Freelander 2 (LR2) Freelander 2 diesel starting on 3 cylinders, now running properly, after cylinder head change.

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All i can say is WOW how did the car run with that damage?
It ran roughly, and occasionally wouldn't crank over, so the lump of nut kept getting between the piston and head.:(
now you know why it as decent injectors, someone must have thought that was the trouble
Everything is new, timing belt, water pump, and even the head looks recently installed.
I'm also convinced that the intake manifold is also a replacement.

I'm pretty sure that this engine suffered from swirl flap problems, which needed a replacement head and its associated wearables.

However whomever did the work screwed up, probably dropping a nut in to the boot pipe, causing damage for a second time.

good luck with the repair and big thank you for the ongoing photo pictorial
No problems, and there's more to come, once I start on getting that damaged piston out.
cardinal sin dropping a nut bolt & then think i will leave it, or find another to replace it without finding where the nut/bolt as dropped into / or its whereabouts, lots of garage mechanics do it :mad: bone idleness, but lets remember 99% time its not there car so why worry
This is the worst case scenario from a dropped nut. Basically a nut worth a few pence, trashing an expensive engine repair.

I'm pleased it appears to have good injectors, but would have preferred less engine damage to sort.
Take a good look at the sump as well why you are there as they can rust from the outside, bad ones will have pinholes.
I'll take a look, and repair any rust if I can. I've got to de-rust the PS pipes too, so I'll do those at the same time. I was planning on replacing the PS pipes, but unfortunately the damage to the engine has eaten up those funds for now.
That's pretty cheap, makes me wonder if it's seized.
GOS are good, but shipping that engine as an unknown would be an expensive proposition, as a majority of it could be scrap.

I've ordered a low mileage piston and rod, which will have to do for now.
 
GOS are good, but shipping that engine as an unknown would be an expensive proposition, as a majority of it could be scrap.

I've ordered a low mileage piston and rod, which will have to do for now.
Might be worth a trip to Axminster to check if its siezed or not?
 
It ran roughly, and occasionally wouldn't crank over, so the lump of nut kept getting between the piston and head.:(

Everything is new, timing belt, water pump, and even the head looks recently installed.
I'm also convinced that the intake manifold is also a replacement.

I'm pretty sure that this engine suffered from swirl flap problems, which needed a replacement head and its associated wearables.

However whomever did the work screwed up, probably dropping a nut in to the boot pipe, causing damage for a second time.


No problems, and there's more to come, once I start on getting that damaged piston out.

This is the worst case scenario from a dropped nut. Basically a nut worth a few pence, trashing an expensive engine repair.

I'm pleased it appears to have good injectors, but would have preferred less engine damage to sort.

I'll take a look, and repair any rust if I can. I've got to de-rust the PS pipes too, so I'll do those at the same time. I was planning on replacing the PS pipes, but unfortunately the damage to the engine has eaten up those funds for now.

That's pretty cheap, makes me wonder if it's seized.
GOS are good, but shipping that engine as an unknown would be an expensive proposition, as a majority of it could be scrap.

I've ordered a low mileage piston and rod, which will have to do for now.

Give them a bell and make a stupid offer ...
 
Today I had lots of packages in the mail, including a head gasket set, stainless worm clips, a tube of Locktite 518, some flange nuts and bolts, balancer shaft locking tools, all of which are relating to the engine repair, including this rather important component.
20200806_185802.jpg
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The condition looks good, with virtually no visible wear to the skirt.

I've put it in a container filled with kerosene, so it'll be lovely and clean, ready for installation.
20200806_190130.jpg
 
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That's good - it will remove the possibility of a shortened con rod from previous grief. I did a lot of miles towing trailer loads of junk for a mate of mine when he moved using his BMW which had swallowed some water in a flood and had one pot slightly down on compression - it would start on five but quickly pick up the 6th and run all day - barely noticable on gentle driving.
 
That's good - it will remove the possibility of a shortened con rod from previous grief.

That's the reason I chose to use a complete but second hand piston/rod assembly, rather than just fitting just a new piston. I didn’t want there to be any possibility of rod damage, or possibly failure on the governor smoke test a MOT time.

Once I've de-glased the bore, the replacement piston should bed in pretty quickly, so I'm not worried about that.
 
So work continues on the FL2.

The day was spent checking over the turbo and catalytic converter for damage and debris. There were a few tiny aluminium particles in the exhaust, which are trapped by the CAT matrix, but there's no way to remove them, so I'll leave those be.

I then concentrated on getting the head in to a serviceable condition, grinding the displaced aluminium from around and over the valve seats. I then removed the leaking inlet valve on No1, so I could identify the issue there. It turned out to be a tiny piece of aluminium, stuck between the valve and seat, so an easy fix.

I then decided to try to lap the No1 inlet to the same location on the damaged No2. Well it lapped in quickly and easily, so this valve at least is good. I tested the seal, and it's sealed up tight.

So my initial analysis of the seats was correct.

It took a good hour with the micro grinder and a high speed steel 3mm ball cutter to cut the aluminium away from the seats. I also took off the high spots on the head, and cleaned up the glow plug hole.

I'm sure the head will be just fine, once I've lapped in the remaining valves.

I've got a damaged valve guide to replace, which I'm not sure how to go about at this stage.

But I'm happy with the progress so far.
The cleaned good and damaged as a side by side comparison.
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A test fit of valves, so I could check I'd cut the peened over aluminium back far enough.
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A closer look at the re-cut valve seat.
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I take it that there's no damage to the injector nozzle? Also, you seem to have a lot more patience than me, lol.

The injectors look OK, and all have been refurbished before I got the car. Luckily the piston has a large bowl in the centre, which prevented the nut from contacting the new injector.

Someone has spent a lot, trying to identify the problem, although it was probably caused by the same person doing all the work.
 
I'm on the scrounge.

Does anyone have access to TOPIx? I'm in need of the tightening torque of the con rod cap bolts, and I'm reluctant to buy my own subscription, if the information I need isn't on there.

Any help on this would be appreciated.
 
good old LR - could it be got from a transit forum or peugeot forum somewhere?

I've looked all over for the information.
The Transit uses a different engine, so that's no good.
The Peugeot guys just seem to replace the engine, or scrap the vehicle altogether if serious engine problems arise.

I get the impression that LR don't want technicians to pull the bottom end apart for some reason.
This is all the information manual shows for piston assembly.
Screenshot_20200813-123646_Adobe Acrobat.jpg
 
My mate has autodata and has just sent me a pic, It's not great quality though. It says this for main bearings.
1) 10 Nm
2) Slacken off 180 degrees
3) 23 Nm
4) 46 degrees.
1597340796485.jpg

Hope this helps.
 
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