Blown Head Gasket: Need mechanic recommendations!
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 1,200
Likes: 183
From: MEMPHIS, TN
I do have the RAVE and watched the Atlantic British youtoube video about the repair. I'm able to do some jobs, but for this one, I don't have the space and frankly time to get it done. Too much. I'm hopeful I'll find someone willing to tackle it though. There's too much history, blood and tears on my D2 to let it go like that...
Once it’s back on the road and the the repair you have done yourself is in the rear view you will have spent $1k +\-.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 436
Likes: 141
From: Birmingham, AL
I have a good friend who is a long time Land Rover tech. He’s indicated to me that many people (including himself) are hesitant to do HG’s on a Disco because the likelihood of their being a deeper issue (cracked block/ slipped sleeve etc) can be high at this point. So if he charges $3-4k for HG’s and then the truck is back with similar issues a few weeks later you have a very upset owner and a worthless truck. And it looks like it’s the shops fault when it isn’t.
So, IMO, the $7k price is likely to accommodate for that potential. They’d make enough at that price to handle the backlash of a bigger issue potentially. Just one possibility.
But, on the flip side of the coin, he could do Disco HG’s in probably 5 hours total labor time. He’s told me going rate at his shop is 10 hours at $155/hr. He said the quickest he’s gotten them off is under an hour - back in the day he used to do HG’s at the dealer so often they’d bill the customer 10 labor hours and he could do it in half that and make a bunch of money just churning through Disco HG’s.
So, IMO, the $7k price is likely to accommodate for that potential. They’d make enough at that price to handle the backlash of a bigger issue potentially. Just one possibility.
But, on the flip side of the coin, he could do Disco HG’s in probably 5 hours total labor time. He’s told me going rate at his shop is 10 hours at $155/hr. He said the quickest he’s gotten them off is under an hour - back in the day he used to do HG’s at the dealer so often they’d bill the customer 10 labor hours and he could do it in half that and make a bunch of money just churning through Disco HG’s.
Rock Crawling
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 483
Likes: 175
From: Top secret government location
For my own Rover(s) I don't mind going deep into projects.
If I were doing it for a customer and had to stand behind it, completely different story.
I took out 24x,xxx mile 4.0 out of the 1999. Had a slipped sleeve. Zero issues other than the sleeve taps at about 160/170 degrees.
Ran flawlessly. Over the past year I had to replace the heater core twice. The second one was new, the first one was out of my sub 85,xxx mile 2003 parts rover. Both weeping out end tanks. Also had to replace the coolant tank due to the lower nipple breaking off.
Fast-forward a year or so of daily driving with no more noticable leaks and the slipped liner block gets pinned and installed with low mile 4.6 rotating assembly and cam. All new bearings, rings, lifters, oil pump, the works. The little lady loves it. She is smooth, quiet like a sewing machine and much more powerful. Apparently will hit 90 on 285/70/16 tires...she's insane. It was lucky to hit 80 with a tail wind before the swap...still insane.
Ran great about 6 weeks when I noticed a drip from the plastic adapter below the alternator while swapping a wheel bearing.
Install a metal one and back on the road.
Got a phone call about an over heat. After exam I found the slipped liner had developed a crack in the block behind said liner. After a few minutes of running she's pressurize the system and push past the cap.
Despite not seeing any signs of coolant in that cylinder during the 4.0/4.6 rebuild I suspect my issues of blown heater cores and old brittle plastics were an indication of a slight crack or porous block that was beginning to cause an issue. She was was essentially a ticking time bomb.
If this were a customer's rig they wouldn't understand this was something no one could predict without proper equipment to both pressure test and heat the block. Something only a hand full of shops have. The customer would bad mouth me to everyone on social media and a 1 star google review. They would want a refund or demand I replace the motor out of my pocket. Even if the customer is understanding this is part of disco ownership they'd still demand some sort of compensation. So I understand why they priced it at an I don't wanna touch it price.
If they were Rover specialists and had a yard of junkers, the price would likely be much more friendly, they have good used parts for when something goes wrong they won't break the bank.
Leaks behind the liners on pre 03 bocks are rare but they do show up often enough to always be concerned.
If I were doing it for a customer and had to stand behind it, completely different story.
I took out 24x,xxx mile 4.0 out of the 1999. Had a slipped sleeve. Zero issues other than the sleeve taps at about 160/170 degrees.
Ran flawlessly. Over the past year I had to replace the heater core twice. The second one was new, the first one was out of my sub 85,xxx mile 2003 parts rover. Both weeping out end tanks. Also had to replace the coolant tank due to the lower nipple breaking off.
Fast-forward a year or so of daily driving with no more noticable leaks and the slipped liner block gets pinned and installed with low mile 4.6 rotating assembly and cam. All new bearings, rings, lifters, oil pump, the works. The little lady loves it. She is smooth, quiet like a sewing machine and much more powerful. Apparently will hit 90 on 285/70/16 tires...she's insane. It was lucky to hit 80 with a tail wind before the swap...still insane.
Ran great about 6 weeks when I noticed a drip from the plastic adapter below the alternator while swapping a wheel bearing.
Install a metal one and back on the road.
Got a phone call about an over heat. After exam I found the slipped liner had developed a crack in the block behind said liner. After a few minutes of running she's pressurize the system and push past the cap.
Despite not seeing any signs of coolant in that cylinder during the 4.0/4.6 rebuild I suspect my issues of blown heater cores and old brittle plastics were an indication of a slight crack or porous block that was beginning to cause an issue. She was was essentially a ticking time bomb.
If this were a customer's rig they wouldn't understand this was something no one could predict without proper equipment to both pressure test and heat the block. Something only a hand full of shops have. The customer would bad mouth me to everyone on social media and a 1 star google review. They would want a refund or demand I replace the motor out of my pocket. Even if the customer is understanding this is part of disco ownership they'd still demand some sort of compensation. So I understand why they priced it at an I don't wanna touch it price.
If they were Rover specialists and had a yard of junkers, the price would likely be much more friendly, they have good used parts for when something goes wrong they won't break the bank.
Leaks behind the liners on pre 03 bocks are rare but they do show up often enough to always be concerned.
Last edited by PickleRick; Jun 2, 2025 at 12:08 PM.
