ROVER V8 NO HEAD GASKET!!??

[V8JOHN71]

I posted earlier about the suspected head gasket leak with coolant getting into two of the cylinders as the spark plugs in those two were washed clean as opposed to the other cylinders which are sooty.

So I have gone through the process today removing the right hand cylinder head (it’s a V8 Disco 1 3.5l) and I am totally amazed – there is no cylinder head gasket fitted!! I can’t understand why anybody would attempt to do this, there is definitely no gasket yet somehow it seems to run okay other than for losing a bit of water.

Anybody heard of such a thing and why would somebody do that??

I wasn’t going to remove the left hand cylinder head but I’m not sure I can see if there is a gasket there or not.

All a bit mad!

[scudderfish]

Bit of an extreme way to up the compression ratio.....

[GDCobra]

The RV8 engine doesn't have much in the way of galleries, particularly water, on the head/block interface so I guess it's possible to get away with it to some degree if both faces are flat. Doesn't mean it's a good idea to do it though, just as well you've spotted it.

[SuperV8]

Wow.
I would definitely be taking off both heads - if who ever built it 'forgot' the head gasket!! What else have they missed?
Exhaust gaskets are easy to get the wrong way round.