Looks like i am pushing coolant from the back of the motor, maybe both heads or the valley pan gasket?

if the rover never overheated, could i just get away with swapping the head gaskets and not do any machining?

it just so happens that i was planning on taking the rover to a wheeling trip this weekend, but after finding coolant out the back- seems like bad juju to go wheeling now that i know where my coolant is going.

 

You could swap and hope. I would at the very least have them check to see if they are straight.

 

Meh, prolly just a fuse!

 

Damn head gasket fuses, always seem to blow just before a wheeling trip.

 

I just did my head gaskets. I checked the heads with a straight edge and they weren't bad (less than .004" out) so I refinished them myself. BTW: They're aluminum - they will be warped, even by a small amount, it's the nature of the beast.

If you're in the .004-.005" range, take a sheet of glass or sheet mirror about 18x24" or 18x30" and glue some 80 grit sandpaper sheets to it so you have a nice, big bed of flat sandpaper. Work the head mating surface back and forth with light to no pressure until the entire surface has been scuffed and has a perfect finish. It took me maybe 10 minutes to do each head just shoving it back and forth with no pressure.

I didn't bother measuring the block for straightness. I wouldn't have been able to bear the thought of trying to surface it in place or pulling it, so I gambled and won

The attached pic is 5 minutes on the sanding setup.

 

Depending on how bad the leak is...you could also just leave it alone till you're ready to do it proper. The leak is most likely just the narrow gasket seal for the rear cooling passage giving out, and it's not very likely to spontaneously "blow" and dump all the coolant. It'll probably get progressively worse over time to the point that you're having to top up the coolant daily. Mine has been leaking slowly out of the rear of the DS head for 9 months. I have to top up the reservoir about once a month. It also helps if you have a good cooling system with the TD5 180 t-stat and run below 200 degrees.
I'd probably not worry too much and go ahead and go wheeling... just take coolant with you.
Disclaimer: This is of course if you have the coolant passage leak, and not a badly warped from overheating compression losing leak, which is different and could catastrophically fail.

That's my .02.

 

I am doing everything right- pulling heads and sending them off to get checked and decked.




i was going to take pictures and video but i raged quite abit taking the manifold off so there goes that idea.

 

Now there is a picture everyone one on this board can relate to!

And yes that stupid manifold cover can rot in hell where it belongs. =)

 

I recently had a local mechanic help me do head gasket job before we installed a motor. He uses Dirko(a silicone type sealent) on all water jacket seams, super thin bead on both sides of a mating surface. Heads to block, heads to intake.

He has done countless jobs and swears by it. He brought the stuff over, but I ordered a tube after from Amazon.

Took almost a month and shipped from Estonia! I only have 500 miles only, so I can't comment, but it makes sense.

 

ill look into it, thanks.


progress so far, hoping to have the heads off tomorrow.