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MG MGB GT V8 Factory Originals Technical - Back on the road.

My Rover V8 3.5 GT is back on the road after MOT and oil change. Engine has done 350 miles on running in oil since full rebuild with all new parts, took the car for a drive to thoroughly warm it up and check for any problems. Car ran fine but when I started it up hot it sounded like there was no compression, ie spun over very fast on the starter motor which it wasn't doing before. Could it be that the proper oil is pumping up the lifters more than the running in oil? which could indicate that I have got the preload wrong? Any advice welcome.

Kevin Jackson.
K.R Jackson

Did/does the engine start and run (even though it spins fast on the starter)? Maybe the battery's fully charged now that the engine has been running. Maybe it's just loosening up and you're not used to the sound.

I doubt that the oil is the problem. If the preload is set somewhere between the extremes of lifter plunger travel, you should see no prolems, except perhaps the valves may float earlier - and you shouldn't be running the engine that tight yet.

Wayne
Wayne Pearson

Suspect fuel starvation - assuming the engine was put back together as it should have been - you haven't got one of those high rev starters have you ?

On another tack -
if the running in oil is as thin as the stuff I have used in the distant past - you need to get it out of the system - I would do a couple more oil changes in fairly quick succession - cheap 10- 40 with a high detergent grade - work its way through the hydraulic lifters.

Roger
RMW

No, standard SD1 starter. I drove the car yesterday and the hot starting was perfectly normal so don't have a clue what caused it. I agree about changing the oil again fairly soon, there is bound to be quite a bit of the running in oil in the system what with the remote filter pipes and the oil cooler.It's been quite a dificult week, tuesday night i was informed that I had to vacate my garage however problem solved courtesy of a generous relative, worked out quite well as new garage is in a convenient location and has power,light and a water tap just outside. Only problem was that I had removed the rocker gear to check I had built them properly, there were no notches on my rocker shafts and on removal found that I had in fact got them wrong. Real steel were very helpful and said forget about notches, just make sure the oil holes in the shafts are pointing down towards the cam. I re-assembled the valve gear on the engine made sure everything aligned properly and gave it a test run, it ran fine except that one lifter appeared to have lost its oil and didn't want to pump up. I was really p---ed off, didn't want to risk damaging the cam by giving it a lot of revs so called it a day. When I went the next day to move the car to its new home, started it up and problem resolved itself within a couple of minutes at fast tickover perhaps because I told it, it was going to a good home.
Main thing to resolve now is the stiffness of the steering which I have posted about on the B technical section.

Kevin Jackson.
K.R Jackson

This thread was discussed between 18/06/2005 and 24/06/2005

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