Hi all,

I've been tracking down a coolant leak in my 2004 Disco 2. I purchased new hoses and a thermostat, and as I was prepping for the install, I realized I had found a potential source of the leak and it wasn't the hoses. I've included a picture -- in it you can see a degraded metal hose with some netting around it that has been burned away by leaking coolant (I think). Can someone help me figure out what I need to do to fix this?

 

If you are referring to this line it's for the secondary air injection and has no coolant flowing in it.

 

It's been my experience that when you find a mysterious coolant leak in these trucks and you can't easily track it down to the hoses, water pump, radiator, etc., it's almost definitely a head gasket. I know nobody wants to hear that but it's true.

I had a slow coolant 'leak' for a while that I couldn't find the source of either. Most of my cooling system components were new, and there was no coolant in the oil, so I told myself it had to be coming from a loose hose or something simple like that. Every day I'd break out the flashlight and look for the elusive leak after topping up the overflow tank. Eventually the truck began using more and more coolant until it was up to about a gallon a day. Head gasket, obviously.

If you really can't tell where the coolant is going after careful inspections, it's likely going out your head gasket. Even if your oil is clean. Do a pressure test to be sure, but that's where I'd be thinking if nothing else presents itself.

 

Pressure test it, I had a truck with a front cover leak that was external. Easy easy 4 hour job with not many tools. Oil pan comes off, you can fit an air gun to take the main crank bolt off. Or put wood against the crank counterweight and the side of the block and use a breaker bar.

 

Check your reservoir coolant tank for cracks/loose hose clamps and/or check you throttle body heater below intake manifold for leaks.