Assuming the worst here, how long can I expect to drive my Disco before i need to replace the engine? Ive read that the slipped sleeves bang up aginst the head gaskets or something like that, so is there really any point in replacing the head gaskets seeing how the engine will continue to pound the **** out of them? I realize that eventually ill have to replace then HG and engine. Just trying to buy a couple more years out of it first before I do that project. Either way Im curious what you guys think mine is. Apparently the 4.6 has several similar but different sounds and each meaning something different, or so Ive read.

 

Saw a shot of your ultraguage hovering around 212. I had the exact same tick. What is the max temp you see?

Steps to resolve my tick (its been 6 months tick free here)
1. Replace tstat with genuine 180 version.
2. Switch to Rotella 15w40 (not T6)
3. Changed radiator with new quality one and switch to green coolant. (factory one was clogged with stop leaks)
4. Repair any coolant leaks, keep system topped off.

My temps now max out at 202 at a standstill and 188 on the highway.

Basically keep the temps low and in check and run heavier weight oil. This worked in my case.

 

TRIAR... This is exactly what mine sounds like.. It comes and goes. I've been driving with it for 30k miles. Many, many long road trips too...

I have new'er radiator and thermostat... My temps hover between 190 and peak in the 210s... It has overheated a few times in those 30k miles.

I've run Rotella 15w40 and it makes it worse (i should say, occurs more often). I've flushed the oil several times, doesn't help.

I do have a coolant leak from the front somewhere... I'm pretty sure i'm due for head gaskets, just haven't gotten around to it yet.

Like your knock (i call it a knock not a tick, because the tick is a little lighter sounding), mine appears to becoming from deep underneath. While it is knocking, I have done the "yard stick stethoscope" trick and i hear nothing but the smooth sound of an engine. I have not crawled underneath and listened...

Someone posted a while back about it being the main bearings. Of course, that requires removing the engine to properly do that job.
My 'current' plan of attack is:
Remove engine
Replace main, and while i'm in there just replace everything else. (cam, lifters, etc, etc.)
Pin liners
put back in

Or... drive it until September next year when my Valvoline Engine Guarantee kicks in, and hopefully they will cover some of the costs... Pipe dream, I know, but if it has been driving like this for 30k miles.. .whats another 10 months? I figure any damage has already been done... I still have all the power of a normal sounding engine... I leak a little coolant, but that is the head gaskets (leaking outward, not inward). My temps are generally normal.. 190-204..

One interesting factoid... I have had the truck high in the altitude several times (between 9-13k ft). The knock disappears in the altitude... I have tested this theory 3 times now. Each time I leave Dallas it is knocking... Get to Santa Fe, still knocking (IE: long distance traveled did not eliminate the knock). Get to Durango, Telluride (now we are at 9k ft.) and knock is gone. Drive around for a week in the mountains, no knocking whatsoever. Head on back to Dallas, and the knock returns almost immediately (Dallas is about 600ft).

So I am not sure if it there is something different pressure related that is causing it to knock at lower altitude? Just a observation.

 

Exactly what mine sounds like as well. 99% sure it's the sleeves. It's certainly annoying, but I've been driving with it for almost 40k miles. I'll probably pin them soon...

 

I agree... it sounds more like a sleeve knock rather than noisy lifters.

 

That's mine. Ignore the exhaust leak...

 

Mine sounded very similar. I assumed it was a slipped sleeve once oil pressure was checked, and I had a mechanic look at it. Changed the stock thermostat for 180 deg one, and I haven't heard it for a few months now.

 

I still need to replace my thermostat with the grey 180. Doing it in couple weeks. Ive been monitoring my coolant levels and no noticeable coolant lose. No overheating but records show that stop leak was used and the water pump was replaced so i think the engine may have overheated at one point - cant be sure. I live in higher elevation, on a small mountain but I dont know the feet. It ticks off and on here, more so when idling in the city areas or while driving through stop lights. The max temp Ive seen was 217.4. Lately its been running around 206-212. But the outside temp has dropped and occasional snow/rain has likely influenced the engine temp drop.

My first line of defense will be to replace the thermostat as mentioned above, and come spring I plan on replacing all the cooling system hoses, possibly the radiator as well. A coolant flush and fresh green fluid. See how that turns out, if the tick still persists I will pay to have the headgaskets replaced later in the year. May even see if I can find a mechanic who can secure the sleeves or whatever. Saw a thread about it on here and supposedly it made the tick go away.

 

I bought my D2 used from the 2nd owner, who had only owned it for a couple years, and have been pleased with the level of upkeep so far. I'm not sure if the Tstat had ever been changed, though.. Is there any way to check that without taking a bunch of stuff apart?

 

don't forget quite a few ticks have been eliminated when people found the oil pump outer ring broken