Just to be perfectly clear, I mean rounding off any sharp edges caused by the valve hitting, not any other edges that were as delivered from the factory.

Also check the underside of the cam bucket and the bucket bore for damage from the retainer.

And ... check that the bending of the valve did not dislodge the valve seat. Unlikely, but ...

 

First thing I looked at due to Dsnyders problems.

As I looked more it was one of the new valves that got bent, with new retainers.. Damn.
But it should make shimming easier.
The wife is starting to look at this project sideways, I keep hearing how much longer, why did that happen (I blamed a faulty part not faulty installation)
As I was taking it apart it felt good now I am more familiar with where everything goes, but disappointing that I am having to redo all this work...
Ahhh experience...

 

You have the patience of a saint. This thing would have been on fire by now if mine.
Anyway, the gaskets definately need to be replaced as do the bolts(TTY, correct?).
Don't worry about a nick in the piston, just smooth any sharp edges as they'll cause a hot spot in the combustion chamber promoting detonation.
Don't assume shimming won't be needed with another new valve.
That's a bitch of a failure, I feel your pain.

 

bolts can be reused once (thank god).
Patience my ***, I was about ready to break open the grog and curse it for 2 hours but was too tired.

Partsgeek: new valve, retainers, new head gasket $75.95 ups red ?
Hours redoing work 8, cost of feel stupid, priceless

 

Any updates? Is it done/running? Did you set it on fire?

 

As I was in the grueling process of moving my household, livestock, vehicles, and everything I own (A LOT!) for the last THREE weeks, I did not visit the forum for the entire move (came on briefly the day before yesterday when my Internet was hooked up).

So I went back to when I left off this thread, and read through it to see how is the XJR running! All I can say is,.....DAMN!

What a bummer!

This time Roger, go SLOW, very, very slow. The speed, and the eagerness to get it running (in combination with being tired), will trip you every time.

I've been working from dawn till dusk on setting up my new corrals (much less sophisticated mechanical work than yours!), and I managed to screw it up, due to being tired, trying to get the horses home (they were at the boarding ranch during the move), and rushing the job.

One "mare motel" collapsed, and almost came down on one of the ranch hands. Luckily nobody was hurt, but doing the job again makes you want to kick yourself, for not taking your time the first time around.

I hope you will check, and recheck everything, and just when you are ready to button it down,......do another check. Turn the thing over by hand (I always did when I rebuilt motorcycles), a pinky in the spark plug hole can tell you a lot too.

Let us know how it plays out.

 

UPDATE:
Hi Danielsand, great timing on your post and return, did you move to AZ???

OK everything is back together, turned over by hand, redid the compression 122psi on the bad cylinder. took 24hours to pluck up courage to start her up, no smoke, no steam, just a nice quiet purr. YAHHHHHHH. I am so frickin' relieved.
I had a vacuum hose break and fixed that, and now the lower radiator overflow tank is leaking.
It looks like the water is coming from a round port on the top away from the grill.
Does anyone have any ideas what to do, do I replace it, is it fixable?
Right now I'm on cloud nine, I love this car and it's almost back on the road.
I changed the supercharger oil, new shock bushes, new foglight,new headlights on the passenger side (someone backed into to her a few years ago) and I never got round to fixing it. T605 Bluetooth kit hacked into CD changer. new headrests in the rear seats(thanks Dsnyder).
Thanks to everyone for the moral support, even my friends who know me well have been impressed with my ordeal.

 

NICE! Happy days-

 

Roger77 - congratulations on a job well done. You should be doing the happy dance. The coolant from the lower overflow tank may not be a leak. It may just be extra coolant. mine leaked when I refilled the system but then soon stabilized and hasn't burped since

 

Good news Rodger! Pour yourself a dram.

 

I'm glad you got it licked!!

No, I didn't move back to AZ (moved from AZ to CA in 2010). I moved from a five acres ranch, to 140 acres, backed up to San Bernardino National Forrest (riding straight off the property, unlimited "back yard", no need to trailer the horses......survivalist's, cowboy's "wet dream"!!). I will be here for couple of years (until my wifey is done with her school), and then I will move "up North",....got my eye on a 1100 acre property with a "private" river, lake, and all that. That's the place I will be burried at.

If TSHTF, I'll put up my fences, print my own currency, and declare the independence from the Union (it's that big!). LOL!

I hope your weekend is filled with some "spirited" driving of your XJR (I still want one BADLY!!).

All the best.

 

Daniel, We would be considered preppers, can we move onto your property, you can drive my XJR, we come with food, guns and lots of ammo... 140 acres means you can shoot on your own property without worrying about the constabulary, definite heaven.

 

Well done, sir!

 

Thanks for sharing the story. Job well done!

 

way back in the day i had a 1985 xj6 and my dumb *** for got to put the coolant cap on after flushing the system well after that you can imagine what happen. water coming out my tail pipes oil looking like milk... my step dad said go buy a can of 'block seal' then sale it. i went and bought a can followed the directions and i couldnt believe it. the water coming out the tail pipe stopped and my new oil stayed looking like oil. i drove that car close to 10,000 miles after that before some one bought it from me.

 

Shooting is done up in the mountain (about a mile up from the main house), and the range is already set up, with spinning metal targets ("bang the gong"!), benches and all. Wildlife is ABUNDANT (not hunting AT ALL, but if the family is going hungry......), water is on the well (FREE!), and the water is so good, that Arrowhead Water Company wants to buy the rights to pump it (no way!). Out of 140 acres, only about six are flat, with three homes (homes are about 150 yards from each other), generators are ready (and plenty of diesel), we can go "off the grid" at any time. Remaining 135 or so acres, is a canyon, plus the mountains on the sides. Private road with electric gate, and easily controlled access. There are many other buildings away from the homes (barns for storage, "sheds" for curing the meat,....you name it. All the outer buildings are concrete, with metal roofs.

Like I said,.....a "wet dream" setting. Casinos, shopping, dinning, etc, is 5 min away down the mountain, and Palm Springs with it's glamour, is 20 min away. Immediately below the property, is the senior community with golf courses, lakes (for fishing), and such. The best thing? You could drive through the senior "village" (as we call it), and never even know that the ranch is right above it.

Two years of this,....and then it's 1100 acres! And that one, my friend, IS already off the grid (all solar).

Two other homes on this property are rented, but that can be changed at any time. Freedom loving, animal loving, gun shooting people, that don't want the government to provide for them, are always welcome.

 

Now that makes me want to move, cor blimey!

Roger, well in mate

 

that's why I left England in'84, I love America, guns and American women,

 

That reminds me of:

"....hopped on the freighter
skidded the ocean
and left England without a sound."

I never "lived" in England, but spent every summer through my highschool years with my Aunt (who is burried in London) over there.

It's funny how people with similar tastes, and lifesyles, end up on the same forums.

 

Thanks for sharing this on the forum. There's nothing quite so disheartening as a repair that doesn't take the first time, especially when you've tried your hardest.
Cheers for persevering and being an encouragement by example to the rest of us!