I think there might’ve been a little miscommunication on my part.

When I first bought it, my Land Rover mechanic shook his head at me and told me to just scrap the whole thing. The coolant was leaking so he did a pressure test and said the head gasket was going. Then the alternator went- I replaced that, but then the spark plugs. I figured that if I was replacing the spark plugs, I should probably do the wires and ignition coil with it.

Once I was that far in, I figured I might as well keep going and attempt the head gasket, as taking it to a mechanic would have cost what I paid for the car. So, this is why I’m so far into the engine. I’ve been following Atlantic British’s how to videos the whole way. I haven’t just been moseying around for fun (if I could’ve afforded someone else to do it, I would have, I promise.) I was just curious if all that sludge was a bad sign and I was wasting my time doing the above replacements, or if it was normal and could just be cleaned.

I appreciate everyone confirming the sludge is normal. I definitely plan to get it all cleaned up.

I’ll circle back with an update on whether this newbie somehow pulls off getting her up and running again, or if I’ve funked it up for good. Let’s hope it’s the former! Haha

Thank y’all!

 

I think you’ll end up with a great Disco.

 

You'll be seriously shocked, at how much the PVC mod keeps the engine bay cleaner. As others have said, areas of the engine that are not cleaned get REALLY grimy on these trucks.

 

Yeah, uh, not sure what the PVC mod is. PVC is polyvinyl chloride, the material used to make white plastic plumbing drain pipes. Perhaps you meant PCV, positive crankcase ventilation.

 

Yes, because I've been replumbing the drain and vent systems in a house, I have PVC on the brain.

 

So kinda late to this thread but I feel you, I hate working on grimy stuff. Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner is great for eating through that grime. Careful though, it is very caustic and will burn you bad if you get it one you.

 

Oven cleaner will also start to eat away at any aluminium parts after a very short time.

 

I would forget oven cleaner exists. You're only going to damage your car (maybe it's not a big deal but I care). That's like using a Brillo pad to polish your car. Sure it works but it damages the surface.

Use Simple Green Aluminum / Motorsports All purpose cleaner/degreaser. It's safe on aluminum, magnesium, plastics, most wiring, etc. Normal simple green will screw up underhood finishes, do not use it on cars / wheels / etc. Been there done that. It's a bit hard to find but it's available
https://simplegreen.com/products/ext...ner-degreaser/

I use it on a bunch of classic cars... and a vintage motorcycle. This simple green works great and has never harmed or deteriorated a surface and I use it on a very low miles 38 year old porsche regularly in addition to other cars and the Land Rovers.

Tip -- can use a simple synthetic detailing brush like this to agitate then hose or wipe down.

BTW whenever using an all purpose cleaner I don't do it in direct sun and I don't let it dry on the surface.

 

If the engine wasn't already partly disassembled I would suggest just using a power washer to get rid of the worst of the grime. After that go at Round 2 with the degreaser.

 

Hi, I’m sorry! I’m back with a few more questions.

-Should I be cleaning the engine while I have it apart, or just the top of the engine block to connect the cylinder heads, and then put the everything back together before cleaning?

-How do you get into all the nooks and crannies, and how do you properly rinse everything to make sure you got it all, with out getting things wet that shouldn’t get wet?

-Before I put the cylinder heads back on, how can I check to make sure I don’t have any slipped sleeves?

I know I have a million questions, but I appreciate all the help. I’d rather keep asking, than just make a best guess and end up ruining everything.