Times indicate either an de-install or a install..double for a turnaround

Method one (4-6 hours two people, engine out then gearbox)

Method two (5-7 hours two people, engine/gearbox out as one unit)

Method three (2.5-3 hours one-two people, engine out, no gearbox)

METHOD ONE
This method gives access to motor and gearbox

Like all things auto-mechanical,  the most important tool necessary to the removal of the engine of a Plus 8 is patience. If you don't have that, say pass to the job. Next, prepare to go the extra mile and shun shortcuts. Curiously this method will not only protect the finish of your car, make the job safer and more methodically consistent, it will actually turn out taking less time. I suggest strongly that parts and connections are carefully numbered during disassembly and a camera (especially a digital one) makes a handy companion for future reference.

Extra tools; Engine hoist, camera, stickers for numbering and straps. (or I strongly suggest the purchase of a engine leveler.)

TO PURCHASE:  water pump gasket, (a new clutch is a good idea, you don't want to do this any sooner than you have to.)

1. If you have an EFI model;  depressurize the fuel system.

2. Disconnect the battery.

3. Remove the bonnet (carefully store and label the screws).

4. Remove the front grill and badge bar if you have one).

5. Remove the cowl (nose of the car).

6. Drain the radiator

7. Remove the headers or manifolds as the case may..and the exhaust section between the motor and the twin pipe)

8. Remove the covering of the gearbox cover. (I also removed the seats for easier access)

9. Remove the gearbox floor screws and lift-a-dots and the firewall screws.

10. Remove the remote entirely. (Or remove then shift lever.)

11. Lift up the box up and forward until you are stopped by the hand brake lever..

12. Disconnect the handbrake cable from the handbrake lever and remove the lever from underneath the box;

13. Undo the speedometer cable;

14. Finish removing the gearbox cover;

15. Remove the back wall screws and floor screws of the propshaft cover and remove it,

16. Undo the propshaft from the gearbox flange by removing the bolts.

17. Jack up the front of the car about ten inches. and place it on jack stands.

18. You may have to remove the coil for the 1/4 inch of extra space it may give you and disconnect the coil from the distributor.

19. Disconnect the fuel lines and throttle cable and with EFI models disconnect each injector carefully and bunch the wiring up on the bulkhead.

20. Detach the heater hoses from the engine and radiator hoses from the radiator.

21. Disconnect the radiator fan switch.

22. Remove the radiator.

23. There is no question of removing the water pump pulley, and in my case I had to remove the water pump as well which is the reason for the new gasket. The extra 4 inches this gives you is the difference between a scary job and and a good one.

24. Disconnect the large motor grounds (earth).

25. Disconnect the starter. (some have noted that they had to remove the starter, it was not necessary in my case.) And disconnect the distributor and spark plug  wires.

26. Disconnect the oil gauge line from the oil pump.

27. Position your engine hoist in the front and use heavy duty nylon straps rather than chains or netter still, a engine leveler. If you do not have a leveler, the Rover V8 is not a heavy item and nylon straps slip less and cause less damage to surfaces. I placed one strap in the groove around the starter and the other before the timing cover.

28. Place a wheeled jack underneath the gearbox and jack until it "holds" the box

29. Disconnect the clutch hose to the slave.

30. Remove what bolts from the bellhousing to the engine you can access.

31. Remove the bolts from the oil pan (sump) bracing plate into the bell housing underneath.

32. Take the weight on the straps and remove the engine bolts of the engine brackets (mounts) on each side.

33. Detach the gearbox from its bracket underneath the front of the gearbox..(with a Rover 5 speed).

34. Push the motor and gearbox forward enough so that you may access the remaining bellhousing to motor bolts and remove them. OR leave the gearbix as is and push the engine to one side and then other to access the bolts from the side or from within the car with a sockaet and an extension.

35. Push the motor back to its original place and loosely bolt in the gearbox to its bracket. Carefully wriggle and pry the motor free of the bellhousing and pull it forward and free making sure that the gearbox stays supported by its jack.

36. You will now need every millimeter of space you created to easy the motor out of the engine bay and you will thank yourself for every extra millimeter. It is a wise habit to very gently shake the engine with your hands to make absolutely sure you are not hoisting an engine that it still attached to something or has become stuck on something forgotten. You must do this with the other proviso that you do not want the engine to bump into the bay or finish as it will chip anything it touches.

37. You now have easy access to the clutch and flywheel on the engine side and the bellhousing bolts to the gearbox. The bellhousing can be removed if necessary and lifting the bolts to its bracket will allow the gearbox to be removed...heavy thing!

38. One look at the car and you will realize that you have solved the heating and air-conditioning problems indigenous to Plus 8s.

