So my '01 DII is creeping up on 170k miles. I know that I have a leak around my water pump causing all sorts of mess. There is also a small coolant leak at the back of the engine on the passenger side.

I finally got some cash and I am checking out parts. I am planning on replacing the water pump, and while I'm at it the oil pump gear and the timing chain and all those front cover seals.

My question is should I open the can of worms that is the HG job while I'm at it? The coolant leaks are small, and I'm not having any overheating issues, even in this 100* Alabama summer. I guess I'm not sure what qualifies as "needing" a HG job.

 

Wait for failure

 

I agree with Zack. I drove around for a year and a half with a slow leak like that before it got worse and I fixed it. Just make sure to keep your coolant topped off.

 

Yep also you might wanna double check the outer waterpump bolts (the longer ones that go thru the timing cover and into the block. I've seen many a LR leak from that spot due to almost finger tight bolts.

I had a 97 D1 that seeped from one of the rear water passage ways and I never lost any noticable coolant. I kept my eye on it, but it never got worse. Drove it like that for nearly 2 years without a lick of trouble.

 

Thanks y'all for the info. I'll keep on trucking with the HGs as they are now, but I'm still planning on replacing the water pump and those seals.


Are you able to get to this without disassembly? Is it something I can check beforehand?

 

If you remove the fan clutch and fan blade yep you can see all the bolts really well. Worth checking IMHO.

 

Don't want to hijack the thread but I have a same slow leak at the back passenger side of the engine. Only leaks with a warm engine. Most likely a head gasket? Local shop asked me if I wanted to try a chemical head gasket fix. Thoughts?

 

Yes, most likely a HG. Mine leaked a tiny bit from the back of the drivers side head when I got the truck almost 4 years ago. I used the Barsleak tablets, which are apparently crushed up almond shells, and they stopped the leak. I haven't looked with a flashlight in a long time, but I'm not smelling coolant which was a constant before I used the tablets.


It's been my daily driver, and I've put ~30k miles on it since I got it to include a bit of heavy duty towing (too heavy, really), a fair amount of normal towing, and several major road trips.

 

The general consensus on every forum I've ever been on, not just the Land Rover forums, is DON'T USE HEAD GASKET STOP LEAK CHEMICALS. Not unless it's a last ditch and you'll junk the vehicle otherwise. It has a tendency to also plug up the radiator and small cooling ports in the engine which will cause overheating and further engine damage.

 

How many of those folks have any actual experience with these products?

I've used Cargo radiator stop leak sealants twice (which are very similar to a HG stop leak product), and both times they stopped the leak and did no damage. This was back before I'd started wrenching, so I didn't bother to worry about how clean the radiator was or anything else. One of these vehicles was a 80s Nissan pickup truck with well over 100k miles on it, so I'm sure the radiator was not pristine.

As I recall, the Barleaks tablets that I used with my Disco are actually recommended by GM for use in their older Cadillacs that had weeping head gasket issues just like our trucks. I have to yet to hear any horror stories about their use. They do turn your coolant brown, however.

If I was going to use one of the liquid glass products today, I'd clean the coolant system thoroughly (dishwasher powder and TSP) and flush the **** out of it, then be mentally prepared to replace the radiator afterward. If it's partially blocked, the radiator may get stopped up.