put my '03 disco with 100k miles in the shop a couple of weeks ago for a 3 amigos checkout. after a hard reset no codes were present.

i asked my mechanic to check out the rest of the car. they found a bad throttle-body that was leaking at the heater, some bad radiator hoses, and a bad valve (at the top where the radiator hoses all intersect). they recommended that at the current mileage i check my coolant for hydrocarbons. they did and it came back positive. i didn't do anything, but want to know my options. since then i have developed a small leak, but think it's from me trying to "top-off" my coolant resorvoir. my temp guage seems to be reading the same.

my question is:
- is there anything other than a blown head gasket or the dreaded cylinder sleeve issue that could be returning a positive for hydrocarbons on the coolant test?

 

Not usually.

 

The bad throttle body leaking at heater? Do you mean throttle body heater gasket? If so its very common and a $26 dollar fix you get a gasket/ throttle body heater plate& new screws(3) .5 hour fix (easy)

Bad valve where hoses intersect? Are you referring to the T at the top radiator hose connection? If so another very easy fix.

Bad radiator hoses are also a common problem over time they wear out and need replaced.(no big deal either)


Hydrocarbons- just flush the system and refill with the green coolant and see if your problem persists further. Its not the end of the world if it does persist you yourself could tackle a head gasket job for a lot less than paying a shop to do the work! You can download the "rave" and follow the steps in a weekend and have it done! Now the gauge its a joke- do you have a ultra gauge? If not you may want to invest in one or similar tool, it will provide you with more accurate temp reading. Also you can use it to read codes and clear them and lots of other real time data.


Don't overlook your front drive shaft as your in the range for failure to happen. If it is not serviceable you need to upgrade to a serviceable one. The grease dries out of the factory drive shaft (front) and it comes apart and destroys the transmission and sometimes more.


Disco Mike has a major service sticky at the top of the D II section to inform you of the maintenance that needs to be done to your vehicle in order to extend the life as long as possible.

 

thanks silver....driveshaft has been replaced.

i had the hoses, throttle body, and valve replaced. now i only have the small leak. is there anyway to tell if the leak is from a bad head gasket, or if it's something worse...like a slipped sleeve or cracked block?