Thanks Deputy, Dave and Offroad.. appreciate the input and yes, I realize that it's hard to diagnose over the internet and that I need to be proactive. Was just throwing ideas out there.

I'll be parking Bertha for a bit until I figure this out. Looking into purchasing a second vehicle today as we need one anyway and that will give me time to think this thru.

Looking at a Jeep Renegade. Feel a little weird saying that but it is what it is haha. I was scrolling thru vehicles online at a local stealership and they had a 2008 Range Rover and I started to dream and then had to slap my deranged self up one side and down the other

Oh well. I'll update as soon as I can. Thanks for all of the suggestions/help.

PS.. I tasted the oil and it was actually quite bitter. Nothing sweet about it.

 

Not going to lie...I laughed out loud at this...been a mechanic for nearly 41 years and I have never, ever tasted oil intentionally...or anti-freeze. Must be a younger generation thing...lol.

Good luck, with the purchase. And, I hope you don't leave our fold forever. Seems, we are loosing more Discovery owners than gaining anymore.

Brian.

 

Brian, you really should try some.... it tastes delicious!

 

KD

As a last resort, have you had anyone read the codes for you, it may register on a good code reader and maybe (fingers crossed) something real simple to fix.

NOTE: to all those who 'tasted' the coolant, don't, it's very toxic and can kill you very, very painfully. Also it'll kill your pets as well if they drink any, BE WARNED.

 

haha.. ... I said that I tasted the oil, not the coolant. But yes children.. never, ever, ever taste coolant or let your animals near it. It's deadly.

So the Renegade is gone already... sigh. I'll figure something out and go read the codes myself and see what it says. Will report back. My husband was pointing out Nissan Rogues this morning online and I said 'oh god no.. not the Qashqai in disguise'. I'm sure Offroad and The Deputy remember my run in with that back in January Not a bad car really.. just think the hedgerows were too wide.

Bertha is part of me by now. We're buds (most of the time) and I'll never let her go

 

but the BMW blue coolant smells like raspberry lemonade !

also, 2008 Range Rovers are one of the most reliable. Both N/A and SC have very little issues.

 

I grew up in a resto/radiator repair business. Even sold a car on barrett Jackson. I'm "not" a kiddo...not young in any sense. I mentioned not to ingest the coolant..You touch your tongue and spit. NO, you dont drink it.

I actually learned this from people much older than me and I've been doing it all my life. When you run convoys and maintenance raids for days at a time you dont have time to guess what something is.

It's nice to know if its coolant, hydraulic, windshield washer fluid, trans etc and the results are instant, especially if you have a convoy of trucks with you and you need to tell the commander you need to flat rack the truck or do a fix on the side of the road, or youre traveling through a combat zone and see a leak...you might need to know to call for support, a ride, wrecker.

 

WELL... I'm officially the owner of a Jeep

... and I'm a very sad Rover owner.

I really think it's a cracked block - unfortunately. The coolant took another dump after 2 days of holding strong and the oil level went up so it has to be saturated with antifreeze. I parked her for the time being and noticed that another dealer had a Jeep Renegade for the same price point so followed up on that yesterday. I haven't given up on Bertha yet - I love her and am determined to do everything in my power to get her back on the road.

It was hard to get excited about getting a new car yesterday (my birthday) and I think the guys at the car dealership were trying their best to put a smile on my gloom filled face. All I wanted to do was talk about my Rover and at one point, the dealer said 'well these Renegade's are so fun' and I said 'I'm sorry, what?' to which he just laughed and said 'the car you just bought? They're a lot of fun'.

'Oh.. yeah..' My mind was elsewhere.

All I could think about was how I let my Rover down - how I should have noticed that something was wrong - how I should have changed out the coolant system earlier, how I've been a member of this forum for years and I'm sitting here looking at the worst case scenario.

I think they thought that I was nuts haha. At least I can laugh a little.

The Jeep is nice but it's not my Rover. It doesn't feel the same, it doesn't drive the same, it's smaller, the engine looks weird, it has manual seats but my husband is thrilled with it. I'm glad. Really I am.. but I'm intent on getting Bertha back on the road - at least in 3 years time.

I don't know where to go from here. Obviously I need to get her assessed and see if it's head gaskets or a cracked block. I don't smell coolant in the exhaust or see white smoke so I'm thinking the block is toast. The oil level went way up and the coolant took a dump again after 2 days of holding strong.

Thanks for all of your input on the situation. I truly appreciate it.

 

Ok.. so I just found this - I'll take it in and get a pressure test done, see if anything can be determined. Dang.. I sure hope it's not complete failure.

Coolant in the Oil - Page 2 - Land Rover Forums : Land Rover and Range Rover Forum

Did I say that I love this vehicle? Nothing compares..

 

Your dealership story sounds a lot like my first mini van experience. Drove up to the dealership, said to salesman..."l'd like to buy this van (pointing at an add in the newspaper)".

He's gone for a bit, then comes up and points outside and says..."There it is, take it for a ride".

I'm like..."No, l said l wanted to buy this van...not drive it".

He looked at me like l was from outer space...and added..."You don't even want to test drive it"?

"Nope".

I mean truly...what could impress a person about a mini van. Yes, great for what they do, but come on...it's not like l'm going to come back from test drive and be all giddy about it's performance and cornering...lol.

Brian.