Valve Seals

[brushogger]

I'm in the middle of doing the head gaskets on my '04 disco. It has 45,000 miles on it. It's been running great, but I had a lifter ticking badly after it warmed up, and both head gaskets were starting to weep coolant and oil. Everything looks good. The gasket set I ordered didn't come with valve seals, but I noticed some do. Should I go ahead and renew them while it is down now, or wait until the next HG job. I have no idea how long the factory seals usually go. Also, I saw no unusual wear on the lifters, rocker arms, push rods, rocker shaft, or cam. I wasn't able to narrow down which lifter was ticking before I tore it down. Any advice on to figuring out which one is bad, or should I just replace all of them. Thiis is my first Rover tear down, and I figured I'd just come to the experts for advice. Thanks in advance.

 

[brushogger]

BTW, It was definitely a lifter and not an exhaust leak. I had read some other posts, and relaced all the exhaust gaskets. That did clear up some noise, but the lifter still ticked after it warmed up to operating temp. Do you guys have any other PM recommendations for me while I have it torn down? Thanks for any advice.

 

[David Harris]

If it were me, I'd put in a new set of lifters and a cam too, along with a new timing set. The camshafts are known to wear quickly on these motors, and the timing chain is well worn by now too. It's just a hell of a lot easier to do it now while everything's apart.

 

[SeaRubi]

If it were me, I'd put in a new set of lifters and a cam too, along with a new timing set. The camshafts are known to wear quickly on these motors, and the timing chain is well worn by now too. It's just a hell of a lot easier to do it now while everything's apart.

+1. And if you can swing it, a valve job on those heads is a spectacular idea. Any competent machine shop can do the heads for you - nothing to 'em. My last quote was about $300 for the pair.

 

[brushogger]

+1. And if you can swing it, a valve job on those heads is a spectacular idea. Any competent machine shop can do the heads for you - nothing to 'em. My last quote was about $300 for the pair.

If it were me, I'd put in a new set of lifters and a cam too, along with a new timing set. The camshafts are known to wear quickly on these motors, and the timing chain is well worn by now too. It's just a hell of a lot easier to do it now while everything's apart.

The thing is I'm on a pretty tight budget. The compression was 151 psi+/-2 psi on all 8 cylinders so the valves are good and there is no slack in the chain when I turn the crank back and forth. I'd love to do all the above while it's this far down, but unless it's necessary right now, I'd like to wait. i've never had to do a valve job on a motor at less than 150k mi on a motor that has been maintained correctly. The inside of the motor is spotless. No sludge or varnish at all. I've turned the cam 360 degrees and the lobes all look great. Right now I think I'd better stick with the head gaskets, lifters, and do what ever pm needs to be done at the 45k mark. I just wish I had a way of nailing down the bad lifter.

 

[David Harris]

The valve seals are pretty cheap all things considered. Why not go ahead and replace them? Are you having the heads machined true again? At least check them for trueness before reinstalling. This could dramatically effect head gasket life.

 

[Dave Legacy]

I'd have the heads machined while they're off just to ensure you won't have to do the gaskets again anytime soon. I had a lifter noise that eliminated with Marvel Mystery Oil. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but it worked.

 

[SeaRubi]

With the D2's, that 45k mileage doesn't mean much. I'm no expert on engine building, but if I were you, I'd hold out for a new cam to use with new lifters. There is a possibility that you've got a partially wiped cam lobe that isn't obvious sitting down in the motor. The other possibility is that a rocker arm wasn't fully torqued down to spec. A tick could be many things. I'd also grab a magnifying glass (i'm half blind) and inspect the rocker shaft very closely for fractures.

You should also be aware that the head bolts are a one-time use "stretch" bolt. The proper term is TTY, for torque to yield. They are designed to stretch as they're being torqued down. The new bolts are $100 from D&D Fab

http://www.aluminumv8.com/engine/engcomp.htm

If I were you and couldn't afford to do both the cam and the lifters at the same time, I'd get a new set of head bolts and, assuming you've kept track of the order, re-install the old lifters and button it all back up, making sure the valvetrain feels tight and is all torqued down to spec. if it's still ticking, you could try a lighter weight engine oil to see if it primes up, or you might attempt to run a quart of ATF through an oil change to see if you can clear out the dirt in the lifter. you could still be chasing a wiped cam lobe. At that point maybe you've saved up enough for new parts and can baby it along until you've got time to tear it back down and do the cam.

Your sure bet is to go new cam, new lifters, and new bolts, and to take the heads down and make sure they're straight as the others have suggested above.

my .02