K series vvc abortion.

[Manchestergas]

So I have had lots of problems with my vvc ( all due to poor workmanship in my eyes)
It's a 2006 with 14k on the clock that had hgf and this is where the fun started. The car was stood for 7 years and went pop a few hundred miles after being run after the long stand.
The garage struggled timing the vvc head back up and it came away with noisey lifters also. ( the head was stripped as I wanted it porting but time constraints meant it was rebuilt again in stock form.

I took the car to a professional race builders garage ( I won't name names yet)
To put the car right. New lifters were fitted and car and vvc mechs re timed.

I collected the car and it was all perfect once again I thought.
After two hours I heard a loud sudden Tinking/pinking sound matched to the engine speed for approx 10 seconds and then there was always just a little Tinking sound that appeared straight after that.

The car was back a race builders with in 24h and me asking for it to be checked over.
The garage owner basically said it was not like that when it left here and asked of I had been thrashing it ( I had not).

He told me the head would need to come off at full cost to me for the second time in 1 month with bills at £1500 already.
I thought fook that and took the car away and sent it to mg rover tech.

These are the pictures of what was found.






All the pictures are taken 200 miles after the followers were changed and re timed by the race builder.

16 more new followers are fitted and a brand new rear vvc mech.

The car still is not right. If I start it from cold and do not rev it a knock appears at the top end for five mins or so ( it is not a tap but a knock. Once warm it virtually disappears but randomly start knocking like when cold even when hot.

Bills now at over 2.5k
So I return to race builder with photos and complaint and he offers a free rebuild of head.
It's been there 4 weeks and Its not been touched. He says they all do that when cold and he has not seen it do it when hot.
It's rare when hot for it to do it but it does on occasions and always happens when cold. By reving on start up you can make it disappear but my argument is it should not sound ruff in the first place.

Do you think I have grounds to pursue this through a court as the builder has no interest in rebuilding it.

I have just collected the car to take for a drive to try and get it knocking/taping when got.

This engine was quiet as a mouse and now is not.
I'm panning on touring this summer in it and don't want it going pop and it being my fault.
Never seen such poor service in my life imo

[Manchestergas]

Any advise on this matter is greatly appreciated

[Manchestergas]

I have had the head taken off and rebuilt with this one. this consisted of being acid dipped,steam cleaned and all parts refitted.
Another new set of followers have gone in ( that's the fourth fecking set in 4k miles)

Oil pressure has been checked and is 6 bar cold.
Got it back yesterday and a lifter appears still to struggle and start tapping when I'm off power and rpm is falling from 2.5krpm to 1k rpm.

So if we know theres new lifters, the head Is spotless with no damage and we have oil pressure correct at take off point.
Can any anyone point me as to where to look next.

Knocking still evident and lifters ( brand new 20 miles only) tap as if stuck every now and again at low rpm.

Going looking at a zr tomoz to rip engine out if its quiet.
That was another £850 down the pan it looks like. :-(

[Manchestergas]

I have just had the head replaced on this car with a known good head.
The noise is Exactly the same. Can I buy a vvc engine with warranty from anywhere? so as not to knock its fecking head off.
I can't believe how its noise is identical but it is. Oil pressure has been checked again and all good.
It's new engine time I think. There's another 1k down the pan. :-(

[Manchestergas]

I could personally not tell you the oil pressures but it has been checked by two seperate garages,
Both hot and cold. One being a race engine builder,( did the poor work on show above and has since rebuilt the head supposedly on the cheap but stung me for £850 notes and replaced my piper lifters with some oe ones. Then one being an ex rover tech of twelve years who has now just swapped the head. The head lasted 10 miles before I started getting a noisy lifter when traveling round corners, another 40 miles and it was permanently deflated and noisy ( race builders attempt at rebuild) he said I had seized a lifter possibly by over revving (I know that not true). Rover bod says that it is one lifter not working properly (same as last head)

In all it's had two heads ( first had 3 seperate lifter changes and two strip downs including head gaskets)
Second head has been swapped just yesterday and is identical in noise.

I ain't a mechanic but it can only be oil related in my eyes now. Rover bod says he is clutching at straws but thinks a new oil pump could be on the cards as a last ditch attemp although pressure I fine. I remember 6bar and 4 bar or 4bar and two and a half bar off the top of my head.
I'm thinking just rip it out and find a good one heard running, you have to understand I'm now 4k out of pocket and my car sounds the same, I just want it to sound like any £1500 mgf I here daily running about. Not to much to ask I feel.

I could have had a monster of a k series for those figures but instead have a dog of an engine.

Depressing is not the word IMO.