My Disco II Build

[MStudt]

We have big things going on right now. A few months ago we decided to bite the bullet, and order a new engine from the UK. So much for not going overboard on this build! The company of choice was Turner Engineering, and they're regarded as one of the best engine re-builders around. After placing the order with Turner we had the new engine in hand within 14 days.

This is the day the engine arrived.

Next was getting the Rover to a better location to work on it.

Spent a weekend pulling the engine out.

Over the next couple weeks we cleaned parts, re-loomed the engine bay, cleaned up some rust, and put the new engine in.

 

[Funrover]

Great stuff here!

 

[Victory_Overland]

Out of curiosity, what was the shipping on the motor from the UK?

 

[MStudt]

I want to say around $500 door to door, and that also included all Custom's Clearance stuff. In addition we had to pay $145 in taxes after clearing.

 

[Victory_Overland]

I want to say around $500 door to door, and that also included all Custom's Clearance stuff. In addition we had to pay $145 in taxes after clearing.

Not bad at all. Part of the price we pay if we want the good stuff at times.

 

[Capt. Coronado]

Can I ask if you were repowering did you consider TDI?

Thanks

 

[MStudt]

Can I ask if you were repowering did you consider TDI?

Thanks

We did look into the TD5 for this swap. Due to the lack of available parts in the US was the main reason for us not going that route.

 

[Capt. Coronado]

We did look into the TD5 for this swap. Due to the lack of available parts in the US was the main reason for us not going that route.

Thanks.

 

[kcabpilot]

IMO the 4.6 with flanged liner mod and other upgrades is a good motor with the only downside being the fuel consumption. They are silky smooth and generally do not leak or burn oil. I have had good experiences with mine.

 

[MStudt]

The good news is the engine started on Saturday. The bad news is we pulled the top end off on Sunday.

From the start we had a major ignition issue. The engine started on 4 cylinders, and cylinders 8 6 4 3 we not firing. Cylinders 7 1 looked good while cylinders 2 5 seemed to be running rich. I immediately thought the issue was either miss run plug wires, bad plug wire, bad coil, or we weren't receiving a good signal from the ECU. We swapped coils, and wires hoping there was something wrong with the new ones. Even with using the old parts we still had the same issue.

On Sunday we decided to start testing the ignition. We pull the plugs, and noticed cylinder 8 was full of gas, cylinder 6 had less, cylinder 4 even less, and cylinder 2 looked good. We went ahead, and pulled all the plugs to have a look. We ended up cranking the engine without the plugs to clear the cylinders, and gas shot out of 4 cylinders. After seeing this we drained the oil only to find gas in there, and then we drained the coolant.

We pressure checked the block with 80lbs or air, and all 8 cylinders held. That's good news, and means we don't have to pull the heads. We tested the coils and wires, and they all checked out fine. The old tested the same as the new so that eliminates an issue with the coils or wires. We also tested to make sure they were getting spark, and that checked out too.

The only thing that I messed with was the fuel rail, and injectors. For whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea to rebuild the fuel injectors, and I'm pretty convinced that I may have damaged 1 if not more of the injectors during that process. In addition to that we didn't purge the dry fuel rail, and that may have been a contributor as well. When this Sunday comes around I'm going to install a good used fuel rail with good used injectors, and that "should" fix the issue. We're also going to purge the rail before firing up the engine. With any luck she'll fire up this Sunday.

 

[Victory_Overland]

The only thing that I messed with was the fuel rail, and injectors. For whatever reason I thought it would be a good idea to rebuild the fuel injectors, and I'm pretty convinced that I may have damaged 1 if not more of the injectors during that process. In addition to that we didn't purge the dry fuel rail, and that may have been a contributor as well. When this Sunday comes around I'm going to install a good used fuel rail with good used injectors, and that "should" fix the issue. We're also going to purge the rail before firing up the engine. With any luck she'll fire up this Sunday.

Good find, I was going to say you have an injector or two stuck open or the ECU is keeping them open. My buddy had this custom set up stand to test injectors after rebuild/or new and put them in a plastic bottle and cycle the fuel pump (turn the key on). If they leak or piss fuel without the engine running and the fuel rail pressurized then you know it's an injector problem and which ones.

The problem is you have to have enough slack in the harness and fuel line to get all the injectors in the rail and inside bottles. His was a custom harness on an F150 prerunner so it was easy peasy and he built a lot of motors so it made sense for him to have one. I'm sure you don't have that luxury on your rig at the moment.

It's a quick test and not full proof but gets you in the right cyclinder for troubleshooting with start sequence.

 

[kcabpilot]

I tested/cleaned all my injectors by manually pressurizing with a hypodermic plunger filled with carb cleaner. Apply 12 volts and observe the spray pattern. The problem with the Bosch engine is you can't even get to the injectors without pulling the plenum off so it's a major pita. I never purged the rail, shouldn't be necessary.

 

[MStudt]

or the ECU is keeping them open.

This is something else I was thinking about. I'm not sold on this idea since the ECU wasn't acting up before, but crazier things have happened. How would I be able to test for this?

 

[MStudt]

The root of the new engine problems have been solved. We have 3 injectors that are stuck open, and those are in the same locations as the flooded cylinders.

Luckily I picked up some good used injectors this week to swap in. Come tomorrow we should be able to fire the new engine up.

 

[MStudt]

After this weekend we now have a running Rover, and we brought her home. Things look good on the Rover for now. After a 70 mile drive home we don't have any leaks, and it runs strong. Now I have to get moving on everything else in order to leave in July.