what is the going scrappys rate for a knackered k series engine?
would the head gasket problems associated with k series be eliminated by using a copper gasket such as those available from
ferriday engineering
cheers liam
I posted a full reply to this but the forum to be playing up --- short answer is no -- only use latest official Rover head and inlet gaskets.
Rover gasket only blows as a result of coolant loss caused by external water leaks
ahhhhh its falling into place now, i was under the impression water loss was an effect not a cause, i thought that the plastic locating dowel
weakened the gasket and allowed water to get in the coolant which warped the head when the water ran out.
don't you get a steel dowel with gasket set?
somebody said there was a seal on the water pump which was usually to blame
cheers bt
[Edited on 8/12/04 by liam.mccaffrey]
[Edited on 8/12/04 by liam.mccaffrey]
possibly not a 100% true, there is a very interesting dicussion going on at the moment about the K on other (elise)forums by KingofK. To summaries it,
one person has posted a view that if you rebuild the engine as per rover's EXACT instructions its a good un. The problems with head gaskets are
down to two things .... 1 plastic locating dowels which where used for a few years. All official rover head gasket sets now have steel replacement
dowels. The second point is the liners - they HAVE to stand proud by 4 to 6 thou. If you use the official rover head gasket, get the above right, use
new ROVER stretch bolts to the right torque and ..... you'll be fine. If you're going to rag the danglies off the engine use the new rover
or someone else thermostat that moves it to the outlet not inlet side. DO NOT USE STEEL CRANKS - the claim is they are really unbalanced and WAY out
of rovers spec for its cast cranks.
Keep reminding me and i'll put the documents i've got somewhere - very interesting read. A cut down version of the article is in practical
performance (or possibly evo) this month.
quote:
Rover gasket only blows as a result of coolant loss caused by external water leaks
ask BobC on this forum about the engine - I think it was he that ran a scrappy selling K series engines.
His view IIRC is that most engines over 70k are crap.
I work with a guy that had the head gasket go - its symptoms were losing about a pint of water a week. Had it fixed.
was ok until a year or so later, hes losing water once more, but barrs leaks stopped it.
Personally, I wouldnt buy any car with a K series in it - they drive nicely, but im not paying bills for an almost guaranteed engine failure.
atb
steve
[Edited on 8/12/04 by stephen_gusterson]
Come what may if rebuilt properly K series lumps NORMALLY do a head gasket EVERY 80k (approximately).
Reasons for failure:- pin, coolant, coolant loss, thermostat, overheating, loss of seal from head gasket. Pick one or any combination. Skim, head
bolts, water pump, thermostat replacement, radiator flush/replacement all done then should be good for 80K. 
Enjoy.
Another contributing factor were the head bolts on the earlier engines that were outside tolerance and could bottom out before full clamping force was reached in a couple of locations.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Another contributing factor were the head bolts on the earlier engines that were outside tolerance and could bottom out before full clamping force was reached in a couple of locations.
my several - times - mentioned - in - the past mazda 323f was rougth from new.
The engine was so faltering, I nearly took it back after a few miles from new. It sorted itself after 20 or so miles. The dealer told me on more than
one occasion that the engine doesnt really make full power until its done 6,000 plus. This isnt a K series engine of course, but its illustrative that
its not just a rover problem 
atb
steve
[Edited on 9/12/04 by stephen_gusterson]
I think lots of cars run rough for the first 20 miles or so due to the ecu having to learn the best way to work. Apparently it can happen if the battery has been disconnected for about half an hour or more.
Said it before, so I'll say it again.
We had a Rover 200 BRM, and the h/g started to leak (there was a telltale stain on block). It went back for it's first service (at about 1000
miles) and the h/g done under warranty.
We sold car about 2.5 years ago with 17,000 on clock and it was a great car, that never let us down.
Roll on Jan/Feb and the French shite residing on driveway is to be replaced with MG ZS180 (for her), then in about Mar/Apr a ZT260 (for me) will be
appearing there too.
As for engine failures, have you heard B*W are recalling all M3 or 5 cos of main bearing failure and Porsche who aren't doing anything about 996
engine breakages (repair bills of £15,000) due I believe to faulty cylinder liners. Oh yeah, failure tend to occur at 15 - 16k miles. Quality!
ATB
Simon
Hi the person with the Rover scrappers was me three years ago,Bob is a friend and may have mentioned about my experiances.
I love M and T series but I dont have much faith in the K series.
Any of the Hondas are excellent as well.
Dean C.......