My Rover 75 is awaiting its starter being fitted, a garage mechanic recons it’s not a difficult job once you have the car up in the air, I’ll reattach the under tray while I’m at it. Still plenty of the bubble 200 series and 25’s on the road, people mock Rover but the cars were decent in terms of rust protection, hence so many left.
Wow, I am amazed as an Aussie on just how much corrosion brits have to deal with. It seems every single bolt, nut and screw becomes permanently welded. As you look around your various cars it seems every bit of bare metal is corroded. Cars sitting around in a field here for thirty years have less corrosion. I feel for you.
Best part is this is good for a car of its age here. I've worked on newer cars that are much worse. My biggest gripe is when the head of a bolt gets so rusted it looses like 1-2mm of size when you turn it (and becomes round) happens way too often...
Firstly, I highly rate your videos and your indomitable character. Secondly, most people can just about handle, keeping on the road, one old "banger" car, you, my friend have an appetite for self punishment by trying keep all those heaps from total decline. Ten out ten. Peace be unto you.
Something tells me before you start the engine, you will need to check round the car for any other jobs one of the past owners had left unfinished. Well done so far, your patience is unrivalled!
Lock the flywheel with a bar or large screwdriver to undo the crank pulley mate with the breaker bar (might have to remove starter if ring gear not accessible) I'd of left the cambelt until last and completely stripped off everything around the head first, once the head is off don't rotate the engine because it'll dislodge the liners and these will need to be checked for protrusion as well 👍🏻
I've done a head gasket recently on a K series, got some learnings/tips for anyone having a go at home. It thought it would take about 2 days to do but took 3 weeks due to a snapped bolt :) For checking if you're at 90 BTDC, carefully place your new head bolts down the spark plug bores and rest them on the pistons, once you're at 90 BTDC, the 4 bolts will be level as the pistons are all half way up the bores (saves trying to use one tool in each cylinder!). The bottom crank timing mark is visible, but it's hard to see from above. I spent 5 minutes trying to find an angle to get visibility on it. A good light from above helps! If you're only swapping the head gasket, not the timing belt, you don't need to undo the engine mounts, you can just slide the belt on/off. For the exhaust, you can probably get away with just pulling the manifold bolts off, then pull away from the head. You can leave the cat/down pipe. Optional, but i'd recommend replacing the bolt holding the timing belt tensioner. They're torqued up a lot and weaken over time and can snap (mine did - luckily left about 2mm of thread remaining which i could wrestle out with a spanner - very much an oh s*** moment). Always leave some paper/cloth in the spark plug wells if there's no plugs in, it's VERY easy to drop the cam cover bolts down there :P If you remove the tappets, store them upside down or in oil so they don't leak down. I didn't do this and it struggled to start once it was all back together. It cranked but wouldn't fire, after a fair bit of cranking to build oil pressure, then leaving it a few hours, it started up fine. Not sure why leaving it for a few hours made a difference, but it did, and there are similar reports i've read on MGR forums :shrug: Good luck! It's a fun engine to work on!
And so the project begins! Exciting times! You've certainly convinced me to invest in a heat induction tool, I've had a right headache with stuck bolts on my MG F recently!
Nice one Mat. I agree with you the K series lump is superb but more often than not failures occur to poor maintenance. I had a 75 1.8 2006 in a lovely green colour. One weakness is the O ring on the radiator cap, I replaced mine with Viton O rings and kept a spare cap in the boot. They were designed to take less coolant, a silly little leak and BANG, head gasket gone.
The mark on the crank is hidden behind the crank pulley. The power steering belt automatic tensioner is moved with a 13mm spanner and locked into place with a 4mm drill bit at the loosest position. Also make sure the car is in gear when you use the brake pedal to lock the engine or borrow a decent impact.
You do it, so us cowards know we’d take it to someone who knows!😂 I love watching you do stuff I’d never attempt as I’m a disaster area mechanically 😬 Great video as always, thanks.
More great stuff! The Retro vibe on the bubble Rovers is gradually gaining pace.Must be over 10 years since I had one these apart ..time flies ,thanks for posting and the signed shirt is still holding…
Eventually I could play it fully. Great start of your job on the Vi. Can't wait to see part 2. Although I like the R8 in general more, this little sleeper also has something to it. 👍👍
Remove if possible the extension bar when trying to get the crank bolt loose, it lessen the peak power of the hit from the impact wrench. Crank bolts often need a REALLY powerful impact wrench to break loose or a LONG breaker bar. The one on my daily driver are torqued with like 3 times the force of a wheel bolt and most people know how much force you often need to loosen those.
My sister had a V reg BRMLE version in around 2001/02. Red interior, BRG paint, orange grill. Around 6 months later HG went in a big cloud of steam. Couldn't afford cost of mechanic so her partner dismantled, got head skimmed and refitted. A few weeks later blew again. My Sister was having work done so gave her a lift in my Volvo 740 and on return home noticed She wasn't behind me! Turned round and found her. Bonnet up, steam pouring out and both out the car! Transported to rover specialist and bottom of engine caput and HG gone. Parked it up around corner of ours and a week later stolen! Unfortunately insurance refused as not at home address. My Sisters best car has been a Carina E.
