hey everyone, new to this forum and land rovers in general. ive always loved them and wanted one so i picked this up off a friend of my dads for $500. Pros; new radiator, water pump, plugs, wires, and some other goodies originally from cali and super clean, everything works. Cons; needs a head gasket.

so ive been reading up on the replacement of the head gasket, seems its a little bit more expensive then i expected although im not surprised. also the heads have to be machined?

so basically any info on what needs to be checked as far as everything on the vehicle and a wright up of the head gasket replacement would be great. lots of great info here so ill continue my searches.

oh yeah 120k on the clock. and heres some pictures of my new toy.

 

Welcome. You will find DIY things to to do in our tech area, including a list of high miles service items. You should download your own copy of the RAVE, the factory shop manual. HGs need to be done if they are leaking. Your symptoms?

HGs done DIY run about $200-$300 for parts. Shops get about 12-15 hours labor. You want to use new bolts, they torque to yield (stretch). Yes, an expert can re-use them sometimes, not worth it as a first timer. The machine shop work is IF the heads are not flat within spec, and the machine shop can inspect them for very little. From the RAVE, the spec is .002 inch; your printer paper is .0038 inch. So they should be checked, perhaps they won't need machining. Machine shops also clean up heads and install valve seals for you. They also inspect for cracks, and if needed can install valve guides. Here is a page with the way to check for flatness.

You'll find plenty of DIY articles in here on replacing HGs. Rule of thumb is two weekends, with machine shop inbetween.

Don't trust the heat gauge above 50%. Use a scanner or Ultra Gauge to check temps via OBDII port.

 

Great info, thanks for the reply. as far as symptoms go, im honestly not to sure yet. i haven't had a chance to talk with the previous owner about whats going on. all i know is he had the water pump and radiator replaced and he says its the HG. gonna do some more reading up on here and get outside before the snow comes and dig into it a little bit. ill keep you posted.

 

Welcome to the group.
So you want to know what should be done hopefully by you, then go to the sticky at the top of this section, open it up and find my major service list. It is long but should be done to any high miler before you tackle the trails.

 

I did find that thread, thank you! Lots of good info there and all work will absolutely be done by me

 

Try to seek out some local LR owners or a club. Having somebody help you that's done heads before is a huge plus. I helped a guy by me with his heads and we knocked it out in 12 hours one day, including lunch, rebuilding his tensioner pulley, and replacing his deep belt and a radiator hose.
Will Tillery over on Discoweb.org has/had a great deal on head bolts/gaskets, and milled heads with a valve job. Just send yours back. Do LOTS of reading before digging in. I would also recommend getting the "In Search of the Experience" DVD from Atlantic British. It has a great how to of Rover head gaskets and is a neat flick too.

 

The heads do not need to be shaved unless they are warped.
If you have no idea if the engine was overheated or not it would not hurt to have them checked out.
Odds are in your favor that they are fine.
Dont have them milled unless they are warped.