ricky's rover sterling

[thamestyres]

that would be the exhaust then, coming out of the lizard in june i think.. you can't see the gaps easily unless you mean the vents in the front of it.. regards ricky

[Nuts4my827]

That's interesting. Got any side on or closer up pics to compare??

[thamestyres]

will try and get some more in daylight.. regards ricky

[thamestyres]

as some of you may have heard the water pump has let go and has jumped some teeth on the cambelt.. the replacement engine is already being stripped and cleaned ready to be fitted, hopefully no more burning oil.. the replacement had what looked like grease in the sump so a major cleaning exercise on its own, new water pump ordered, all new gaskets and seals, will reuse the timing belt as that is quite new, the heads will be cleaned and new stem seals fitted just waiting for the workshop to be a little clearer to get my car in so we can take out the engine and continue the rebuild.. regards ricky

[SJG]

Good luck and keep us posted Ricky.

[thamestyres]

i have at last got the sterling in the workshop the engine is nearly out, i will then see what the damage really is... the replacement engine block has been fully stripped, cleaned, and reassembled ready for the heads and ancillaries to be fitted, the heads were reconned last time so will only get valves if they are bent even the seals will be reused... i have managed to source an aftermarket water pump, the rover 800 pump is different to a later 45/75 kv6, the 800 pump is extremely scarce and not readily available, however the kia sedona uses the the 800 kv6 engine so the pump for a kia is easily sourced.. so will have nearly all new gaskets and seals so hopefully it will be a very sweet engine at the end of it.. regards ricky

[thamestyres]

another update the engine locked due to hgf... it would appear there was water in a cylinder which was stopping the engine from rotating..... and due to the oil it was burning we have decided to strip the heads and rebuild them again with new stem seals and skimming, just to make sure they are sweet... one good thing though i don't have to buy any valves... regards ricky

[Nuts4my827]

Wow. Hydrauliced (sp) engine!

[thamestyres]

just got the heads back from the machine shop, they were apparently quite bad (distorted) so are now fresh and being assembled, am starting to get excited about having it on the road again... can't wait.. have been thinking about trying to set up the timing to give 190hp as per the zt.. now is the time but not sure if the ecu will deal with the cam/crank offset with each other... it works with the zt with 3 spec levels 160/175/190 all done from the cam timing, so might be worth a try... regards ricky

[neo]

sounds like you are having fun ricky, the mems on the 800 kv6 is clever it will probably learn the new engine changes then adjust accordingly are you going to use the later type gasket and not the stainless steel one

[thamestyres]

i always use the multi layer gasket, much less trouble.. it should be ready to start up tomorrow, so we'll find out if all the work is worth it.. then the hard work is really going to begin tiding up the body work hopefully in time for longbridge.. regards ricky

[thamestyres]

well the engine has been run up at lunch time, all the fluid levels checked and topped up, new radiator (jagos old 827 one) all ok.. right next step mot, booked for 5pm... it passed with no advisories , so drove home in it and taxed online... now all breifed up so tomorrow a little run to blow out the cobwebs and check for oil water leaks properly under pressure... but all in all ITS ALIVE i can now take the 45 off the rd (potentially) and repair the body work... regards ricky

[Richard Moss]

Well done, hopefully that's it sorted permanently now

[thamestyres]

i do hope so i have cut no corners this time, and i must admit it does sound very smooth and quiet

[SJG]

i do hope so i have cut no corners this time, and i must admit it does sound very smooth and quiet

Well done Ricky, that has taken a great deal of time and effort.