Re-assembly is the reverse of dis-assembly..remember to scrape off all the old water pump gasket, silicone both sides, fit the new gasket and refit the water pump AFTER the motor is back in..though there may be a solution if you made that mistake. Refitting the shaft into the clutch/engine is delicate, you do not want to scratch the bushing or you will be listening to the scratch's whine for some time. Just position things the best you can with your friend and then easily work the engine onto the shaft. You may require a long pole for front leverage to push the engine onto the shaft.

N.B. It is wise after re-assembly to turn over the engine for two or three bouts of 15 seconds with the coil or the sparks unplugged. This will assure you that everything is fine. As well, when you reconnect for the real start, please check your oil gauge. The Rover pumps can lose its prime fairly easily. If you do not see the gauge rise almost immediately after startup ..shut off the engine immediately!! According to the manual the pump can be re-primed by opening it up and packing it completely with vaseline.

METHOD TWO
This method removes the engine and gearbox as one unit.

Extra tools; Engine hoist, camera, stickers for numbering and  straps. (I strongly suggest the purchase of a engine leveler.)

TO PURCHASE:  water pump gasket, (a new clutch is a good idea, as you don't want to do this again any sooner than you have to.)

1. If you have an EFI model;  depressurize the fuel system.

2. Disconnect the battery.

3. Remove the bonnet (carefully store and label the screws).

4. Remove the front grill and badge bar if you have one).

5. Remove the cowl (nose of the car).

6. Drain and remove the radiator. (Be careful of the fan blades!)

7. Disconnect the large motor grounds (earth).

8. Disconnect the starter. (some have noted that they had to remove the starter, it was not necessary in my case.)  And disconnect the distributor and spark plug  wires.

9. Disconnect the oil gauge line from the oil pump.

10. Remove the headers or manifolds as the case may..and the exhaust section between the motor and the twin pipe)

11. Interior: Remove the covering of the gearbox cover. (I also removed the seats for easier access)

12. Remove the gearbox floor screws and lift-a-dots and the firewall screws.

13. Remove stick shift knob or the remote entirely.

14. Lift up the box up and forward until you are stopped by the hand brake lever..

15. Disconnect the handbrake cable from the handbrake lever and remove the lever from underneath the box;

16. Undo the speedometer cable;

17. Finish removing the gearbox cover;

18. Remove the back wall screws and floor screws of the propshaft cover and remove it,

19. Undo the propshaft from the gearbox flange by removing the bolts.

20. Undo the gearbox from its mounting

21. Jack up the front of the car about ten inches. and place it on jack stands and place another jack underneath the gearbox.

21. You may have to remove the ignition coil for the 1/4 inch of extra space it may give you and disconnect the coil from the distributor.

19. Disconnect the fuel lines and throttle cable and with EFI models disconnect each injector carefully and bunch the wiring up on the scuttle.

20. Detach the heater hoses from the engine and radiator hoses from the radiator.

21. Disconnect the radiator fan switch.

22. Remove the radiator.

23. There is no question of removing the water pump pulley, and in my case I had to remove the water pump as well which is the reason for the new gasket. The extra 4 inches this gives you is the difference between a scary job and and a good one.

24. Here you must very carefully remove the crossbar. This hold the rad at its center and the wings together with two nuts on the threaded ends. This piece aligns the wings and therefore the bonnet fit and it must be returned exactly as it was. Mark all nuts with a bit of paint. Loosen the inside nut on one side counting the turns. Then loosen  the inside nut on the other side..counting the turns. Then remove one of the outer nuts (on the outer side of the wing) counting the turns. Mark the bar and note which turns were where. You can then slide the piece towards the other side ad remove the inner nuts while doing so.

25. Disconnect the large motor grounds (earth).

26. Disconnect the starter. (some have noted that they had to remove the starter, it was not necessary in my case.)

27. Disconnect the oil gauge line from the oil pump.

28. Position your engine hoist in the front and your engine leveler by bolting its ends to the engine..there are threaded holes on the heads. The Rover V8 is not a heavy item.

29. Place a wheeled jack underneath the gearbox and jack until it "holds" the box

29. Disconnect the clutch hose to the slave.

30. Remove what bolts from the bellhousing to the engine you can access.

31. Remove the bolts from the oil pan (sump) bracing plate (pre-1987) into the bell housing underneath.

32. Take the weight on the chains and remove the engine bolts of the engine brackets on each side.

33. Detach the gearbox from its bracket underneath the front of the gearbox..(with a Rover 5 speed).

34. Jack up the gearbox a bit to clear its mounting.

35. Push the motor back to its original place and loosely bolt in the gearbox to its bracket. Carefully wriggle and pry the motor free of the bellhousing and pull it forward and free making sure that the gearbox stays supported by its jack.

