K series Performance/Reliability mods

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The Mad Hat Man said:
dint they change it in the Elise as soon as a Jap engine was available?

does the Caterham has a transverse lump then?
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A lot of Elise owners (after '06) with the Toyota engine took them out and re-fitted K-Series, because of the power to weight, they value the engine highly and put up with the foibles as a matter of course.
 
Exactly that, its the lightness for its power they like. The jap engine is good and revs better but at a cost of more weight. The caterham has a long tradition of using the K series. In kit car form it makes total sense, in a freelander it was a simple case of not having the budget to invent a new base level engine aswell as a v6. In top form the k series produced 160 bhp, but with further mods a proven 180bhp was not uncommon.
 
215bhp was the highest i saw reported, but that dunt matter to me, but it's expensive to achieve and strains the engine.
I'll pass on the tuning mods and stick to the ones that stop it detonating. :eek:

All other landies accept another engine wether it's a landie one or not.We're very limited, so it's mend and make do.
 
Galwayguy said:
I have got to know my engine well for all the wrong reasons. But at least it is reasonably easy to work on. Having said that my latest problem is causing a awful lot of grief:

http://www.landyzone.co.uk/lz/f57/timing-belt-tracking-touching-rear-cover-174454.html

It is so frustrating to have changed 10 valves & have the engine start first turn, only to be kept off the road by a seemingly unfathomable problem.
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Theres an adjusting bolt right under one of the pulleys,can't remember which, it's the one on the right of the crank might be alternator.
Try that
 
Yeah totaly agree. Its a shame the rover T series engine does not fit (to my knowledge), that would be fun! ;)
 
Oooooh, that could be an idea then, I have a spare almost complete T series in the garage, might look for a blown freelander in the spring and give that a go for a laugh.
 
Bigwheel said:
With steel dowels, ARP head bolts, a new improved design of MLS head gasket and a larger alloy radiator make the K series as reliable as any other engine. The K series is a very advanced engine for its time, and can be extremely economical and powerful for its size and weight (very light in comparison to other similar sized engines).
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heard about this, but not sure for kv6.
 
Bigwheel said:
K series reliability is ruined by the way the head is bolted to the block. The bolts go all the way through the block to the bottom of the engine, and are thin, far to thin. The second issue is that the head is seated (originally) using nylon dowels, this coupled with the poorly designed bolts allowed the head to effectively 'shuffle' about on the block, breaking the head gasket. This is also hindered by the final point that because the K series is a lean burn engine compared to other petrol models, mean it runs a lot hotter, so any compromise in head gasket or cooling system integrity can effectively 'blow up' the engine.

With steel dowels, ARP head bolts, a new improved design of MLS head gasket and a larger alloy radiator make the K series as reliable as any other engine. The K series is a very advanced engine for its time, and can be extremely economical and powerful for its size and weight (very light in comparison to other similar sized engines).

Most people assume the K series is a lost cause, and it is if you pay a garage to just replace the inferior parts with more inferior parts, but if you insist on spending a little bit more for the above bits, you will be very happy.

Hope that clears up a few misconceptions with the K series.
Click to expand...


I whish I could believe in this flash of hope. 1 enginner and 2 mechanics worked on my kv6 in the last 3 weeks. The block was broken by the steel liners. No mercy. New engine. KV6 is not advanced as mentioned elsewhere. Actually, an old technology for small engines. Something like 80's engine adaptation of Renault derived Ford CHT - used in brazilian cars that use 100% ethanol. The adaptation (stainless steel liners) was due to ethanol corrosion Ford CHT engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KV6 does not blown head gaskets! This is a spreaded mistake in the forum. Main weak point is the poliuretane fixed steel liners. Even controlling or lowering engine working temperature with some adaptations, it wont be enought. May be it work in small engines. The liners should be fixed into aluminium block with other compound or technology. Dont know. open for discussion.

So, why many KV6 owners are happy and free of problems? This is true, but similar to those who smoke cigaretts every day..... it is a matter of statistics.

I´m a brazilian and hate to give up, but it may be a lost cause indeed. This engine has a lethal birthdefect that make us burn lots of money. I just want my car doing what it was designed for... or my money back!! Now it is a matter of respect.
 
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