Them crank pulleys are a sod to get off. Did 1.8 75 and had to hire a mains impact gun as the battery ones I had just wouldn't budge it. Hope the liners ain't dropped, and don't try and rotate the crank when the heads off as you could mess up the seals on the bottom of the liners. Good luck and hope she's back on the road very soon .
I used to mess about with cars like this myself in my younger days, now I've a bit more money I pay someone else. That and watch poor old souls going through it. Good luck and merry Christmas everyone! 🎄
The cam cover gasket is something to watch out for. Make sure the new one or existing has a rubberised surface in good condition, if not it will leak. Most importantly the bolts are not to be done up tight they are a very low torque which is why they were easy to undo. Use a low torque wrench.
The crank bolts are often thread locked with loctite. I have often found people use loads of loctite. I suggest you get a long bar and a big hammer and hit the top of the bolt to shock it, this breaks the loctite, it also help with rust. Then rattle gun on full power and oiled first. If the does not work its a big beaker bar but locking the crank can be tricky.
Matt, you've prompted me to read up on blown head gaskets, head skimming, and repairs, something I never took an interest in before despite having one go when I was younger, which cost me a bomb. I really like your videos.
Hi mate. These bolts are a bugger unless you have a big air gun. My way is put a long spanner on it, jam against the body somewhere and a quick turn of the starter will slacken it. Done it many times in my garage here in Vic Australia..
Matt the problem with the crank bolt is common one, unfortunately this is why many farm the job out to a garage or professional with powerful battery or air impact guns. I've recently completed a timing belt change on my focus MK1. This is a much harder job on Ford engines due to there being no keyway on the pulleys and therefore require a correct amount torque to fasten and therefore lots of torque to loosen the bolt. I had to borrow a mates Milwaukee M18 Impact Gun (its a monster and produces probably 3/4 times the amount of torque that most DIY guns do) - it was one of few battery guns capable of breaking the crank bolt off without turning the engine. So either find a friend to borrow you a more powerful impact gun or the other possible method involves removing the starter motor and buying the correct flywheel locking tool to crack the bolt off that way. Also bear in mind the last time it was done its possible locktite was applied and believe me that makes a lot of difference, you need to heat that crank bolt up beforehand to soften the locktite and then use whatever method you choose to remove. If this isn't done when using an impact gun it has been known for the bolt to come out slow and then snap leaving half in the crankshaft and hours of drilling to be done! I hope this is useful!
The crank bolt is usually stupid tight and maybe has threadlock too . There's a crank pulley holder tool also ( from vague memory ) .. the torque to undo the bolt is massive... "i think we're gonna need a bigger boat ! " ... I'm sure others here have done this more recently than me and will have less vague recollection. Peace and love brother 👍🏻☮♥️ edit ... also you're not at TDC it doesn't really matter if you keep everything locked but it's much simpler and less chance of cock ups at tdc no1 comp stroke .. apologies if this is all obvious ...I'll get my coat ! 👍🏻🤗
Lot's of respect Matt, outside in the cold, underneath a car battling exhaust bolts and manifold bolts. Amazing bit of kit that heat exchanger. Looking forward to the next video!
Matt, have you ever thought of doing stand up on stage ? I've been in tears listening to your " ugga duggas" and" thingy majigs" keep up the good work 👍👍
You have the patience of a saint! I think that head will need skimmed, the previous owner already found that out. It's such a rare car it will be well worth the effort.
Looks like you need an impact swivel Matt. Very very helpful indeed on things like that exhaust. Nice that you found a car you could use the magnetic spark plug socket on, they really are life savers and also consistent as opposed to the rubber donger ones.
Helped do two zr head gaskets and uprated oil rail.the flywheel is a bugger. There is an inspection plate on the gearbox bell housing opposite side from the starter.should be 3 8mill bolts. Then I used a flat bit of metal about 1" wide and 12" long and bent it into a 3 sides cube or a square C [ . Put the tool open side into the teeth of the flywheel one above the starter and one below, bend the top and bottom of the c till it fits between two of the teeth. Then as you turn the crank bolt the flywheel will jam on the metal c and the tool will jam on the bell housing and starter way better than being in gear.should come off with the breaker and your trusty scaffold pipe. There's a mention of this in the Haynes manual, I didn't quite get how their fabricated tool worked though. Good luck.
Matt, I normally use the starter to break the crank bolt loose. Use a breaker bar on the bolt but aim it close to a solid mount (about 100mm away) & flick the starter very briefly. Works every time. Except on a Honda - where reverse rotation...
Good work Matt ! It's really not a bad job to do. I've done few K series hedgaskets when I had a summer job in a Rover shop. Also I can't remember ever taking off the crank pulley for this job
Crankshaft pulley bolts can be pigs on any car, last time I removed one it took a 10ft scaffold pole as well as in gear brakes on and the flywheel jammed by the starter ring. Ended up with a broken tooth on the starter ring and a broken 38mm socket, they're not cheap. It was not done up too tight when replaced, it was keyed so would not slip and the nut would tighten over time. The timing chain cover also had catalytic corrosion on the studs. A simple timing chain and sprockets and tensioner change turned into a week long nightmare, the wife was not an happy bunny, her car. Nor was I, she was racking up the miles in mine.
