Rover 12 engine removal

JohnG
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Rover 12 engine removal

Post by JohnG » Wed Jan 06, 2021 5:10 pm

Hello,

I hope at some point in the not-too-distant future to remove the engine of my 1946 P12 and just wanted to ask whether anyone has any tips for someone having a go at this for the first time. I have read the account of how to go about it in the Workshop Manual and also looked at Luli's posts, but was wondering whether there are any other things to bear in mind.

Also, the manual advises to remove the "four set-bolts securing the remote control housing to its support bracket, thus allowing the housing to float". I presume the remote control housing is the part marked by the red arrow in the attached diagram, but would just like to double-check. Thanks.

Regards,

John
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luli
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by luli » Wed Jan 06, 2021 8:40 pm

Yes. it is. The only tip that comes to my mind at the moment is be careful 0n the pulley. Pull the engine upward so that the front of it is higher (the engine is not leveled but inclines forward).
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JohnG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by JohnG » Fri Jan 08, 2021 5:06 pm

Thanks Luli. I will keep this in mind.

TonyG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by TonyG » Sat Jan 09, 2021 12:22 pm

John,

Aside from the four bolts holding the remote, there are two more on the metal hoop holding the gearbox freewheel unit down onto the rubber mounting. I cannot recall if the aluminium bracket under the rubber mounting has additional bolts but, if so, they will also need removing so that the rubber mounting comes out with the gearbox. After many years in place it will appear bonded to the box and bracket. New ones are available from Meteor spares if required. Prop shaft also needs removing. The nuts should have split pins, which can be a fiddle. Also disconnect the speedo drive, clutch cable and freewheel cable and tie up well out of the way. There will also be an earth strap to take off and wires to the oil level sender and distributor. To make things easier, the floor plates under the pedals and corresponding on passenger side need to come out. I’m assuming the later models have these? To do this the pedals have to be removed.

I’m assuming you have the bonnet, radiator, grill etc removed and the adjustable bars which run to the bulkhead are out of the way? Also that the manifolds, carb, distributor and dynamo are all removed. Best to remove the starter motor so that undue pressure isn’t put on it when lifting. A rope can be passed under the engine at rear between rear of sump and bell housing plus another attached to the engine mounting points at the front. You will need to adjust the lifting point between the two so that the front of the engine is higher. It will be necessary to manoeuvre the gearbox through the bulkhead by lifting the engine and moving it forward until the rear has cleared the cross members. Keep the ropes short above the engine so you have maximum lifting height available. Once clear of the car it’s easier to push the car backwards than the engine forwards.

It all sounds more complicated than it actually is. Quite a few bits and pieces but easier to work on than a modern car. The hardest part will probably be getting all the bodywork- bonnet, grill etc- to line up when you put it back together!

While the engine is out it’s a great opportunity to clean up the engine bay, chassis, steering rods etc and repaint all the bits and pieces before reassembly. POR 15 engine paint is the best available and can be bought online from Frost. POR 15 gloss black paint is superb as well but don’t get it on your hands as you cannot clean it off. Also you need to put cling film on tin before replacing the lids or they will stick solid. Great stuff!

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

Tony.
Tony Gilbert

P1 12 Tourer
P2 12 6 Light Saloon
Discovery 3
Discovery Sport

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luli
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by luli » Sat Jan 09, 2021 12:36 pm

Nice and detailed advice, Tony. Just one remark: If work is only intended on the engine, there is no need to remove the gearbox. Just put a trolley jack under the sump, separate the engine from the gearbox and pull it out. No need to remove the ancillaries.
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JohnG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by JohnG » Sat Jan 09, 2021 4:35 pm

Tony, Luli,

Thank you both for your comments. The guidance about the mechanics of removal is very helpful. Only the engine appears to need work and my initial plan was just to remove that. Would there be any specific advantage to removing the gearbox as well as the engine? The former looks to have been replaced at some point already, although I don't know when.