36. You will now need every millimeter of space you created to easy the motor out of the engine bay and you will thank yourself for every extra millimeter. Use the leveler to change the angle of the assembly as needed. It is a wise habit to very gently shake the engine with your hands to make absolutely sure you are not hoisting an engine that it still attached to something or has become stuck on something forgotten. You must do this with the other proviso that you do not want the engine/gearbox to bump into the bay or finish as it will chip anything it touches.

37. You now have easy access to the clutch and flywheel on the engine side and the bellhousing bolts to the gearbox. The bellhousing can be removed if necessary and lifting the bolts to its bracket will allow the gearbox to be removed...heavy thing!

Re-assembly is the reverse of dis-assembly..remember to scrape off all the old water pump gasket, silicone both sides, fit the new gasket and refit the water pump AFTER the motor is back in..though there may be a solution if you made that mistake. Refitting the shaft into the clutch/engine is delicate, you do not want to scratch the bushing or you will be listening to the scratch's whine for some time. Just position things the best you can with your friend and then easily work the engine onto the shaft. You may require a long pole for front leverage to push the engine onto the shaft.

N.B. It is wise after re-assembly to turn over the engine for two or three bouts of 15 seconds with the coil or the sparks unplugged. This will assure you that everything is fine. As well, when you reconnect for the real start, please check your oil gauge. The Rover pumps can lose its prime fairly easily. If you do not see the gauge rise almost immediately after startup ..shut off the engine immediately!! According to the manual the pump can be re-primed by opening it up and packing it completely with vaseline.

METHOD THREE
This method removes the engine quickly. great for engine work and clutch replacement.
Extra tools; Engine hoist, camera, stickers for numbering,  straps. (I strongly suggest the purchase of a engine leveler.)

TO PURCHASE:  water pump gasket, (a new clutch is always a good idea any time you are in this area .You don't want to replace a clutch any sooner than you have to and they are cheap.)

1. If you have an EFI model;  depressurize the fuel system. and disconnect the fuel lines

2. Remove the bonnet (carefully store and label the screws).

3. Drain the car of oil.

4. Drain the car of coolant

5.  Remove the crank shaft pulley.

6. Remove the crank shaft dampener. This is held on by the highest torque bolt on the car (165lbs.) You can get a breaker bar and socket and (remove the plate at the bellhousing to) jam the flywheel an/or use a pipe wrench on the dampener you stop the engine from moving. You can get access from the side or from underneath the car.

N.B. Alternatively use the quick method. Use the breaker bar braced against the rotation of the engine on the floor. (MAKE SURE YOU GET THIS RIGHT!) Then quickly tweak the starter on/off. Voila!

7. Detach the heater hoses from the engine and radiator hoses from the radiator.

8. Remove the alternator (I normally do so by removing the alternator AND its bracket. (You can access that hard to get bolt through a slot you should find already there in the adjacent inner wing.)

9. Disconnect the large motor grounds (earth). And disconnect the distributor and spark plug  wires.

10. Disconnect the starter. (some have noted that they had to remove the starter, it was not necessary in my case.)

11. Disconnect the oil gauge line from the oil pump and the throttle/choke cables.

12. Remove the water pump.

13. Disconnect the clutch hose to the slave.

14. Jack up the front of the car about ten inches. and place it on jack stands.

15. Suspend the engine with your hoist.

16. Remove the exhaust manifolds and first section of pipes in the bay.

17. Unbolt the section of the engine mounts on the engine and the other middle section from the frame section and pull the two sections out together from each side.

18. Remove the bell housing bolts you can and then lower and move the engine from side to access the others. It will be a little fiddle..but getting these bolts is always a fiddle from the side..just now you can  get them all.

19. Pull the engine forward to disengage the motor/bellhousing/gearbox and carefully hoist straight up.

Changing the Plus 8 Engine Mounts (1977-2004)
by Lorne Goldman & Mick Annick

I have done this job on all my Plus 8s. Twice because the rubber mounting sections were rotting and once because the super important little 7/16 or 10mm bolt on the engine part of the three piece mounting assembly had fallen out. I did THAT one road side near gorgeous Harpswell, Maine on a lovely day two decades ago. (wistfully)

I will start with some general LR/Rover Plus 8 info first? Don't worry, there is a method to my madness.

All Plus 8s from 1977 to the last LR Plus 8 in mid-2004 use Sd1 bellhousings, Sd1 remotes, Sd1 engine mounts and LT77/ R380 2wd gearboxes. IIRC the bellhousings, remote and mounts stopped being used by Rover in1986 or soon after. I am pointing this out, once again, that the components a Plus 8 uses, depends on which model you have, when it was made, and whether it was sold (most Plus 8s, most years, went ex-UK either of overseas or to Germany. 

Happily, NO Plus 8s ever used the cast alloy sump LR adopted in the mid-1990s. +8s do not have much clearance and cast alloy sumps crack and shatter like eggshells. If you are one of the lucky ones (1987-2004).