Great stuff! You need a selection of different length ratchet handles for when a standard one doesn't quite give you enough leverage, worth their weight in gold
Well done Matt, Your videos are always very entertaining and really great to watch, Hope you manage to get that crank bolt undone (could it be a left hand thread ? I wonder..) and that you get that great K series Rover up and running for the new year 2022. Have a great Christmas and I wish you all the very best for a great and happy new year for you and all your family (and cars !!!). 👍👍👍
I took a test drive in a Bubble just after they were launched. I had a friend who was the sales manager at the local Rover and Land Rover dealer. It was a superb car to drive.
Good to see another R3 “Bubble” 200 being saved, a lot of these cars were sent to the crusher because the head gasket had blown! Which is a massive shame! You said the head had been skimmed before which suggests this is not the 1st time it’s gone? Would that mean it probably wasn’t done correctly in the first place!? Pure water coming out the rad also probably means that it was using so much coolant prior to the head gasket fail the owners resorted to using just plain tap water to top up the expansion tank, I can understand that as coolant can get expensive if your buying lots of it. Looking forwards to the next update matt.👍
Love watching your videos hope they're as good in 2022 I've enjoyed watching the Mercedes being welded up you made a good job off it, keep the Fast and Furious going, sorry forgot your name I've just turned 60 anyway have a merry Christmas and a happy new year🌲🌲🌲🎅🎅🎅
Well, I must say, you need to start somewhere! Hopefully everything will come undone. Mr. Coleman should sort out the headgasket and hopefully the head does not need to be skimmed. Hopefully parts are bagged and properly labelled for reinstallation. And I applaud your effort into this project.
I keep a spare side window glass from an original Fiat Panda in my garage. It's perfectly flat and I've used it a few times to check whether an alloy cylinder head needing skimming. If it sits perfectly still there's a good chance it's not warped and it's never failed me.
Love these kinds of videos. Can't wait for the next one. Maybe the crank bolt is counter thread? Also, impact sockets will transfer more torque then the regular ones, so I would first try with that. Oh, and maybe they used the red threadlock on the bolt, so it would need to be heated to 60 oC before trying to undo it.
Crank Pullys. You need the big boy Dewalt impact gun that does 400NM. I got one a few months back from Screwfix. Think it was £150 on its own with no battery. It removes anything in a breeze..
If i remember correctly the head bolts were too long for the k series engine and never torqued the head down properly hence the head gaskets being a common point of failure on the k series engine. i believe there's shortened head bolts available which addresses this
Ref crank pulley bolt, before I had my DeWalt 1/2 impact gun, I would jack the drivers side up and (passenger wheel on ground still) put it in fifth gear with assistant on the brake pedal, large breaker bar should crack the crank pulley bolt
Silly question, the crank bolt isn't a reverse thread is it? I remember spending a lot of time energy and knuckle skin trying to remove a bolt once only to discover I was trying to tighten it. Turning the opposite way helped a lot! Also, left you a message a while back about supplying you with a panel for under the stereo in your alfa, did you sort something out?
You probably need to lock the starter ring with tool 18G1742. Another TH-camr made one by cutting a bit of square tube and welding it to some flat strip. Also, note there are two lines on the cam pulleys. The one marked "IN" on the inlet and the one marked "EXHAUST" on the exhaust should point to the middle.
Matt, Sir, you could could give The Bray Bomber , Katie Taylor a run for her money with regards to Battling through adversity. Furious Junior is a Superstar by the way. Hope that head skims ok.
Gutted, really wanted you to at least get the head removed. Stay positive! Looking forward to part 2. Is the VVC head gasket very similar process to do on the normal k series engines??
Someone said in the comments about turning the timing another 180° for TDC. I think when we did it 2nd time we had them all level , same way yours is set. Can't remember for sure though. When we locked the timing on the first Zr the way it was set one of the cam lobes prevented the head bolt from being removed, made it a nightmare. Might want to check that before you remove the timing belt. If one of the lobes is overhanging then turning it 180° should leave all the bolts clear.
It’s supposed to be set 90° before TDC i.e. all pistons halfway down the bores, so you’ve then got room to turn the cams to clear all the bolts with no danger of piston/valve contact.
@@emmajacobs5575 Yeah sounds right, the first zr we did I think we set TDC, but the cam lobes prevented one of the bolts from being removed.the second attempt we had to turn the cams 180° so the outer markings for inlet and exhaust lined up on the inside. All bolts could be completely removed and I'm sure all piston sat half way down.
