Yes, had it in and out in 8 hrs, did both head gaskets on it.

Can you send me a link to a full kit pls. I've looked up some places and only found 1 kit with head bolts for $200, i checked atlantic british and went under disco, and all that came up was 4.0l ?

 

The 4.0, 3.9 and 4.6 are the same engine just differant strokes so maybe a 4.0 gasket seat will work. If you call AB they can tell you for sure.
You can also check www.britishpacific.com.
Or http://www.dap-inc.com/index.shtml.

 

Is there anything else I should do while I have the heads off ?

Timing chain, a mechanic said something about a front cover ?

Im gonna have both heads pressure tested and magnafluxed ...

 

Did you mention how many miles were on it? I didn't see. The heads are probably ok, but if it were my vehicle, and since you plan to keep it for a while, I'd take the heads into a machine shop and have them disassembled, checked for straightness, cleaned,valvesand seats ground and guides checked/replaced. Then new valve stem seals. That'll probably cost you about $340. If there are any bad valve guides, burntor cracked valvesor broken valve stem seals, now is the time to resolve those issues. It'll ensure you don't have an oil burning motor (from the top end at least). And since you don't know the history of the vehicle, it's also insurancethat the shop that's changing the head won't reinstall a cracked or warpedhead.

The other thing I'd consider while the motor is apart, is check the pistons for carbon build-up and the intake ports. If the intake ports are carboned up, for some reason, I'd get it hot tanked at the machine shop. Also, check the EGR valve port also for carbon build-up. Carbon blockage is definitely a possibility here. It can usually be cleaned with a screwdriver.

Again, I don't know the miles, but I assume it's up to about 100k or more. At this point, since they're going to drain the coolant, and havesome of the hosesand wires off ...and be in there working on the motor ...and you intend to keep it a while, it would be wise to have the shopdrain as much of the coolant as possible and replace the water pump, thermostat (you see a lot of thermostat issues on this board)and replace all the radiator and heater hoses. Have them back-flush the heater core, which might give you better heat. A new serpentine belt also (make sure they get it routedproperly as it could possibly go on, but in a different configuration which would result in alternator slippage under load -- I know). Have them spin the fan clutch by hand to feel the bearing action. They commonly fail. Test the idler pulleys by hand. Then, top it off with new plugs and wires (I'm sure the wires need changing), and distributor cap if it has one and oil and filter. Then all new coolant. This is going to add to your bill, of course, but if you do all this, you've eliminatedmost 'failure points' in the engine area, and, over time it will repay you handsomely with a much more reliable vehicle.It won't nickle and dime you to death when the thermostat sticks open, or a hose leaks, or the water pump leaksthis summer.Furthermore, you and your wife won't be stuck somewhere on the side of the road and you won't be posting on this board every month that L/R's are crappy vehicles because this and that item crapped out. Plus, it'll run more efficiently with re-worked heads, sure to help improve economy.

Beyond that, theinjectors are a weak point, I don't know if the 95 has 8 injectors, or a throttle body, but I'd seriously suggest getting them tested for leakage and spray pattern and rebuilt if necessary.This will increase power, responsiveness and performance. Several higher mileage vehicles I've had them tested on showed faulty injectors on test. If you do decide to replace,it's widely known that theaftermarket no-name units areproven inferior. Avoid buying them, stick with Bosch or the factory units.

Of course, while you have it in the shop, have them check the brakes and other fluids. If it were my vehicle (Wait, I did this with mine when I bought it...) I'd change the front and rear differentiallube and transfer case fluids. When I replaced my brakes I put in new seals. It would also be a good idea to have the shop check the moisture content of the brake fluid. Brake fluid is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture. More-so because the fluid gets heated/cooled constantly. Periodically it's necessary to replace the fluid so water doesn't collect in the calipers or lowest part of the lines somewhere and rust it out. Practically nobody changes their fluid like they're supposed to, but at 100K I'd definitely do it. If your brakes are getting down there,you can probably put offuntil you replace and do it then.

I guess that's a pretty good list. If it were my vehicle, these are the things I'd do. I've actually done quite a few head gaskets over the years and I normally do all of these things. I replaced the water pump on my wife's Jeep G/C last week and I replaces all the hoses (heater hoses too), thermostat and coolant ..all the coolant parts. They were so-so except for the belt, which I recently replaced.

One other item is the front driveshaft. Seems to have been quite a few U-joint failures posted lately. It would be a really good idea to have them check/lube the U-joints on the front driveshaft, or better yet, just replace.If it goes it commonly breaks the tranny housing, then you're up a real creek $$. I'm going to replace all the U-joints in mine in the next couple weeks as a precautionary measure.

 

Printed and will be handed to my mechanic on Monday. I appreciate your most-awesome response !

Wish there was a kudo's system or something ... or someway I could repay you for the knowledge.

 

135k miles btw .. 1995 disco well taken care of.


Now in all honesty what would you rate a job like this ? I can dissassemble and put together anything as long as i remember and take tons of pictures. I'm a competent mechanic at things when other factors aren't an issue such as weather, family, and business.

If I got a tent and put it up and did all the work myself, (except the machine work i'd have done at a local machine shop) do you think it would be possible to pull off in a week?

Just set a list of things need to be done and tackle them one at a time ?

 

If you don't have one buy a goodtorque wrench to do it yourself. It looks pretty easy but I've never done a rover before myself. You bought a Land Rover, you won't have time for family anymore so you can forget about them LOL! (J/K)