Hi ,
Just noticed my coolant leaking fast somewhere. The leak is right beneath the engine and the firewall. I cant trace where the leak is. I wonder if i purchase the entire replacement hose kit from Atlantic British, will it fix the leak? My truck is 2003 and has 92k miles.
Thanks

 

Maybe, maybe not. Could be a leak from the valley pan gasket, could be a leak from head gasket. You also have the coolant lines that go in/out of the throttle body heater and a gasket under that ($25 parts). You can rent/borow a pressure tester from a parts store, pump it up to 18 PSI or so, leave for 30 minutes, should be easy to find leak. Here's a pix of an external and internal HG leak, and flow chart of cooling route (any hose can leak on any day)

 

Thanks. Do you have to be a mechanic to fix those? Actually, I got the same diagram in an early forum, I think that came from you also. My big concern is the attached photo, that requires a pro, right?
The throttle body I know its leaking already, the hose to the thermostat is leaking too, but those I know coz I can see them but the back part of the engine i don't know. Valley pan gasket, where is that? Can i still drive it? The land rover shop is 50 miles away.
Thanks

 

Not to yell fire in a theatre but if it's not your throttle body or the two heater hoses going into your firewall then I was said FIRE@! I mean... head gasket.

 

You have to be a mechanic to fix any of it. You have to be a more experienced mechanic to do head gaskets and the gushing leak they can produce, but there are plenty of write ups on here from guys that take off their neckties, slip off the wing tips, and pick up a wrench. Does not require advanced equipment in your garage. Just follow the instructions in the RAVE. Requires less hand-eye coordination than golf. Considered a hobby by many.

Now as to leak spots, the back of the engine can be the head gaskets, and there is also a large stiff gasket that covers the "valley" under the intake manifold. See attached, it is the one at the bottom of the drawing. There are four rectangular openings in the corners, which pass hot coolant from the heads (which don't have to come off), to the intake manifold where it leaves by either the heater core feed pipe, the throttle body heater feed pipe, or the main outlet to the radiator. Typical valley pan leak is out the back as it pools on the top of the gasket, but not always. If you don't feel comfortable taking on a project like this, seek an indy shop, the dealer is the second most expensive in town. The most expensive is a DIY that won't pay attention to instructions and details. A head gasket job is like $300 parts (includes valley pan gasket which by itself is only $35) and $200 & up machine shop work (DIY); or $1300-$1700 indy shop, or $2500+ at a dealer.

And you may find that the leaks higher up are splattering all over the place and once fixed are all that was leaking.

If you have coolant loss it will increase in quantity and overheat engine and cause plenty of damage. If driving I would check coolant every start, carry a case of bottled water so you are not tempted to make it to the next service station if gauge starts rising (like above 9:00 position).

 

have your cooling system preasure tested before you go right to head gaskets.

 

Do not let any mechanic work on the engine till they pressure test the coolant system, then before doing any work, get back to us with what they see and a estimate so we can make sure you don't get screwed.

 

Thanks to all. Im guessing that the head gasket need attention since I see oil around the chassis dripping on the cross brace bracket near the exhaust converter. Before the last oil change, I had to add a quart or so when I parked up hill when I saw oil light showing upon start. I spoke with a LR mechanic in north NJ, it will cost $1300.00++ for the head gasket which was an average estimate, he said. But, I'll order the hose kit first and replace them by our mechanic. I have 92k miles and would probably need it done anyway. As for another estimate with our neighbor mechanic, he told me that he will check the manual how complex to change the gasket today and he will let me know. I think he is very reasonable when he replaced all 4 suspensions with OME shocks, springs and stabilizer shock for $280.
But first, I'll tell him to do a pressure test. I'll consult with you again once the estimate is made.

 

Your oil leak from up high could also be just a valve cover that needs to be snugged up (every oil change for some) with an 8mm 12 point slim socket. Oil light comes on at start every day until oil PSI builds to above 7 PSI. This is normally seconds. If you were on a steep angle, and low on oil, the pickup might not have much to work with.