@@furiousdriving Good stuff, I managed to get one of the heads off without even removing the pulley. The backing cover for the timing belt case was one piece on the other engine. This meant the timing belt cover bolts on the lower engine block had to be removed to be able to lift off the cylinder head. Only way to get access was to get the pulley and timing belt out the way. If you look at the back of the timing belt cover where the head and block meet. If there is a line indicating it's two parts the head will lift away no problems. If it's one part it's a pain, fingers crossed. Look forward to seeing you finish it off , looking great so far.
Appreciate the blooming effort you put into the video let alone the mechanical ordeal,but life is just not fair where Hubnut can just cop out of a job, dump it with a mechanic and still get more viewings. Oh well that's showbiz.
People like Hubnut's overall personality and car knowledge. But his mechincal work are usual "how it's not are done" showcases. Hubnut clearly have very little patience, are unorganized and are always looking for shortcuts when trying to fix stuff.
@@westmus Yes two different brands on the stage which have their audience.I just wanted to note the effort FD puts into his videos, like lighting normally difficult black and silvery things so his vids can be indeed used as a guide by anyone attempting the same.Obviously the popularity of the Hubnut channel has enabled him to keep buying piles of old junk which in turn we all lap up LOL
You're doing it back to front. Take the cam tool out. Slacken crank pulley bolt, remove pulley, reinsert bolt and time the engine. Then lock the cams again. Locking the cams and then pounding on the crank like that is a risk.
The head bolts go through the bottom bearing caps (the bolts are proper long!!) so the piston need to be level otherwise they bearing would fall off. Or something like that anyway, been a long while since I've done one.
On the K-Series the crank bolt is notoriously tight as it is torqued to over 200nM +, I needed a mains gun rated at 450nM to get the pully bolt off on my TF. Word of warning you are better to take the cam lock out before removing the crank bolt as it can slip the cam timing out on the inlet side, ask me how I know.
I saw you had a hammer right where you were working on the exhaust bolts but you didn't give the thing a few good whacks with it to help stuff free off ? DIY impact session would surely have helped ? Also I couldn't see the link to the Draper hose clamp pliers in the tools list ?
You’re 180 out on the timing, that’s why the pistons are level and you can’t see the timing mark on the crank - there’s also a flywheel pin you need to put in to lock the crank
I was just searching for the comments for someone who was thinking the same as me and you are. I'm not an expert but if he marked the crank pulley with some tippex it should be ok but really needed to give the crank another turn.
Hats off to you with all that effort. I certainly can relate to that after fixing cars on the driveway and the struggle with seized nuts and bolts. I'm just curious about one thing; is that an Elastomer head gasket and not the MLS type?
Hats off to you Matt, doing this all on your driveway. Very well shot, you show all details. Looking forward to the next episode!
It's a Rover just watched nitro silvia , and now yours 🤓👍 late night tinkering tonight and Mr H buying toyotas 3 of you 🤓
Good to see little furious isn't too shy to appear on the channel. You're training the next generation and you don't know it yet.
My Rover 75 is awaiting its starter being fitted, a garage mechanic recons it’s not a difficult job once you have the car up in the air, I’ll reattach the under tray while I’m at it. Still plenty of the bubble 200 series and 25’s on the road, people mock Rover but the cars were decent in terms of rust protection, hence so many left.
Wow, I am amazed as an Aussie on just how much corrosion brits have to deal with. It seems every single bolt, nut and screw becomes permanently welded. As you look around your various cars it seems every bit of bare metal is corroded. Cars sitting around in a field here for thirty years have less corrosion.
I feel for you.
Horrendous rust
The damp "rusts" people too. My son visited Australia, with his work, and said how the climate is lovely. Enjoy, and peace be unto you.
I watch Mighty Car Mods and cant believe how easy they have it!
Best part is this is good for a car of its age here. I've worked on newer cars that are much worse. My biggest gripe is when the head of a bolt gets so rusted it looses like 1-2mm of size when you turn it (and becomes round) happens way too often...
@@VeyronBD Been there since 1970S. My list of cars reads like a auto museum.
Lovely Jubbly, you deserve a medal taking this on as have a go mechanic, good luck with the rest of it Matt.
Firstly, I highly rate your videos and your indomitable character. Secondly, most people can just about handle, keeping on the road, one old "banger" car, you, my friend have an appetite for self punishment by trying keep all those heaps from total decline. Ten out ten. Peace be unto you.
Something tells me before you start the engine, you will need to check round the car for any other jobs one of the past owners had left unfinished. Well done so far, your patience is unrivalled!
Lock the flywheel with a bar or large screwdriver to undo the crank pulley mate with the breaker bar (might have to remove starter if ring gear not accessible) I'd of left the cambelt until last and completely stripped off everything around the head first, once the head is off don't rotate the engine because it'll dislodge the liners and these will need to be checked for protrusion as well 👍🏻
I've done a head gasket on one of these and didn't have to remove the exhaust. Managed to just unbolt the manifold and push it out the way.
After watching Ian and his latest purchase, it's nice to see someone normal on TH-cam, good evening Matt
Im not sure who you mean!
