I just picked up engine for a pittance. The seller said it was "low mileage" but idk what that means or if its true. Its been outside so you cannot tell by how clean it is outside.

I was just wondering i guess how much wear and tear is visible at certain points if you just popped the valve covers? Im just trying to figure out if i should do any rebuilding or just clean it up and replace rubbers and the like to have a fresh engine to drop in my xjs if it ever needs it



btw when i got there there also happened to be PS pump, ac, alternator, and even tranny attached to it haha

 

If you had the VIN, you could pull a Carfax to see what mileage was last reported.

 

Mileage, or lack of, on a HE is no biggy

Has it been OVERHEATED, that is the death knock to any of them.

I have stripped a few with serious kms on them and the hone marks were still visible on the liners. Crankshaft bearings still very serviceable, etc etc.

Apart from the "death knock", the o/rings on the oil pipes inside the upper sump plate are #1 for replacement.

Other rubbery type items you see should also be replaced just for peace of mind.

 

i know i should find out but i don't think it has. The person told me it was being swapped for a 350 long ago and everything just came out. it turns freely and has lightly used oil in it.

either way i can't complain for 100 dollars. Guess ill post pics when i get some

 

$100, DAMN, I drink more than that after doing the oil changes on our fleet.

if its got light oil in the bores, care has been taken, RARE, so o/rings is all I would change, just because, and "drive it like you stole it", eventually.

 

a few pics. all i know is its a US spec HE. The lady said its a low mileage 86 but who knows. All of the rust and dirt is from being outside really

 

anyone have any luck keeping the engine clean?? If so what method have you used to maintain it?

I plan on really maintaining this the day i swap it over. I just don't get it, my girlfriend car has 50k on it and with a light cleaning would look brand new. My XJS has 85k on it and the block is practically entirely black its so filthy.

Can you just gunk the whole thing every 6 months or so

 

Basically it's all caused by oil leaks! Gunking everything will shaft the electrics in no time. To stay clean it has to be oiltight. If you redo all the gaskets (apart from head gasket) and fix the half moon seals and the timing chain access hole, and keep a careful eye on/regularly renew the oil pressure senders, it will stay a lot cleaner.

The great but epically stroppy K Palm's book is very sound on what needs to be done to make the thing oiltight. Just the time to do it now the engine is out.

By the by, the seal between the tappet block (that holds the camshafts etc) and the head also leaks. It is a very big job to remove it and not worth it IMO, unless you have a valve problem, obviously. Once the engine is cleaned up, rough up metal along the join with a bit of sandpaper, and lay a bead of high temp silicone all the way round and press it in with a finger. It will stop the leaks just fine. Bit of a bodge for the purist, and I am not very good at making these things neat as you can see, but works a treat!



Greg

 

+1

Poor maintenance is a more frequent and faster engine killer than high mileage.

Other than stripping it down, the only quick way to assess condition is by examination of the spark plugs and laboratory testing the oil.

The colour of the plugs will tell you if it's generally burning oil or point to individual cylinders with an issue.

If you're not familiar with oil testing, this can be done with a kit at home or a sample sent off for analysis. Typically the results indicate:

1. how efficiently fuel is being burned
2. remaining 'life' in the oil
3. whether there's fuel, water, metal or other contaminants in the oil

In other words, a pretty good health check.

Graham