Blown head gasket :-(
 

Hey Guys,

I'm new to the forum, so hello everybody!

About 2 weeks ago my Disco 2001 (125k miles) blew the head gasket :mad:. My mechanic pressurized the system (with a small hand pump) and we could see the water profusely leaking from the back of the head, passenger side. Pretty bad. Estimated repair cost: $3k. I asked him to use Blue Devil to get me going for another month, until I could decide what to do with the car. It worked... Well, partially. Now it leaks very slowly, so I need to top it off with coolant every 2 or 3 days. At least I can go to work with it every day and the temperature is nice and steady. Also, according to him the coolant isn't leaking into the engine (in the oil), only to the outside of the head.

So now, I'm weighing my options:

1) Pay the mechanic to fix it and sell it
2) Pay the mechanic to fix it and keep it.
3) Try to sell it AS IS.
4) Buy myself another car and try to do the head gasket job myself. In that case, I'd keep the Disco as a nice 3rd ride.

So questions for the experts here:

1) Did I do any damage to the engine by using the sealant?
2) Can I find in the forum info/tutorials on how to replace the gasket? How difficult is it? I usually don't do major jobs like this, but if this becomes my spare car, I probably could take my time to tackle it...

I just feel bad selling it, it's a lot of car for not too much money, especially with the gasket problem. And of course, I love my Disco...

I'm located in McKinney, TX, BTW. Just north of Dallas.

Thanks guys!

Not a big fan of Blue Devil. The water jackets back there are thin, not much to seal. Pretty common place for a leak to spring up. The job is a long one but not too hard. Download the Rave and follow it. It's just an old V8. You can do it in a weekend if you know how to turn a wrench. Air tools will cut that down considerably. Air off, hand tighten! It's aluminum you know ;-) Don't use anything metal to scrape the old gaskets off, have the heads checked and milled if needed. Use good quality gaskets. Your system is not pressurizing or overheating so chances are you are in good shape, just a bad seal at the water jacket.

Keep it :-) You'll save yourself $2700 doing it yourself.

Blue Devil will cause even more problems. It will clog your radiator, thermostat, and pretty much every other part of your cooling system.

I never understand how someone does this on a D2. The instructions tell you to remove the thermostat while you are running it through the system, an interesting trick on a D2 ;)

qft, crimes is all over it.
:D

Do not, I say do not use Blue Devil, either the pour and go or the pour, drain and refill type. They will mess up your cooling system. I used them, followed the directions exactly and had nothing but problems. I easily could have replaced the head gaskets for less money and time than trying to deal with the residual problems from the Blue Devil sealant. It might work in some engines but not in the Land Rovers. You have been warned, use it at your own risk. It has been a nightmare for me. Fix the head gaskets and go on your way. You will be happier and have a fatter wallet.

He's already done the Blue Devil Treatment guys, and now come here for some insight how to proceed. So, lets offer solutions instead of making him feel bad about taking his mechanics suggestion of using the Blue devel product.

Im in the middle of doing mine,....The rave didnt cover a few hidden bolts that slowed the process down (by a few days in my case) while I waited for input from forum members. As I am just doing it (will be done getting heads off today I think) you can feel free to call me and ask questions if you get stumped.

Brian in Austin. PM me for my phone number.

Hey Guys,

Brian is right, the Blue Devil is already in the system... That's why I was wondering if I should sell it or get it fixed: I'm concerned about the residual problems ljdiscovery talked about...

Ok, thanks for the help Brian, I'll PM you. I'm still studying the whole procedure on Rave, so I can understand it and buy some tools I don't have. I hope it won't take long before I start.

If you don't mind letting it go for under $1500, go for it. Because that's what it's worth right now.

Fluch the block and radiator properly while you're changing the head gaskets and drive it. Or sell it when you're done if you want something to drive that doesn't require a hobby-level of dedication to keep running. That's up to you.

So you think that, even after flushing and fixing the head gasket, it will still require dedication to keep it running? Because of the Blue Devil?