top hat liners

Seight-V8 · Post by **Seight-V8** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 6:48 pm

hello all,

can anyone recommend v8 developments for doing top hat liners for the rover v8, been looking around and prices vary a lot.....

Just want someone to do a good job.

Looks like i'll be doing this over the winter months, so want to make a few decisions now.

cheers

scot

ged · Post by **ged** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 7:48 pm

I can.

ChrisJC · Post by **ChrisJC** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:05 pm

My understanding is that V8 developments use Chesman Motorsport for the actual work.
Chesman seal the liner into the block with instant gasket.
Turners (who I used), use o-rings, and are more expensive.

Chris.

mgbv8 · Post by **mgbv8** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:47 pm

I use Knight Engine Services for my top hat jobs.

dnb · Post by **dnb** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 11:12 pm

I had V8 Developments sort my TVR engine block out. I visit Lincolnshire quite a lot since my parents live there so they were very convenient. I have absolutely no complaints about any of the work (after a grand total of 34 miles on the new engine!!)

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:07 am

Do you actually have a slipped liner/cracked block? I would only do this work if the engine needs it or your engine is already in pieces and you have a grand burning a hole in your pocket!

What really helps the non-top hat 4.6 engine is running is quote cool and rich when it is under load, by rich I just mean not as lean as Rover ran them, you can run them as lean as you can get away with when under cruise conditions.

Seight-V8 · Post by **Seight-V8** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:37 am

No im not really sure yet, but I been having problems for a while....

Loss of coolant
liquid leaking from outer edge of head/block.....looks & feels like coolant/oil
problems maintaining lambda readings

Not stripped the engine yet, as i will do this over winter, but that's the only way im going to know.

Compression test of the engine is 215psi +/-5% on all cylinders, so head gasket is fine.

what else can this be.....

taken a photo of the leak, its mainly coming from the middle cylinders....on both banks....but looking underneath is leaking all along the edge of the block between the heads, and making a mess underneath the engine.

http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab31 ... C_0253.jpg

Cheers

Scott

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 8:02 am

Does all sound a bit odd!

It would be worth making up some plates that you can bolt over the coolant holes in the block, you can seal them with silly bodge sealant, you can fit a car tyre valve to one of them then slowly presurise the block. The pressure should maintain and a bit of soapy water sprayed around the top of the block will indicate whether you have an issue......Why didn't I just say to a pressure test!

Seight-V8 · Post by **Seight-V8** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 8:14 am

yes....been looking at a pressure test, i'll know more when i strip it down.

i know my block is from 1997, and has the numbers 3.0 wrote in the centre of the valley of the block, could this be the dimension of the thickness of the water jacket for my block?

This should mean i have the better block at 3mm, and not the thinnest at 2.2mm....which is why i never thought it would be a problem when i built the engine 4 years ago.....

cheers

scott

sidecar · Post by **sidecar** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 9:53 am

Seight-V8 wrote:yes....been looking at a pressure test, i'll know more when i strip it down.

i know my block is from 1997, and has the numbers 3.0 wrote in the centre of the valley of the block, could this be the dimension of the thickness of the water jacket for my block?

This should mean i have the better block at 3mm, and not the thinnest at 2.2mm....which is why i never thought it would be a problem when i built the engine 4 years ago.....

cheers

scott

Yep the 3.0 will be the block thickness, there was also a colour code system, red being the best blocks. Hopefully it will onlt be a minor issue when you strip the engine. I guess the piston crowns will also help you determine whether the is an issue. (steam cleaned)

Eliot · Post by **Eliot** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 10:04 am

is the coolant system pressurising - i.e. top hose rock-hard after a short drive ?

Seight-V8 · Post by **Seight-V8** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 6:39 pm

no I don't think so, top hose is about normal pressure.....when engine is running.

It could be a crack in the water jacket under the liners is my worry, compression test is fine.....where else can it be coming from???

I don't have anything to test the coolant though....

scott

tonio7# · Post by **tonio7#** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:18 pm

when my 4.6 bloc was dead, if i start when the engine was cold, 1 minutes it don't turn very good( the tilme the water out) after cool,

i have test my bloc with 1.2 bar pressure on

so , now i have my new bloc modified by tuner enginering

sorry for my poor english

Post by **Coops** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 5:07 pm

they did my tophat liners 4yrs ago and recommend them also