Regards,

John

TonyG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by TonyG » Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:16 pm

John,

Luli is right, there is no need to remove the gearbox. I’d assumed you were intending to since your original post related to the gear remote etc. However, I realise that allowing it to float freely was simply to prevent damage during the engine removal.

Personally, I’d take them out together as it’s a fiddle getting to all the bellhousing nuts and affords the opportunity to clean everything up, making future maintenance more pleasurable. However, there is no real advantage in doing this unless you plan on undertaking work or restoration that is made easier by having the box out of the way.

Fitting together the engine and box is easier out of the car but shouldn’t be a major problem providing you are careful aligning the input shaft with the clutch and flywheel bearing so as not to damage the clutch cover fingers. Getting ahead of ourselves I know but I used a piece of pipe, with suitable amounts of tape wrapped around to emulate the gearbox shaft size, when aligning the clutch plate on reassembly.

Also it will be worth checking the gearbox rubber mounting mentioned in previous post and the engine front mountings. Oil contamination and age can make them soft, leading to engine vibration and juddering when pulling away. The gearbox doesn’t need to be out to do this though.

I hope this helps and apologies if my previous post alarmed you into thinking the job was bigger than it needed to be!

Tony.
Tony Gilbert

P1 12 Tourer
P2 12 6 Light Saloon
Discovery 3
Discovery Sport

JohnG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by JohnG » Sun Jan 10, 2021 5:40 pm

Hello Tony,

Thank you for the clarification and further advice. All much appreciated.

Regards,

John

JohnG
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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by JohnG » Wed Mar 10, 2021 8:40 pm

Having finally got the engine out of my car, I thought I'd share some details of the process for the benefit of anyone else who takes this on for the first time. The Workshop Manual says that after removing the nuts connecting the bell-housing to the flywheel cover and the engine bearer bolts, you simply need to "secure a sling to the engine and remove from the car". Needless to say, it's not quite that straightforward.

Removing the various nuts and bolts wasn't too much of a problem, but, having done that, the bell-housing and flywheel cover were very reluctant to part company. The first attempt failed so I returned the following day and after some gentle tapping of remaining the captive bolts linking the two (quite a few had some away with the nuts), managed to open up a hairline gap.

This was enlarged with the aid of a pen-knife blade, larger blade, small screwdriver, larger screwdriver etc. plus lots of WD-40. I spent probably a couple of hours on this until eventually it was possible to gently and gradually prise away the flywheel cover away from the bellhousing using a crowbar and heavy-duty screwdriver, and finally lift the engine free.

All in all there were four people involved in the final stage - two working on separating the engine from the bellhousing, one operating the crane and another keeping it steady as we were on slightly uneven ground. Two people could probably do it at a stretch but, based on my experience if you are tackling this as a novice, you ideally need at least three people.

Next move is to figure out how to shift the engine from the boot of my car to my makeshift "workshop" (formerly the back room of the house). To be continued...

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Re: Rover 12 engine removal

Post by TonyG » Fri Mar 12, 2021 3:00 pm

Hi John,

Well done, sounds like a bit of a job but what a great achievement to get the engine out. As I said before, there are some advantages in removing the engine and box together and, I suspect, you may well have identified a few. It may be that you decide to remove the box after all and install it with the engine to avoid some of the issues you have already had, but in reverse!

Even with the head removed, the engine is a heavy old lump to move about. It may help to remove the clutch and flywheel as this will lighten it a bit. If you do, take note of the markings on the flywheel and crank, usually an ‘0’, so you get it back on the right way round.

Once the crank is removed you can probably move the engine about on your own but you need to get the block into your ‘workshop’ before getting to that stage. I made up a small wooden platform with swivel wheels on each corner that allowed the engine block to sit on upside down and be moved about.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Tony.
Tony Gilbert

P1 12 Tourer
P2 12 6 Light Saloon
Discovery 3
Discovery Sport

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