Early Winter Diy

[Martin R]

Continuation of forth post.

A few pics of the refurbished and now KO 6a head. With a bit of luck it should put out about 175 bhp.

 

The underneath

 

 

A closer view.

Note how the waterways around the chamber have been tidied up. The OE castings are left really rough and restrict the water flow.

 

 

The inlet port

 

 

With the KO 6a package you also get a couple of offset cam dowels which change the cam timing very slightly and puts it bang on. They advance the inlet and exhaust cam timing a smidgen. The origonal dowel as seen in this pic.

 

 

Im not sure how good this pic is going to tun out. You need 2 offset dowels obviously. One for the inlet and one for the exhaust cam. Heres a pic of them. One is on its end and one is laid flat. Hopefully you can see the slight offset. This goes to the left as you look at the cam ends. This slightly advances the cams with relation to the cam sprocket.

 

 

Not a bad pic as it happens. this dowel replaces the split pin in the pic before. You have to be carefull the end does not protrude past the outside face of the sprocket. If it does it will stop the sprocket retaining bolt tightening fully. This would prove real bad news. I will check it when i put the sprockets back on. You cannot put these on till the head is back on and the cambelt top rear cover is also on.

 

You can also do the same with vernier cam pulleys. These are outside my price range at the moment though and will only do the same job.

 

Now a pic of the rebuilt head. Ive put the inlet manifold back on and also the coolant outlet elbow. Ive also put a new cam belt tensioner on. I cant see the point of using the old one for what they cost.

This is our kitchen table by the way. Its too bloody cold in the garage.

The bits ive put back on should also make it easier to drop it back on accuratly as you have something to hold onto.

 

 

A pic of the new Payen head gasket before i start to slam it all back together. This is the one DVA recommended for me so thats good enough.

 

[steve-n]

hummm........nice shiney

[paulb]

With a bit of luck it should put out about 175 bhp.

 

Martin is the 175 BHP still retaining the VVC or are you removing it.

[Matt C]

Martin is the 175 BHP still retaining the VVC or are you removing it.

 

Martin is keeping it but fine tuning the cam timing to where it always should have been.

Retaining intake manifold and the VVC...I think it has got to be the perfect setup for the performance gain. Starts getting expensive from there on...

[paulb]

Thanks Matt, not that I am thinking of doing mine yet, but if the dreaded HGF should happen this sounds like a good upgrade to do at the same time.

 

Great thread Martin.

[Matt C]

Thanks Matt, not that I am thinking of doing mine yet, but if the dreaded HGF should happen this sounds like a good upgrade to do at the same time.

 

Great thread Martin.

 

Sounds like a good plan. It will save a lot of cash doing them together....

[Ladders]

Martin, you'll be well pleased first time you try it! When I got mine back from Kiwi Rog I was really pleased with how well it went.

 

Remember when we swapped cars breifly in wales?, well yours felt a bit asmatic compared to mine with the head done, didn't like to hurt your feelings back then though!

 

How do you remember how to put it all back? I took photo's of stuff as I took it off but not sure I could have put it back very easily!

 

Nice idea with the pulley, not really the sort of thing you could do without a lathe though I supose or was it a milling machine?

[Martin R]

Dave, DVA supplies the offset dowels. They must be as you say a sod to make. You would need some kind off offset block in a lathe i imagine.

[Martin R]

Continuation of fifth post.

 

Firstly a big thanks to Matt C for the help today and technical support. Much needed and gratefully received.

Matt immediately spotted the block had plastic dowels in to locate the head. I must admit this surprised me for a November 99 car. These were replaced with some steel ones.

First pic, blame Matt for this

 

 

Some silly old sod with a torque wrench tightening head bolts.

Next pic is the head back on.

 

 

We then put the cam cover back plate on and the 2 cam sprockets with the offset dowels.

This was followed by the cambelt and crankshaft pulley. Dont forget to put the bottom cambelt cover on before you put the crankshaft pulley back on. You will have to do the job twice otherwise It was all tightened up. The engine was rotated a couple of times and all seems well as in this pic.

The VVC / VHPD has the manual cambelt tesioner. The kit comes with a spring to tension the cambelt, throw it away. To get the correct tension you use the old method of 90 degrees cambelt twist at the middle of the longest point ( when cold ) On a K series this is between the crankshaft pulley and the exhaust cam sprocket.

 

 

Now its just a case of putting all the rest back on.

A quick tip, the fuel feed and return pipes are a bayonet type fixing. I put a cable tie around both to prevent them from being accidentally undone or popping off hopefully.

 

 

Nearly there, the oil is in and im just about to bleed the coolant.

 

 

Ive bleed the coolant using a Halfords Ezzi bleed. You pressurize the system and then bleed at the front bleed screw. this is under the N / S wheel arch line. Its a brass thumb screw.

just after the rad outlet. As in this pic.

 

 

You then also bleed at the engine rail coolant pipe as in the screw in this pic.

 

 

That is as much as you can do without running the engine.

I then put the exhaust back on and reconnected the battery with the fuel pump fuse removed and no spark plugs in.

I also put the Hurricane air filter back on to stop crap being sucked into the engine.

The engine was then turned over a few times till the oil pressure light went out.

Spark plugs in, fuel pump fuse in. Fingers firmally crossed and

 

 

It coughed once as the fuel got through and burst into life

It then took me a couple of attempts to removed the mother of all air locks in the rad.

You can tell if you have a air lock if the rad return pipe is cold and the engine is up to temp ( approx 84 degrees on mine )

The return pipe is on the passenger side. You can access it either at the bleed screw ( as in pic ) or were it leaves the sill at the rear.

This is probably due to the system being completely emptied.

To remove the air lock, i bled the system a couple of times with the engine running.

All appears at the moment to be fine. It rattled a bit as the hydraulic tappets took up the oil but all seems well now.

Im next going to fit a PRT.

[fentuz]

Martin, will you fit a PRRT as you've got the engine in bits????

[Martin R]

Bill, hopefully im going to run it up and see if everything is OK. If it is i intend to fit a PRT as well. It should be reasonably easy with the clam off

Progress report later.

[fentuz]

PRT (Elisepart type) or PRRT (Landy type) ?

[Martin R]

PRT (Elisepart type) or PRRT (Landy type) ?

 

 

Bill the landrover one is the one to go for or the ready made PTP kit. The PTP kit is ready cut and with the correct thermostat. I think im correct in saying the Land Rover kit comes with the 88 degree stat ( cream ) and you have to buy the 82 degree stat ( grey ) seperatly. You also have to cut the pipes but it is a fair bit cheaper.

[fentuz]

yep, I saw, the PTP (landy type). I read it is the one to go but I already got the elisepart (similar to QED).

[Daniel]

Martin, dunno if it helps, but there is a MGF PRRT kit for sale on Selcock