I've done a head gasket recently on a K series, got some learnings/tips for anyone having a go at home. It thought it would take about 2 days to do but took 3 weeks due to a snapped bolt :)
For checking if you're at 90 BTDC, carefully place your new head bolts down the spark plug bores and rest them on the pistons, once you're at 90 BTDC, the 4 bolts will be level as the pistons are all half way up the bores (saves trying to use one tool in each cylinder!). The bottom crank timing mark is visible, but it's hard to see from above. I spent 5 minutes trying to find an angle to get visibility on it. A good light from above helps!
If you're only swapping the head gasket, not the timing belt, you don't need to undo the engine mounts, you can just slide the belt on/off.
For the exhaust, you can probably get away with just pulling the manifold bolts off, then pull away from the head. You can leave the cat/down pipe.
Optional, but i'd recommend replacing the bolt holding the timing belt tensioner. They're torqued up a lot and weaken over time and can snap (mine did - luckily left about 2mm of thread remaining which i could wrestle out with a spanner - very much an oh s*** moment).
Always leave some paper/cloth in the spark plug wells if there's no plugs in, it's VERY easy to drop the cam cover bolts down there :P
If you remove the tappets, store them upside down or in oil so they don't leak down. I didn't do this and it struggled to start once it was all back together. It cranked but wouldn't fire, after a fair bit of cranking to build oil pressure, then leaving it a few hours, it started up fine. Not sure why leaving it for a few hours made a difference, but it did, and there are similar reports i've read on MGR forums :shrug:
Good luck! It's a fun engine to work on!
And so the project begins! Exciting times!
You've certainly convinced me to invest in a heat induction tool, I've had a right headache with stuck bolts on my MG F recently!
Loved the voice over at the end 😍. Furious jr is a star in the making/driving!
He loved doing that!
Nice one Mat. I agree with you the K series lump is superb but more often than not failures occur to poor maintenance. I had a 75 1.8 2006 in a lovely green colour. One weakness is the O ring on the radiator cap, I replaced mine with Viton O rings and kept a spare cap in the boot.
They were designed to take less coolant, a silly little leak and BANG, head gasket gone.
The mark on the crank is hidden behind the crank pulley. The power steering belt automatic tensioner is moved with a 13mm spanner and locked into place with a 4mm drill bit at the loosest position. Also make sure the car is in gear when you use the brake pedal to lock the engine or borrow a decent impact.
Matt you now have the ultimate tow vehicle to pull the Rover out to work on it. The tree stump pulling Crown Vic!🌳
You do it, so us cowards know we’d take it to someone who knows!😂
I love watching you do stuff I’d never attempt as I’m a disaster area mechanically 😬
Great video as always, thanks.
More great stuff! The Retro vibe on the bubble Rovers is gradually gaining pace.Must be over 10 years since I had one these apart ..time flies ,thanks for posting and the signed shirt is still holding…
Eventually I could play it fully. Great start of your job on the Vi. Can't wait to see part 2. Although I like the R8 in general more, this little sleeper also has something to it. 👍👍
Remove if possible the extension bar when trying to get the crank bolt loose, it lessen the peak power of the hit from the impact wrench. Crank bolts often need a REALLY powerful impact wrench to break loose or a LONG breaker bar. The one on my daily driver are torqued with like 3 times the force of a wheel bolt and most people know how much force you often need to loosen those.
My sister had a V reg BRMLE version in around 2001/02. Red interior, BRG paint, orange grill. Around 6 months later HG went in a big cloud of steam. Couldn't afford cost of mechanic so her partner dismantled, got head skimmed and refitted. A few weeks later blew again. My Sister was having work done so gave her a lift in my Volvo 740 and on return home noticed She wasn't behind me! Turned round and found her. Bonnet up, steam pouring out and both out the car! Transported to rover specialist and bottom of engine caput and HG gone.
Parked it up around corner of ours and a week later stolen! Unfortunately insurance refused as not at home address. My Sisters best car has been a Carina E.
Them crank pulleys are a sod to get off. Did 1.8 75 and had to hire a mains impact gun as the battery ones I had just wouldn't budge it.
Hope the liners ain't dropped, and don't try and rotate the crank when the heads off as you could mess up the seals on the bottom of the liners.
Good luck and hope she's back on the road very soon .
I used to mess about with cars like this myself in my younger days, now I've a bit more money I pay someone else. That and watch poor old souls going through it. Good luck and merry Christmas everyone! 🎄
I love this channel because its not the same cars as all the other channels out there
The cam cover gasket is something to watch out for. Make sure the new one or existing has a rubberised surface in good condition, if not it will leak. Most importantly the bolts are not to be done up tight they are a very low torque which is why they were easy to undo. Use a low torque wrench.
The crank bolts are often thread locked with loctite. I have often found people use loads of loctite. I suggest you get a long bar and a big hammer and hit the top of the bolt to shock it, this breaks the loctite, it also help with rust. Then rattle gun on full power and oiled first. If the does not work its a big beaker bar but locking the crank can be tricky.
Matt, you've prompted me to read up on blown head gaskets, head skimming, and repairs, something I never took an interest in before despite having one go when I was younger, which cost me a bomb. I really like your videos.
