Ok, vehicle: 2000 disco ii w/141k miles
last year:
Replaced t-stat w/o venting all air out of coolant lines -oops. Vehicle overheated multiple times before i got it home. I never did anything other than pull over as soon as it was safe to do so- no driving of any distance after overheat. I would refill coolant, let it cool then drive it home. Idk how many times this cycle repeated its self before i got it home and parked. Discomike got me sorted out on the proper filling and venting of coolant lines (thx!) and vehicle drove normal and ran great as daily driver for 3 months w/o issue.

Then i started losing power while driving. Vehicle would bog down (it acted like it had before when i got h2o into my maf. But drying air intake system and replacing my maf didnt help it) but it was an intermintent problem and i still had to get to work - its our only vehicle btw - so i continued to drive it. Dumb i know. Now it does it doesnt run at all. A mechanic friend of mine (one who actually works at a indy rover shop not the neighborhood shadetree mechanic) came by with a pressure check and said i had a blown head gasket. Ok, no suprise there. So i ordered head gasket kit and waterpump from britishatlantic. Parts came in and mechanic came to pick up rover.

Now i hear that the whole engine is shot (havent gotten specifics yet on diagnosis) and i want to know if it is even possible to blow the engine in this situation? When i got another vehicle we parked the rover to prevent further damage and we just begining to see coolant in the oil and the pressure test revealed a slow leak in one of the cylinder rather than a large hole.

Suggestions? Does this problem ever manifest itself as a blown engine?

Anybody know a decent indy mechanic in the olympia wa area to whom i can take the rover for a second opinion?

Thanks guys. I know i omited some info here but it has been an on again off again problem for a year. (the vehicle was only driven maybe a month total out of that year though.)

pilsner

 

If i do need to replace the engine where is the best place to get one and what is approximate number of hours for r/r?
Thanks a million guys!

 

You are going to have to tear into it to see if you dropped a sleeve or cracked the block. For a used engine roverland parts is great but a little pricey. Cal will tillery (roverguy.com) or justin at lucky8, ebay or you local pick n' pull.

 

Get the specifics as to why the engine is shot and make the mechanic be specific as to what is wrong and how he tested/verified the problem, then get back to us.

 

You could try the British Northwest Land Rover Company. Don't think they have a service center but maybe they can point you in the right direction. Here's a link to their site.

http://www.land-roverco.com/

I still take mine up to Biggs Eastide LR in Bellevue if I need something. They are reasonably priced and do good work. There's also a guy in Ballard that's supposedly the best around. Both are a LONG way for a tow.

http://www.biggseastsideautomotive.com/

http://www.lamornagarage.com/

 

I'd consider a used engine. Call the local bone yards. Put a wanted ad in the newspaper and Craigslist. If you can get one for $400 that would be the cheaper route to go. Maybe still stick the head gasket kit that you already have ...in the used engine to prevent it from croping up again. When you do this with the engine out of the vehicle on a stand, it's a really easy and fast process vs in the vehicle. Stick a new oil pan gasket and front/rear seals on it too cause they normally leak anyway after a while. Come to think of it, might as well stick a new water pump and hoses on it. The L/R engines are pretty well refined and can run for MANY miles when well maintained. The items I listed to consider replacing are maintenance items that most owners defer and get nickled and dimed changing. If you did them all, you'd be good to go for a long time.

BTW, the head gasket situation isn't L/R specific. Just about any engine that has aluminum heads/intake and steel parts has this trouble after enough miles. Toyota had a major problem years ago with it's truck V6's. They all failed at 60k like clockwork. Most cars can make it to 120k on the original head gaskets. It sounds like you could have cooked the engine pretty well.

Years ago I replaced a headgasket on my Toyota Truck. I didn't drive it for a while, and came back and ran it up the road. I should have put in new hoses but went cheap. I fired it up and went for a ride. In the time it sat, turns out most of the coolant leaked out (on the grass ...which I didn't see). I warped the head and had to do the job over ...and get the head completely redone (I had it rebuilt on the first go around too) and had to have the head straightened. Cost me a lot of money. Since then it's been a good engine, just had to get over the bump in the road.

 

AWCAW just down the road from you in Shetlon has 3 Disco's in stock. Call em and find out how much they'd sell ya on of the engines for.


All West Coast Auto Wrecking
E 60 Anthony
Shelton, Washington 98546 Phone: (206) 433-8069


You can also check with:


British Auto Center LTD.
206-935-0872
www.britishautocenter.com

and

NW AUTO RECYCLERS
2317 N MACHIAS RD
LAKE STEVENS WA 98258
425-334-3307

http://www.nwautorecyclers.com/


Good Luck

 

Since you are in Iraq and your truck is in Washington state as long as your wife has something to drive I really would not worry about it.
www.autosportsunlimited.com has used engines.
Take your time and look for a sweet deal on a totaled Disco or a used engine for sale.
Before you have the engine installed have the head gaskets replaced.

Repeatedly overheating the engine could have dropped a sleeve or warped the heads.

 

Others should take note, if your disco overheats call a tow truck. Even then your cylinder heads will be warped it is just the nature of an all aluminum engine with pressed in metal sleeves.

 

Haven't seen a reply back as to getting more specific information as to "WHY" you need a new engine, or money not an issue for you?