Hey everyone,My husband and I have as I listed in the title, 2002 land rover disco 2. Of course, we have ran into some issues. The engine overheats (Ultra Gauge it gets to around ~217 before we shut it off to prevent further damage) within a couple of minutes. Driving or idling, it overheats. We have our suspicions it is the notorious busted head gasket BUT we haven't noticed anything milky or what not. Here are the following items we have worked on/replaced: 1. Thermostat: changed several times but just switched into an in-line Thermostat from Extinct Motors.2. Radiator: completely new from Atlantic British 3. Coolant expansion tank: completely new one (can't remember where we got that)4. Coolant expansion : new from Atlantic British5. Fan: new engine cooling fan from Atlantic British 6. Water pump: new from Atlantic British 7. Temperature sensor: changed it twice That being said, we have of course flushed the system and changed the coolant. Now trying the green coolant. No visible signs of loss of coolant either. No visible signs of coolant in the oil. We've read how having air in the system can cause overheating but we have bled this thing to death (pls feel free to add how you personally bleed your systems) We just want to try to make sure we truly covered what we could ourselves before taking it to a mechanic to check the head gaskets. The closest rover tech to us is in Massachusetts (2 and a half hours away). we live in Maine. One day we plan to LS swap but it's $$$. (Any reputable places to buy an engine?) Thoughts/advice/tips/moral support 😅 My husband thinks it's just the head gaskets but I really think we aren't bleeding it right.

 

If you have the inline then bleeding is not your problem. Remove the thermostat element from the housing and put it together with no thermostat element installed. It should not get over 140 with no thermostat. Start it in that condition, let it idle. How long will it idle without overheating? if it won't, you have a bad clutch fan. If it will, but overheats on the road, most likely a bad radiator. I have had customers with brand new radiators that are bad. But, before jumping to that conclusion, rent the coolant system pressure test kit from Advance or Autozone or Oreilly and do an overnight pressure test. Listen for leaks, look for leaks. If it holds pressure overnight you likely do not have blown HG or cracked block. If it will not, time to take the heads off. Good luck and report back.

 

Thank you for the info!!! We love the inline thermostat from Extinct - user friendly and cleaner look. one question I have. My husband bought several gaskets - including a heavy duty one. Can we put the heavy duty gasket on the thermostat and not seal it with gasket sealer? We saw the instructions that came with it but weren't sure the best gasket to use with sealant.

 

You will be fine with no gasket sealer, even if it leaks a a bit. The idea to see if it still gets hot with no thermostat.. Also check your oil filler cap take it off and flip it over,it should be black yellow is a bad sign. A minor head gasket failure should over pressure your hoses, if you run the cap tight, and you will lose coolant from the overflow line

 

Agreed, no sealant needed with the reusable silicone gasket.