I just purchased a used DII SE with 94k miles from a small car dealer. The car was presented very well, nice and clean inside and out. They told me about the faulty passenger and cargo door switch, but couldn't tell me what the water sloshing sound was behind the dash.

I read up on that issue here in the forums and see that it is pretty common. But this morning, the other issues started popping up. I just noticed the headliner sag and am quite certain it wasn't there when we looked over the car twice.

Then, just a few minutes ago, my wife tells me that the SES light just came on.

At this point, I'm seeing red . I have an OBD II scanner and will run the codes when I get home, but it's bugging me because I think they cleared the error codes when I came down to see the car.

This is just another incident that really makes me leary of this process . You would think that a "good-faith" really meant something.

Other than that, it's a great looking vehicle and I hope that I'll be able to resolve most, if not all, of the issues soon, so we can just enjoy the ride!

 

1. Water sloshing sound is bubbles in the heater core. It is always passing fluid from radiator, no on/off valve. A blend door flap handles that. Now what might those bubbles be? If lucky, just air from a loose clamp, or coolant change, and can be purged. If unlucky, exhaust gas from a blown or leaking head gasket. There is a $50 chemical test that you can buy from parts store that will confirm the exhaust gas in coolant.

2. The engine computer will use all available resources to make that temp gauge stay in the center position. Even though it is well over normal temperature, you may not notice it. Do not think that just beacuse it is a liitle high everything is OK. You can read temps directly with a scanner or a nift Ultra Gauge. Because you have the gurgle sounds, need to be vigilant about the coolant level. Check daily until resolved.

3. Head gasket parts in the $300 range, plus $200 or so of machine shop work and 12 - 15 hours time if you are an experienced mechanic. Many DIY in 2 weekends.

4. Full shop manual set, called the RAVE, at link below.

 

If extremely unlucky, cracked block.

 

Thanks for the information Savannah I'll do look for the chemical test and find a place to do a pressure check this weekend. I want to contact the seller and ask them what steps they took to prepare the car for sale. The coolant looks new, but if they are the ones who did the change out and it was done incorrectly, then I may have a case against them to fix it. But another side tells me it may not be worth the fight.

I down loaded a manual from a link in another post, but thanks for pointing it out anyway.


Cheers!

 

I hope not Oilspot! I just want a nice looking LR

 

see UltraGauge Automotive Information Center and OBDII Scan Tool for a device that reads and resets codes, and displays data in real time, like coolant temp.

See attached for flow chart of cooling system. The "T" piece has a bleeder valve in it to allow you to purge air. The screw itself is brittle. There are oem level replacements from BMW dealers (cheap), or after market ones like in https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...93/#post269979.

You bleed when cold. Coolant should be green. Dexcool should be avoided.

Read over https://landroverforums.com/forum/di...service-29020/ so you can get started. If front drive shaft has never been rebuilt, with multiple grease fittings, it can snap with almost no warning, and poke hole in transmission that requires full replacement. See Propshaft Rebuild - Land Rover Forums - Land Rover Enthusiast Forum.

 

Depending on how mechanical you are... I would not go back to the shop you bought the truck form to have them DO ANYTHING to it. do it yourself, you will learn how these things work, save a **** ton of money and get it done right. Or I would find a reputable local indie shop for Rovers and have them go over it then go back to the place you bought and see what you can do. But in the end you bought it is your problem, this is why most reccomend getting an outside mechanic to have a look see before buying.
in conjunction to the block test do pressure test first. this will help on locating the leak if it is there if they had done some work to the cooling system it is very possible that they did not tighten a clamp or place a hose correctly.. good luck

 

Thanks again for the info Savannah! I want to check out the bleeder screw and since I'll be at work, I'll probably machine up a replacement

The coolant looks like it was replaced during the sales prep. They also cleaned the engine compartment as it was super clean. I had to ask if it had been wrecked and redone.

As far as the front shaft, I looked at it and it appears to be an older one...there are a couple of grease nipples at the u-joint. I plan on replacing it or rebuilding. This weekend is as good as any to do it.

I'm going to see if I can use the auto lifts in our prototype shop to make life a little easier.

 

Nothing like an air conditioned shop and $400K of tools at your disposal.

 

Don't pay to have a coolant pressure test performed, rent the test at your local parts store and we can walk you thru how to do it.
By the way, do the pressure test before spending the money for the chemical test kit.
Don't plan on getting any honest information from the seller. It is too bad you did not go have a pre purchase inspection done, cause I bet you are about to spend a bundle on repairs.
If you want help with this, PM me your number and I'll walk you thru, step by step, what to do.