If you're comfortable tearing the engine apart you can replace the head gaskets. Any mechanic should be able to do a head gasket job but if you can find someone other than the dealer that specializes in Rovers I would go there. I would leave the dealer as a last resort if you can't find another mechanic you trust to do it and you don't feel comfortable tackling it yourself. These engines are old Buick technology so they aren't hard to work on. The computer/electronic system on the truck is the hard part but you don't have to mess with that other than unhooking wires and hooking them up again when you're done.

When are you heading this way? I know it's coming up here pretty quick if I recall correctly. When you get out here I'll go kidnap Disco Mike and drag him along to meet you also.

 

Too much to read. If there is even the slightest chance you have a coolant leak, go it the coolant system pressure tested TOMORROW, then get back to us.

 

Man- AK and Disco Mike- a two for the price of one! An excellent bargain indeed!

Well, it was GOING to be June 1st, but my friend who lives in Colorado got himself a serious lady friend, and he's bringing her back to Michigan to meet his family as soon as his teaching job goes on a summer-long recess... so I'm thinking it'll be late June, or Early Jule when we get there, and we'll probably stay for a couple weeks.

Looking forward to meeting you!

I think I am going to try it myself.

I just scheduled a pressure test with a local Chevy dealer for tomorrow at 9am. I'm hoping it's just a leak... but if not, the Disco has been very good to me since October, and I'll be happy to return the favor to the beautiful work of art.

My God, Land Rovers make me happy.

I'll keep you posted, my friend.

Pat

 

The head gaskets R&R seems to be the norm in all the threads, every time collant loss is mentioned, which is really an overkill, if the problem is somewhere else.

Yours is a DII with low miles, so you have a higher probability that the intake manifold gasket (valley pan gasket) is the cause of coolant loss and cylinder misfire.

In the front of the engine, the two cylinder heads feed coolant into the intake manifold casting as a path for cross flow. In the back of the engine, the same openings in the cylinder heads are closed by the intake manifold casting.

Due to the engine cycling from cold to operating temp back to cold, over few years of start and stop, the bolts loosen and the gasket itself wears out causing coolant to seep into the intake runners. This is the cause for the misfire, as coolant does not burn in the combustion chambers.

Net: Check the area between the intake manifold and the cylinder heads on the back of the engine.

I had personal experience with 4.0 and 4.6 engines that were losing coolant and registering cylinder misfires and the fix was in replacing the manifold valley pan gasket.

 

Interesting, Uni!

I will indeed be checking this out this evening!

Thanks again, everyone- very, very much.

PS Uni- I am in love with your avatar.

 

I think we are all hoping that the problem is something other than the head gaskets. But with no noticeable leak on the ground it leads us all to lean toward head gaskets but a pressure test will confirm if that's the case.

Disco2Fever - Definitely shoot me a message before you head this way and we'll set up a time to get together. By end of June I should be settled in to my new job and know what my schedule will be.

 

Chevy Dealer most likely won't have the adapter to fit on your coolant bottle.
Be better of to find a radiator shop that does.

 

GREAT advice. I told him the make/model and he seemed cool with it, but something tells me that you're going to be right...

I already made the appointment, so I'll go, but I'll find a radiator shop as a backup and get 'er done tomorrow either way.

AK- You bet, my friend, I certainly will. GOOD LUCK with your new job, I hope you are chasing your dreams.

Pat

 

Hey everybody- GREAT NEWS!

The GM Dealer said that the problem is a leak in the RADIATOR!

So, I'm going to pick the Disco-Baby up and start looking for a radiator. Any advice as to where to buy one from?

THANKS FELLAS!

 

Is this one okay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/New-L...Q5fAccessories