.. This should be interesting...

joseph mitro

you could do the rod bearings fairly easily if you pull the engine. doing the main bearings essentially means a complete rebuild, since you would have the crank out and might as well do the rings, pistons, lighten the crankshaft, install forged rods, etc etc....

good luck. i've got plenty of pics for you to see.

Mighty Shilling

btw, if you need ANYTHING except a crankshaft and a balance shaft pulley, lemme know. I've got a spare engine....cylinder head, cam tower, block, whatever. I'll sell it to you for cheap as it's just taking up space in my garage...

Yabo

Thanks Geoff. Who knows, I may very well end up needing something! I'm not sure if I'm going to do the route of main bearings, but I probably will do the rod bearings. Mostly because of money.. but I think time will also be a factor with me in school.

I'm sure I'll have the engine out again someday anyhow. I am not getting rid of this thing unless I have to.