Thanks, Im not sure thats what social media influencers are meant to get you to do!
"Put through some cleaning device or other"..... checks when Mrs Furious has her Christmas Do and makes dishwasher plans 🤣
shhh!
Hi mate. These bolts are a bugger unless you have a big air gun. My way is put a long spanner on it, jam against the body somewhere and a quick turn of the starter will slacken it. Done it many times in my garage here in Vic Australia..
Great little tinkering video and good to see the VI back again. Love the shape of the Bubble 200's.
Matt the problem with the crank bolt is common one, unfortunately this is why many farm the job out to a garage or professional with powerful battery or air impact guns. I've recently completed a timing belt change on my focus MK1. This is a much harder job on Ford engines due to there being no keyway on the pulleys and therefore require a correct amount torque to fasten and therefore lots of torque to loosen the bolt. I had to borrow a mates Milwaukee M18 Impact Gun (its a monster and produces probably 3/4 times the amount of torque that most DIY guns do) - it was one of few battery guns capable of breaking the crank bolt off without turning the engine.
So either find a friend to borrow you a more powerful impact gun or the other possible method involves removing the starter motor and buying the correct flywheel locking tool to crack the bolt off that way.
Also bear in mind the last time it was done its possible locktite was applied and believe me that makes a lot of difference, you need to heat that crank bolt up beforehand to soften the locktite and then use whatever method you choose to remove. If this isn't done when using an impact gun it has been known for the bolt to come out slow and then snap leaving half in the crankshaft and hours of drilling to be done! I hope this is useful!
Thanks, other K Series have come undone without too much drama, I was hoping to avoid taking the starter off but may have to
The crank bolt is usually stupid tight and maybe has threadlock too . There's a crank pulley holder tool also ( from vague memory ) .. the torque to undo the bolt is massive... "i think we're gonna need a bigger boat ! " ...
I'm sure others here have done this more recently than me and will have less vague recollection.
Peace and love brother 👍🏻☮♥️
edit ... also you're not at TDC it doesn't really matter if you keep everything locked but it's much simpler and less chance of cock ups at tdc no1 comp stroke .. apologies if this is all obvious ...I'll get my coat ! 👍🏻🤗
Lot's of respect Matt, outside in the cold, underneath a car battling exhaust bolts and manifold bolts. Amazing bit of kit that heat exchanger. Looking forward to the next video!
Thanks, hope it stays dry a few more days to get it done!
Matt, have you ever thought of doing stand up on stage ? I've been in tears listening to your " ugga duggas" and" thingy majigs" keep up the good work 👍👍
Top Rovering. DMGRS are top notch, keep my ZR, ZS and ZT going despite the cars best efforts not to go!
We won't tell Mrs Furious if you put those engine parts in the dishwasher, Matt..
Nice cameo from your able assistant at the end too!
You have the patience of a saint! I think that head will need skimmed, the previous owner already found that out. It's such a rare car it will be well worth the effort.
Looks like you need an impact swivel Matt. Very very helpful indeed on things like that exhaust. Nice that you found a car you could use the magnetic spark plug socket on, they really are life savers and also consistent as opposed to the rubber donger ones.
Great to watch you, and liked the lines your son said at the end!!!
Helped do two zr head gaskets and uprated oil rail.the flywheel is a bugger. There is an inspection plate on the gearbox bell housing opposite side from the starter.should be 3 8mill bolts.
Then I used a flat bit of metal about 1" wide and 12" long and bent it into a 3 sides cube or a square C [ .
Put the tool open side into the teeth of the flywheel one above the starter and one below, bend the top and bottom of the c till it fits between two of the teeth.
Then as you turn the crank bolt the flywheel will jam on the metal c and the tool will jam on the bell housing and starter way better than being in gear.should come off with the breaker and your trusty scaffold pipe.
There's a mention of this in the Haynes manual, I didn't quite get how their fabricated tool worked though.
Good luck.
Matt, I normally use the starter to break the crank bolt loose. Use a breaker bar on the bolt but aim it close to a solid mount (about 100mm away) & flick the starter very briefly. Works every time. Except on a Honda - where reverse rotation...
Good work Matt ! It's really not a bad job to do. I've done few K series hedgaskets when I had a summer job in a Rover shop. Also I can't remember ever taking off the crank pulley for this job
Crankshaft pulley bolts can be pigs on any car, last time I removed one it took a 10ft scaffold pole as well as in gear brakes on and the flywheel jammed by the starter ring. Ended up with a broken tooth on the starter ring and a broken 38mm socket, they're not cheap. It was not done up too tight when replaced, it was keyed so would not slip and the nut would tighten over time. The timing chain cover also had catalytic corrosion on the studs. A simple timing chain and sprockets and tensioner change turned into a week long nightmare, the wife was not an happy bunny, her car. Nor was I, she was racking up the miles in mine.
Nice to see work starting on this car.
