I have always not understood the Jeep thing but had a soft spot for Rovers. I know they use the Buick 215 that has been updated over the years. I also have seen the posts about the guys over the pond using them for hotrods. But, this would be for a daily driver for Carla and the pending littleone. A pal of mine is a car dealer and has a smokin deal on a Discovery. Roomy 4wd, good visibility etc. It had a leaky head gasket, 80k on it. He had the heads done. Engione still had a tiny rattle, he had the bottom end done. Now it runs like new but the rattle comes back occasionally. (SOunds like a Northstar with carbon buildup on the piston tops, a common deal with them) Any of you guys and gals have input on these engines or this particular "rattle" The truck is so cheap it could be driven for a year and tossed...............or have a bigger v8 crammed into it!
If I remember correctly, the newer Rover 215s now have very little, if anything, in common with the Buick 215s that they started from. That's all I got.
i would think that disco would have a 3.9 or bigger engine,the 3.5(215) disapeared in the mid/late 80´s I think?
All that I have ever heard about old Rover's is that the quality was highly suspect, and parts are expensive. Not sure what you can cram in it either. but it's your dime man.
I agree it would probably be a 3.9 litre or larger depending on what year it is of course. I have heard they can be prone to throwing con rods and have also heard of porous blocks. Manual gearboxes tend to wear out bearings quicker than what you may be used to. Disco's did have issues with build quality. One recommendation for the 3.5 motors was to warm them up adequately rather than simply start up and drive. Transplanting a chevy or similar into it would obviously upset the balance of the vehicle given that it would be a heavier motor. More of an issue if you're taking it off-road into mud or climbing hills I guess. Try getting on www.rangie.com for questions and answers. There is also an Owners Group website www.discoveryownersclub.org
What year do you have? I can still get the Offenhauser manifolds and valve covers for the Rover 3.5L.
no offense but they are money pits,the parts are all expensive, and if you sit back and think about it, if he had the top and bottom end done and the rattle is still somewhat there you're only looking for trouble in the future.
Expensive? It has a Delco alt.........weird noises.........my dads V10 Ford makes nasty ping/det noises at cruising speeds. My Ranger hates modern fuels and rattles like a *****, it has been in our family since new, runs smooth with no noises on E85, it is a flex fuel vehicle. A ****in Honda is more expensive to fix. Now, any folks know the late model (Post 2000) engines?
I wouldn't speculate hard earned cash on a motor like this. Sounds like a 'small' end noise or cam chain problem possibly. They arn't a very reliable vehicle, good pal of mine has a breakers yard spe******es in them! The gearboxes are suspect as has been stated, if you buy it at a trade/s**** price all your going to do is pour more cash in. Be better looking at a known reliable safe own brand vehicle for your wife and the bairn! Chris.
you need to compare apples to apples,not to your fords. I guess i don't get it, you post a thread asking for opinions I post mine and get slammed, it sounds like you're just telling everyone you're buying this vehicle anyway no matter what anybody says.I'm not trying to be a ****, but does carbon get up and walk away and then come right back after taking a leak. I don't think so
Wasn't slamming you at all. You gave blanket generalizations about the Rovers,the same ones I ***umed until I got looking into them. This dealer pal actually has dealt in a lot of these with a good track record. The fact that this little noise comes and goes with no regularity makes me believe it is unrelated to what we all have been guessing. Now, gearbox issues are another thing. Thanks to the input from chevychris on that one. I am going to let my pal sit on this one a bit more. He is moving his business towards RVs and phasing out the cars..........mo money. Everytime we talk it gets cheaper! It really is close to disposable pricing right now.
Most of your questions will be answered by searching here: http://www.discoweb.org/ As for hop ups, there are options. http://www.aluminumv8.com/ -Jeff
i have a '98 land rover Range Rover HSE 4.6, ,i love it,,havent had anytrouble other than a front u joint(20 buxs at the local parts house),, yes parts are expensive,,,but arent parts expensive for all newer cars,,,myuncle runs a repair shop and works on the discos quite often,,usually abs pumps,coilpacks, electrical... the range rovers are suposedly more dependable than the discoverys... there is a landrover magazine from europe that had rover with a sbc swapped into it,,i guess the sbc bolts up to the rover trans
if it is super cheap buy it.The buick-rover motors have a huge following with the mgb guys for motor conversions.I built one but someone offered me more then i could p*** up for it before i finished it.Dan Lagrou is a good source of parts and knowledge for them.I can't recall his website right now.A small block ford with aluminium heads is not a bunch heavier.Alot of the mgb guys are running them.
I can tell you it won't bolt up w/o an adapter. FWIW, I had an early 3.5 Rover in my '33 Pickup when I was in the UK - dead reliable, never let me down mechanically. Had to chase some ignition & carb woes when I first got it, but otherwise, reliable to a fault. Hooked to a Rover 5-speed out of an SD-1 - don't know how that trans compares (if at all) to the disco stuff, but it was faultless too. Daily driver right up until I drove it 6.5 hours to sell it - that guy bought it, put it on a ferry to Norway & then drove another 6+ hours home. If it's cheap enough, buy it.
Thanks guys, yes this thing is super cheap. It has been on the lot for a long time because he has sold several other newer/bigger/more expensive ones. He actually had this one sold until the soccer mom decided she was on display to the world like a fishbowl( I actually like all the windows) and brought it back, being a nice guy he gave her a full refund. How many dealers would have done that!?Now, as I said, he is getting out of cars comepletely. He makes more coin with RVs and enjoys it more. I think I will steal it for a weekend and try it.
http://www.aluminumv8.com/tech/tech.htm -- D&D site with some info. I've got the 215 V8 in my old Buick . . . but my little MGB keeps peeking over at the Buick and making lip smacking noises. Yike!
The motors went out of production, but are being made again now, by another independent company.The 3.5 litre motors(215ci) ended up being taken out to 5 litres(306ci)320 bhp..0 to 60 in 4.1 secs..as used in the TVR Griffith 500.As Ernie said, they are a good motor if built right and looked after properly.Lots of these little V8`s have found their way into Hot Rods over here, in fact a friend of mines old boss, an ex fireman, has dropped a TVR motor in a deuce roadster.This car is built as a stocker type and is about 6 foot tall and has all the old whistles and bells, spare wheel rack out back etc, but he will not call it a hot rod, and he`s just going to drive it "normally"..yeah right....there will be brown as well as black skid marks when he gets it rolling. http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/cars/tvr_griffith.asp Tman, take a look here at the Griff and spec.
No mention of it having had a camshaft, sounds like a cam lobe or hydraulic lifter to me, common with poor servicing irregular oil changes
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