RD28T Glow plugs, a word of caution.

[Flying Torquewrench]

Anybody that follows Banshee’s or my thread in the “project” section knows that the RD28 glow plugs can cause some issues if they snap.

Unlike other glow plugs, the ones used in the RD28 have a ceramic middle which runs the full length of the glow plug. This design causes an issue when the plugs snap off when trying to remove them. Due to the ceramic middle section they are near impossible to drill out as the drill blunts as soon as it hits the ceramic.

To avoid all this I took my cylinder head to an engine shop to have the glow plugs removed. 3 came out with no issues and the other 3 snapped. At this moment in time even the engine shop is drawing a blank on how to best remove these glow plugs. We discussed the use of a coring drill and then use a helicoil to repair the thread but no coring drill is narrow enough. They are now looking at using a diamond tipped tile drill as nothing else makes a dent in the ceramic.

If this doesn’t work then I may be looking at a replacement cylinder head!

The moral of the story is not to overtighten the glow plugs on installation. If you are not sure how they are installed then think very hard before replacing them. As it could turn out to be very expensive.

This also applies to the Y60 with the RD28 engine but I don’t want to post the same thread twice.

 

[Banshee]

Diamond tipped drill bits don't work either........ I've tried

Still no call back from the firm that has my head at the moment either :nenau

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Oh great, cheers Zac!

How long is your head away for?

Cost of a new head from Australia is £1100 including shipping, customs duty and VAT. However it is a bare head so everything else has to be added.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

If you are interested Zac, AMC do a superb replacement cylinder head. My contact in Australia, who supplies me with genuine Nissan parts if they are unavailable in the UK, swears by them. In his opinion they are better then the original.

AMC is based in Spain and do completely bare heads, semi complete heads or complete heads. I have messaged them just now to enquire about a semi complete head. The semi complete head is fully assembled minus the camshaft.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Applicable page from the AMC catalogue. Also dropped Lymm Engine Centre a message regarding cost.

Obviously buying from AMC will be cheaper but it depends by how much. As shipping, VAT and Customs duty all need to come on top.

 

[Banshee]

Oh great, cheers Zac!

How long is your head away for?

Cost of a new head from Australia is £1100 including shipping, customs duty and VAT. However it is a bare head so everything else has to be added.

It's in Evesham apparently and it's been away for 3 weeks now

I'm not paying that for a head!!!!

If it comes to it I'll be dropping a ZD30 in to get it going again.

I'm not going for the likes of the OM606 or M57 purely because I can't afford it and the lack of knowledge. I'll be honest, I've never done an engine swap of that sort before.

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Just had a reply from AMC. A complete head, minus camshaft (908604 in the list) comes to £694 ex VAT and £60 shipping. So just shy of a £900

Not cheap but I have a £1000 in parts laying here so I haven’t really got a choice.

It is a difficult decision. Unless you know exactly what second hand engine you are getting it can turn out to be the same drama.

I briefly explored the idea of putting a Isuzu Dmax engine and gearbox in it. But the for a half decent engine and gearbox the price was around £5000. That is excluding any modifications to make it all fit. The idea was quickly abandoned.

 

[solarman216]

Just did a quick search on Ebay and several there around £500 plus post of £20 all new, Rick

 

[Flying Torquewrench]

Not as easy as that Rick. The heads that you have found on eBay are not suitable for the RD28Ti engine.

Also the heads on eBay are bare cylinder heads so you still need to get:
-valve seats
-valve guides
-valve stem seals
-pre-combustion chambers
-valves
-valve springs

Obviously the last two items can be re-used from the old head. Having said that, by having to buy the other items separately it is cheaper to buy a complete head.
AMC is a very well know make in aftermarket cylinder heads. They supply replacement cylinder heads for nearly every possible make of engine. If you read the Australian forums then they change a lot of heads for AMC ones. With eBay you never know what quality you are going to get.

My new cylinder head is ordered today and should arrive within the next two weeks.

Corry Motor Services are one of the appointed dealers in the UK for AMC. AMC will ship all orders to their dealers who then ship it to the customer. So no issues with VAT, import duty and handling charges with the courier.

Link to AMC pdf catalogue below:
https://www.lymmengineparts.co.uk/amc.pdf

Or directly on the AMC website to search on make and model:
https://web.tecalliance.net/amc/en/home