Great stuff! You need a selection of different length ratchet handles for when a standard one doesn't quite give you enough leverage, worth their weight in gold
Well done Matt, Your videos are always very entertaining and really great to watch, Hope you manage to get that crank bolt undone (could it be a left hand thread ? I wonder..) and that you get that great K series Rover up and running for the new year 2022. Have a great Christmas and I wish you all the very best for a great and happy new year for you and all your family (and cars !!!). 👍👍👍
I took a test drive in a Bubble just after they were launched. I had a friend who was the sales manager at the local Rover and Land Rover dealer.
It was a superb car to drive.
They did drive superbly, one of the best around I thought
Good to see another R3 “Bubble” 200 being saved, a lot of these cars were sent to the crusher because the head gasket had blown! Which is a massive shame!
You said the head had been skimmed before which suggests this is not the 1st time it’s gone? Would that mean it probably wasn’t done correctly in the first place!?
Pure water coming out the rad also probably means that it was using so much coolant prior to the head gasket fail the owners resorted to using just plain tap water to top up the expansion tank, I can understand that as coolant can get expensive if your buying lots of it.
Looking forwards to the next update matt.👍
Love watching your videos hope they're as good in 2022 I've enjoyed watching the Mercedes being welded up you made a good job off it, keep the Fast and Furious going, sorry forgot your name I've just turned 60 anyway have a merry Christmas and a happy new year🌲🌲🌲🎅🎅🎅
Some progress is still progress Matt. I look forward to the next video.
Well, I must say, you need to start somewhere!
Hopefully everything will come undone.
Mr. Coleman should sort out the headgasket and hopefully the head does not need to be skimmed.
Hopefully parts are bagged and properly labelled for reinstallation.
And I applaud your effort into this project.
With Mr C on hand it should be OK, I hope!
I keep a spare side window glass from an original Fiat Panda in my garage. It's perfectly flat and I've used it a few times to check whether an alloy cylinder head needing skimming. If it sits perfectly still there's a good chance it's not warped and it's never failed me.
Love these kinds of videos. Can't wait for the next one.
Maybe the crank bolt is counter thread? Also, impact sockets will transfer more torque then the regular ones, so I would first try with that.
Oh, and maybe they used the red threadlock on the bolt, so it would need to be heated to 60 oC before trying to undo it.
I wondered about reverse thread but the book doesnt mention it.
These at home repair jobs used to drive me nuts. I feel your pain, brother.
Need to take the starter motor off and fit the flywheel locking tool. Happy days👍
A few drops of thin oil in the hose connector can make the impacter a tad more powerful as it get's tighter in the sealings.
Get yourself a Dewalt Impact Wrench. I purchased one and never looked back. Managed to remove a P38 4.6 crank pulley bolt with ease
Crank Pullys. You need the big boy Dewalt impact gun that does 400NM. I got one a few months back from Screwfix. Think it was £150 on its own with no battery. It removes anything in a breeze..
2 rover video's, matt and James from nitrosilvia, and project nigel, spoilt rotten 😀
Try a car jack to apply upward pressure the bar? Works great on stuck wheel nuts.
Some swivel head sockets and extensions for your torque drill would be a great addition for your toolbox.
Haynes manuals are exceptional.
If i remember correctly the head bolts were too long for the k series engine and never torqued the head down properly hence the head gaskets being a common point of failure on the k series engine. i believe there's shortened head bolts available which addresses this
Great to see more Roverness, looking forward to further episodes already
Well i'm glad i'm farming out the major service on my 1.8 45 connie saloon now i've seen you do that
Mum had a r reg rover 200 bubble diesel. First car I ever drove fantastic car!
Ref crank pulley bolt, before I had my DeWalt 1/2 impact gun, I would jack the drivers side up and (passenger wheel on ground still) put it in fifth gear with assistant on the brake pedal, large breaker bar should crack the crank pulley bolt
A great start! Looking forward or more.
Nice one mate, I do enjoy these sort of video's
Silly question, the crank bolt isn't a reverse thread is it? I remember spending a lot of time energy and knuckle skin trying to remove a bolt once only to discover I was trying to tighten it. Turning the opposite way helped a lot!
Also, left you a message a while back about supplying you with a panel for under the stereo in your alfa, did you sort something out?
You probably need to lock the starter ring with tool 18G1742. Another TH-camr made one by cutting a bit of square tube and welding it to some flat strip. Also, note there are two lines on the cam pulleys. The one marked "IN" on the inlet and the one marked "EXHAUST" on the exhaust should point to the middle.
Nice preview shot of the progress on the W123 weldathon.
Thats just where I left it last time! Not doing any more until its dry
Matt, Sir, you could could give The Bray Bomber , Katie Taylor a run for her money with regards to Battling through adversity.
Furious Junior is a Superstar by the way.
Hope that head skims ok.
Did I espy a wheel arch repair panel welded onto the Merc's o/s rear wing?
Warm the crank bolt up as it might have thread lock on it
The Vi is cooking I’ve been waiting for this 😁
Gutted, really wanted you to at least get the head removed. Stay positive! Looking forward to part 2.
Is the VVC head gasket very similar process to do on the normal k series engines??
