I've been having a few issues with my 04 Disco HSE (130k miles) and, given the freezing weather and lack of a garage, have had to send it over to my local mechanic who has done a decent job working on the truck in the past when I didn't have time.

Anyway, the latest issue was an audible ticking noise coming from the engine compartment that aligned with RPMs of the engine. Over the past few weeks it had been getting progressively louder. Mechanic's initial diagnosis was a failed exhaust manifold gasket, which seemed to make sense. It sounded exhaust related. I ordered the part and picked up the truck to drive while waiting for the gasket to arrive.

On the day I picked up the truck, SES light pops on and blinks. I plug in the computer and it shows a misfire on cylinder 4. Great. I stopped driving it until getting it to the mechanic with the gasket. On a second look and with the SES light, he thinks it's the head gasket. He says he checked the compression on cylinder 4, which was not good. And he can feel the exhaust coming out of that spot on the engine. The manifold gasket was not the issue.

My uncertainty centers around a few things. 1. The engine never overheats. It stays right on temp and never wavers. 2. I'm not losing coolant and the exhaust doesn't smell sweet.

Could the issue be something else and just being misdiagnosed by a mechanic who is not a LR specialist? I'd love to get your thoughts. I'll have to figure out what to do next with the truck, regardless. I'll be picking up the truck tonight and can check a few things in person this weekend.

 

sticking valve can also cause the noise and miss.
but if he can feel exhaust blowing from the head/block union, it is probably head gasket.
you do not have to mix with a bad head gasket. you can simply expel exhaust or the usual....coolant. exhaust can cause more damage as the hot escape can grove your head or block, if un treated.

 

Thanks. Good to know. Not good to have. At this point, I'll probably be listing the truck as-is, unfortunately. We had a good run. Too bad this didn't happen after the winter. Man the Disco is amazing in the snow.

 

There's a LR mechanic on the boards that has a shop in Wall. It's a hike for you, but he is an LR specialist. His name is RoverMasterTech. His contact info is in his signature.