Noisy lifters on a rover V8

[lucebayjack]

The engine in question is an ex rover SD1 3.5 V8 now residing in an MGB GT.

Before we go any further I am well aware that i have made a foolish mistake. I just hope I cant put it right with out to much hassel.

I rather stupidly ran the engine with no oil pressure (changed disi and failed to notice the new one had no oil pump drive shaft on it). It didn't run for long before i noticed the lack of pressure but it now makes a horrendous noise.

I have been advised to first change the oil and to mix in an additive.

Some one else has advised to pour a litre of automatic transmission oil or diesel into the engine and then run it for a bit. Apparently this should clean everything prior to the oil change.

I have heard mixed things about oil additives and can't find anything at all about adding diesel to the mix (web searches just result in methods of how to remove the die from red diesel with used engine oil).

Is it wishful thinking believing an oil change with or with out additive or diesel will cure the problem?


Thanks,
Jack

[anonymous-user]

Ok, what is "didn't run it long"?? Are we talking 10sec, 30sec, 2 min?


Probably all that has happened is the lifters have squirted all their oil out, so just running the engine up to temp should re-fill then and all will quiet down again, but:


If you've cream crackered the cam, then that ain't going to fix itself, and you might find the big ends don't last very long if there has been metal/metal contact!

[lucebayjack]

It would have been 2-3 minutes. It took me a while to work out what was going on. I thought i had got my leads muddled up on the disi until i looked at the oil pressure!

I'm guessing i have run it dry for to long. Would it help pouring ATF in it as it stands? Or is it just knackered?

[Krikkit]

Might be worth pulling the sump off and having a look at the big end bearings to see if they're scored etc - not too time-consuming, but a good indicator. If it runs like a bag of ass with the appropriate oil in it, chances are some part of it is knackered.

[anonymous-user]

2-3min may well have been catastrophic for the cam/lift interface without lubrication, especially at idle. Big ends are very likely to be a bit sorry for themselves too. I'd deffo have the sump off for a look (which could mean saving the crank etc if done sooner rather than later) Looking at cam is a fairly easy intake manifold off job, just needs coolant dropping, but again, worth a look to determine how bad things are