It's been a while since I updated this post so here goes. I did a block pressure test that tested well and put everything back together very carefully. The reassembly went well until the very end while replacing the expansion tank to throttle body coolant hose that I had shattered during disassembly. Whily trying to remove the old hose end from the expansion tank, the tank nipple broke from the tank and disintegrated in my hands. WTF! I think to myself. The tank is far too brittle to attempt any kind of DIY repair so I saunter over to my laptop to order a new tank and find that it is $100 to $200 for a new one. $200 for that little POS? Really?!
I manage to keep my cool and eventually locate a new one for $70 shipped to my house. So I am waiting for the new expansion before I put new coolant in, start the engine and admire my magnificent handywork. Wait for it..... This morning there was about an inch of new snow outside, so I start the engine on my FJ60 to let it warm up a bit before I leave for the office. I go back inside my home to gather my things, finish my coffee etc. I open my front door to leave just in time to witness my FJ60 travelling down my sloped driveway toward my Disco S. From my perspective this all occured in slow motion. Imagine if you can (NoooooooooooooooooooCrunch!) I stand there helpless, my plea to stop powerless as the FJ imolates the bumper and grille of the Disco. The hood suffered too but nothing I can't straighten out reasonably well. So now my fellow forum members I seek your advice and wisdom regarding a new bumper. I will purchase a new Grille insert but I am not going to buy a factory POS bumper cover for $600-$800. Does anyone know of a reasonably priced aftermarket bumper for series 2 discos? I dont care if it has a winch mount or not.

 

I received the new overflow tank I ordered and filled the coolant system with G05, checked all the hose connections and started it up. It runs great. No leaks, no engine codes and the temp gauge stays dead on at 3 o'clock. I am waiting for the new winch bumper and grille to arrive and the Disco will be on the road again.

 

I received my new bumper and grille from AB five days ago and installed them right away. I have put about 300 miles on the Disco since. Other than a minor leak from the lower radiator hose to T-stat junction, there have been no problems. I would reccommend to anyone facing this job to throw away all of the factory hose clamps and replace them with proper screw type clamps. The Disco is running great! Thanks to all who were actually helpful for your advice. Cheers!

 

A quick update and word of caution. When I performed head gasket replacement I had to replace the coolant overflow reservoir due to it being so brittle. I purchased a cheaper than OEM unit to save some money. This tank didnt quite last 9 months before it failed by springing a small leak on the underside of the reservoir. It appears to be a small defect/void in the body of the reservoir itself. Manufactured in Turkey by or for AMR / All Makes. This promotes the old adage that you get what you pay for. I replaced with another aftermarket unit that seems to be of higher quality than the OEM unit and american made. I will update if this proves to be incorrect in the future.

 

So I take it the discos running great!

I remember when I did my head gaskets.. First time ever tearing into an engine.

 

i did the exact same thing broke the tit off of the coolant overflow reservoir trying to re-install the hose.

 

Hi There,
If you have water out the back of the engine - well - dig this..

The coolant goes thru the intake manifold.
If you pull the intake manifold - check out the valley gasket.


But, really, why not try this:

1) Pull the upper intake.
2) Check the bolts holding on the lower intake. Make sure they are at torque specs. This is tough as they are hard to get to.
3) If the intake bolts are obviously loose at the outer edges, then this may be it. Tighten them.

If those bolts are found to be tight, then you can pull off the lower intake and look for traces where the coolant came out.

The coolant - from a valley pan gasket problem - will go into the crank case too - at times.

Antifreeze destroys the main crank bearings. So, watch out for this.

And, the head gasket / coolant jacket is only a few mm from the back of the head. So, that could leak.

I would put in Barr's leaks - for certain. If you are still driving it.
As you will buy time until you can fix it correctly..

And, no, don't remove the hood.

Here is what you are in for

Flickr: Landroverdude2's Photostream

I did this in a parking lot outside.
So, you can do it.

 

Yes, rover has been running well since the head gasket job 9 months ago. I'm frequently addressing minor issues ( it is a rover) but the drive train has been great. I was just updating this older post to warn of the pitfalls of buying aftermarket parts of dubious quality ( coolant overflow tank ). I am becoming attached to my Disco now that I am able to trust it to be somewhat reliable. I will be upgrading some things on it (suspension, headliner, any recommendations? ) once I finish the restoration of my FJ60. Mileage is now 77k.