First, yes I have the Rave.

To make a long story short, when I first purchased my 04 Rover (80k on it right now) 2 years ago the gaskets were "moist". An indie rover tech said that the gaskets were ok if I didn't have the cash to replace them at the time, but that they would need replacement in the coming future. Well, 10k miles later I find myself blowing radiator hoses off (3x in about 2 1/2 months--got to the point where I just carried a few gallons of distilled water in the truck just in case). My initial reaction was that one of the clamps was bad, so I just replaced all the hose clamps yesterday. When I woke up this morning I had an epiphany that maybe the HG has finally blown and that now I'm leaking exhaust into the cooling system, pressurizing it and blowing hoses. Does this sound accurate?

So, whether or not the HG is actually blown, because of the small previous leak I am just going to repair them anyway. After browsing the forums and reading several threads, my questions to the community are:

1) Are there any specialized tools that I will need to remove any of the bolts or parts? I've read on the forums that the head bolts often get stuck, so are there any "tricks" that people use to remove such parts that wouldn't be obvious to a first time HG replacer?

2) Lots of people suggest replacing the water pump at this time, and I think I probably should as well. Someone recommended a pump from Rock Auto that is about $50. However, another poster suggested that cheaper pumps do not use brass impellers and that they won't last as long. Is there any truth to that claim? If so, can someone confirm that this model uses brass: Land Rover Water Pump: Water Pump Fits Most Land Rover Vehicle Models - Atlantic British

3) The truck had DiscoMike's 60k maintenance completed at 70k when I purchased the truck. At this point, since I'm already going to be knee-deep in it, is there anything else besides the water pump that I should consider purchasing and replacing? All I have lined up for this repair is a pump, and an HG kit from BA that includes new head bolts.

Thanks for your responses.

Respectfully,
Phillip

 

Phillip,

1. I think it is a 8 or 10 mm 12 point socket for the valve cover bolts. And you will need a good 5/8 shallow impact socket with a 6-inch extension and 24 in breaker bar for the head bolts.

2. You want to install a good quality water pump, brass has nothing to do with good quality. My stock water pump was not brass it was steel,"i" would not use a $50 water pump. Order the pump from whoever you order the head gasket kit and bolt kit from.

3. A new thermostat is a must, thottle body heat gasket, upper intake gasket (not all kits come with it)"I" would replace all the hoses and belt while I was there and of course oil, filter, plugs and wires.

 

Thank you so much for the timely reply. I should have everything but the breaker bar (although I do have access to a pneumatic impact wrench), so I really appreciate the heads up, and what you said about the water pump makes perfect sense. The last thing I want is a cheap pump guarding 1000's and 1000's of dollars of equipment from self-destructing.

Forgive my ignorance, but having just done the full 60k around 10k miles ago, would you still replaces the hoses, belt, plugs and wires? If so, would you mind, for my benefit, explaining why you would choose to do so?

As for the kit, its http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/STC4082BK.cfm (except its the one that includes bolts). Its pretty nice, and it includes all the stuff you mentioned.

 

Call Will Tillery, AKA RoverGuy, at 434-251-9331. He can set you up much better than AB ever will. I too have a 2004 and recently completed the HG project. I was fearful of taking on the task, but it turned out to be easier than expected. Make sure you have all the tools you need, bag or label everything and keep things as clean as possible. The job took me a week to complete working at an easy pace including the two days the heads spent at the machine shop. Call or email if you have any questions. John

 

See https://landroverforums.com/forum/ge...light=internal ffor a look at water pumps. Old one is about 175K, shows corrosion from hard water. Main issue was bearing wearing out. New looking pump right next to it is from a D2 with about 115 - 120K on it. The difference is determined a lot by what you run in the radiator. $6 at salvage yard.

 

Do not use an impact gun, I repeat do not use an impact gun. You have iron bolts threaded into aluminum everywhere on that motor, if you use an impact gun you run a GREAT chance that you will either strip or gaul a bolt going in or out.Then you are going to have to start helicoiling bolt holes, it is not worth the time it will save you.
When working with aluminum you need to use hand tools and a torque wrench. Repairing a striped bolt hole wil take you more time than you saved using an impact. Also make sure you put a lite coat of oil or antisieze on all the bolt before you reinstall them.

 

all that and a bowl of grits. When aluminum engines became the rage in the motorcycle world, mechanics had to learn to grab their wrenches at half mast to keep from wringing things off. Also, a set of correct sized taps can be used to clean out a hole (NOT re thread it) of minor trash, etc. And a set of tiny wire brushes used for gun cleaning comes in handy as well.

 

Will you be doing the H.G.'s or a mechanic?
You might want to send me your number before you start this project so I can throw some tip's your way.

 

Thank you very much for the tip, I'll give Mr. Tillery a call and see if we can work something out. In the meantime, I also appreciate your gracious offer to help with questions.

 

I'm kind of a freak when it comes to what I run in my cooling system. I, for obvious reasons, only use distilled water, but I mix at a ratio of about 65% water (I live in a dry, hot desert) and top off with water-wetter. I just couldn't bring myself to install a used pump (unless I had to), because of the risk of failure.