ASSESSING THE CYLINDER BLOCK

Before examining the condition of an engine, all the components need to be thoroughly cleaned and laid out. These parts are going to tell a story.

During dismantling, the engine block didn’t look too bad. The cylinder bores seemed reasonable, with the most obvious problem being a sheared engine mounting bolt.

Rover V8 aluminium engine blocks are fitted from new with a steel liner in each bore, and the liners can be rebored or honed in situ when reconditioning the engine.

Most cylinders are water stained. A slight step at the top of the bore indicates wear, possibly sorted by honing and new piston rings.

But here’s the problem Roland had spotted. The liner in number three cylinder had dropped slightly below the engine block’s upper machined face.

The drop (arrowed) is unusual to find on a 3.5-litre block, and is more common on the 3.9, 4.0 and 4.6 versions. The other seven liners are fine.

Inside the block, the ridge on which the bottom of the liner makes contact has been peened, suggesting the liner has been oscillating up and down.

Moving on, the camshaft front bearing shell is slightly grooved, but it’s still serviceable. The bearing shell’s oil hole is still correctly aligned, too.

This engine mounting stud has seized in the block and sheared off. The hardened steel will be difficult to remove from the aluminium block.