Hi all,

I've been having persistent problems with my Disco II overheating and boiling the coolant. It was sporadic for a while, with the temp light coming on and the coolant boiling out of the reservoir when the cap was released.

Then two head gaskets burned out about a 100+ mile trip.

So, got those replaced by a mechanic. Mechanic said there was too much pressure in the hoses. They barely have any give in them; maybe a quarter of an inch.

I had the thermostat replaced at the same time. After that, I replaced the water pump myself. Also replaced all the spark plugs, just for kicks.

After all that, same problem. Too much hose pressure; blown hoses.

Got a professional coolant flush, thinking that might get rid of any air blockage of any kind and so I would know for sure the right pressure was being used.

Following that, hoses blew again after about 45 minutes of freeway driving.

So I tried something simpler: the reservoir cap. Didn't realize how critical they were in the coolant system pressure regulation until I read up on them. Fine. Cheap part to replace. $15.

Still no go. Today, the car overheated after about 15 minutes of back street driving. No temp light, but a the top hose blew off. Battery light came on, strangely, and power steering froze up. Let it cool down for a few, topped up the coolant again (I've taken to carrying replacement fluid with me) and limped it home. Checked the hose pressure when I got home, and strangely the top hoses (above the fan) had NO pressure in them, apparently no fluid running through them at all.

Anybody want to take a swing at what my problem is? Trapped air pocket? Radiator? What's left on the list of coolant system things to check?

 

Well assuming you haven't blown another head gasket, I would say it sounds to me like you have a clogged radiator, but you said you had it professionally flushed. I would personally pull the radiator out and take it my local shop and have them flow test it. They should also be able to repair it also if there are any problems with it.

 

Also need more info. What year? How many miles? When was the head gasket done? Did the mechanic use new head bolts?

Eric

 

First, don't even start that engine again till you can get it to a good Rover mechanic, not the dealer. I will be surprised if you haven't toasted the engine by allowing this to go on for more then 2 times.
If you want some help, send me your e-mail address and I'll get with you and walk you thru what to do.

 

Thank you all for the responses.

It's a 2000 Disco II with 150k. The two head gaskets were replaced about 3-4 weeks ago. It's been driven a total of 500 miles since then (including the ~75 miles from the place where it originally broke down and was worked on), with, I believe, 4 incidents of blowing the hoses. Strangely, whether the temp guage has lit up has been variable. Something was changed between each of those events to try and narrow down the issue (water pump changed, coolant flush, reservoir cap changed).

All new head bolts were used when the gaskets were changed. As was the thermostat, as I mentioned.

The coolant flush was done at Jiffy Lube, so I don't know how much or how well they pressure tested the system vs. just flushing it and putting in new coolant.

I can certainly take out the radiator and go have that tested. Should be relatively straight forward.

How can I tell if I've burned out another head gasket?

Disco Mike - by "toasting" the engine, what do you mean exactly? Burning out more head gaskets? Also, it seems I cannot contact you directly through the site. Says I don't have permissions, for some reason. You can email me via www.danlarsen.com (I don't want to post my email directly on the web). I would certainly appreciate any help you can give me.

There doesn't appear to be any coolant leakage outside of that which occurs when pressure builds up and it blows a hose.

Could fractures anywhere in the cooling system cause an intake leak of air without necessarily causing much coolant leakage? And if so, would something like Barr's Stop Leak do anything to resolve this? (Easy enough to just try myself, I guess, but equally I don't want to do too much more test driving in it for fear of further damaging the engine if I haven't actually identified the root cause).

And this may seem like a dumb question, but how tight should the reservoir cap be on? Should it be on loosely to allow for pressure release, or should it function that way anyway when it's on tight?

Unfortunately, after putting almost $2k into it, with no resolution, I don't have much money left to take it to a shop. Stuck trying to figure this out myself, and totally frustrated at this point.

Thanks again for the advice.

Dan

 

How did you pay for the head gasket repairs, if credit card, I would threaten to stop payment to them untill they open up the engine and fix it right this time.

 

If someone hasen't said it already, It sounds like you have the same problem I have.. Overheating it has cracked a cylinder wall which will allow the pistons to pump air into the cooling system, which will pressurize the hell out of it and cause **** to hit the fan... This is most likely your case and = blown motor.. :-(

 

saw that article were the head bolts may be causing the cylinder walls to crack very very small cracks in the cylinder wall but enough to blow the engine...

 

cobbcj7 - how did you eventually figure that out? I mean, is that determined through a visual inspection, or is there some kind of diagnostic you can run to see if that's the case? Or is it really a process of elimination thing, with that being the only logical explanation when all else has been investigated.

Just trying to figure out what to do next: take the time to pull out the radiator and get it tested, or look for more serious engine damage like cracks in the cylinders. I suppose pulling out the radiator is the least effort, comparatively.

In reading around the forums, it sounds like there are a TON of people with mysterious overheating problems on Land Rovers. Sick to death of this vehicle! Just want to get it functional again, since I'm already $1700 in to repairs, and get rid of it.

Thanks.

Dan

 

***cobbcj7 - how did you eventually figure that out? I mean, is that determined through a visual inspection, or is there some kind of diagnostic you can run to see if that's the case? Or is it really a process of elimination thing, with that being the only logical explanation when all else has been investigated***

Through these forums and process of elimination.. Everything your experiencing happend to me./ :-(

A land rover specialist I took it to also gave me that news.. It explains the extreme pressurization of the lines..

If you take a finger down inside your oil filler cap, you should get some yellow custard looking gunk, thats blown head gasket and anitfreeze in the block..

Also its almost impossible to tell which cylinder wall is cracked, and to replace them costs more than just finding or rebuilding another motor.. Sorry to be there bearer of bad news dude.. my truck has been sitting for almost a year cause I spent my money doing the same thing you did to save the motor.. :-(