Just ran out of time in the end, next time we will
Someone said in the comments about turning the timing another 180° for TDC. I think when we did it 2nd time we had them all level , same way yours is set. Can't remember for sure though. When we locked the timing on the first Zr the way it was set one of the cam lobes prevented the head bolt from being removed, made it a nightmare. Might want to check that before you remove the timing belt. If one of the lobes is overhanging then turning it 180° should leave all the bolts clear.
It’s supposed to be set 90° before TDC i.e. all pistons halfway down the bores, so you’ve then got room to turn the cams to clear all the bolts with no danger of piston/valve contact.
@@emmajacobs5575
Yeah sounds right, the first zr we did I think we set TDC, but the cam lobes prevented one of the bolts from being removed.the second attempt we had to turn the cams 180° so the outer markings for inlet and exhaust lined up on the inside. All bolts could be completely removed and I'm sure all piston sat half way down.
Im talking to James Rubbish Mechanic about his recommendation here as he'll be helping later
@@furiousdriving
Good stuff, I managed to get one of the heads off without even removing the pulley. The backing cover for the timing belt case was one piece on the other engine. This meant the timing belt cover bolts on the lower engine block had to be removed to be able to lift off the cylinder head.
Only way to get access was to get the pulley and timing belt out the way. If you look at the back of the timing belt cover where the head and block meet. If there is a line indicating it's two parts the head will lift away no problems. If it's one part it's a pain, fingers crossed.
Look forward to seeing you finish it off , looking great so far.
Enjoying the content on your channel keep up the good work now 👍👍
Appreciate the blooming effort you put into the video let alone the mechanical ordeal,but life is just not fair where Hubnut can just cop out of a job, dump it with a mechanic and still get more viewings. Oh well that's showbiz.
People like Hubnut's overall personality and car knowledge. But his mechincal work are usual "how it's not are done" showcases. Hubnut clearly have very little patience, are unorganized and are always looking for shortcuts when trying to fix stuff.
@@westmus Yes two different brands on the stage which have their audience.I just wanted to note the effort FD puts into his videos, like lighting normally difficult black and silvery things so his vids can be indeed used as a guide by anyone attempting the same.Obviously the popularity of the Hubnut channel has enabled him to keep buying piles of old junk which in turn we all lap up LOL
Crank bolt may have thread locker on it and need a bit of heat?
You're doing it back to front.
Take the cam tool out. Slacken crank pulley bolt, remove pulley, reinsert bolt and time the engine. Then lock the cams again.
Locking the cams and then pounding on the crank like that is a risk.
90 deg before TDC with all pistons down by the same amount is perfect
The head bolts go through the bottom bearing caps (the bolts are proper long!!) so the piston need to be level otherwise they bearing would fall off. Or something like that anyway, been a long while since I've done one.
Yay more Rover 200 goodness!
Crank pully bolts always tight on them mostly due to people putting thread lock on them if that is the case good luck getting it off
I hope not!
I thought the position was ALL cylinders in the mid point so there is minimum chance of damaging the valve gear? rather than one cylinder being TDC
On the K-Series the crank bolt is notoriously tight as it is torqued to over 200nM +, I needed a mains gun rated at 450nM to get the pully bolt off on my TF. Word of warning you are better to take the cam lock out before removing the crank bolt as it can slip the cam timing out on the inlet side, ask me how I know.
that doesnt sound like a fun day out..
I saw you had a hammer right where you were working on the exhaust bolts but you didn't give the thing a few good whacks with it to help stuff free off ? DIY impact session would surely have helped ?
Also I couldn't see the link to the Draper hose clamp pliers in the tools list ?
Heres that link - amzn.to/3p4unIo cheap christmas present!
Loved the video great content as usual
When is the next P6 video Matt? I am starting a new project with my 3500S I have some quad Webbers to go on it =)
soon I hope
It never goes a quickly as you imagine it will. That’s why most people give up before they’ve hardly started. I am most people, sometimes
You’re 180 out on the timing, that’s why the pistons are level and you can’t see the timing mark on the crank - there’s also a flywheel pin you need to put in to lock the crank
I was just searching for the comments for someone who was thinking the same as me and you are. I'm not an expert but if he marked the crank pulley with some tippex it should be ok but really needed to give the crank another turn.
Matt, we probably need a fleet update I’m losing track of all your projects...
coming over Christmas
Matt - you need something like a DeWalt with 900nm to remove the bolt. The Draper wrench simply doesn't have sufficient grunt :-(
More uggas and duggas!
I like to use a one inch steel pipe as a breaker bar assistance. Works well.
Have you bought the new cylinder head bolts for your rover 218 vi
Don’t suppose the crank is left hand thread? Haha they’re always tight though but an air gun usually whizzes them off!
Why not use the induction heat coil on crank bolt?
Ill probably have to
Hats off to you with all that effort. I certainly can relate to that after fixing cars on the driveway and the struggle with seized nuts and bolts. I'm just curious about one thing; is that an Elastomer head gasket and not the MLS type?
Mr Coleman emphatically does NOT recommend MLS head gaskets...
It is Elastomer, a BW750