I thought I had just completed a head gasket replacement on a 1998 Disco but depression has set in.

I drained the coolant completely then filled with water and radiator flush.

I turned it over to check for leaks and lo and behold I have one injector leaking at the rail (easy fix) but I also see a very small water leak under the intake manifold.

Just below the thermostat housing there is a plug.

Just below that plug is where the leak is. (It's not the plug) It is dripping onto the lifter cover. I stuffed a rag to the right side of the leak assuming it

was coming from the gasket between the intake and drivers side head.

This did not stop the leak.

I assume I will need to yank the intake back out and figure out what I screwed up.

Any thoughts or suggestions where I might have gone wrong?

 

Is everything tourqed properly?
I have heard but cannot conferm nor deny that the intake gasket has a front and back to it, so if it is on in the wrong direction it may leak. But like I said I do not know for a fact, maybe somebody elsew who does know can answer that one.

 

As Spike has already asked, are you sure you got it torqued right.
By the way, you should be calling in a valley pan gasket, the intake manifold gasket is under the trumpit and has 8 matching air tube holes in it, did you replace it?

 

Mike, your right I should call it the valley pan gasket.
I assume what you call the trumpit refers to the ram housing?
What I found when I originally disassembled the engine was there was not gasket between the ram housing and the intake.
When I assembled I just used RTV (Rave says use Hylomar no gasket) anyway the leak is not at that joint but under the intake manifold and dripping down onto the valley gasket.
I got a head gasket kit from Atlantic British w/new head bolts and put the valley gasket in the correct orientation (it was marked front)
I was pretty careful to torque things properly per the rave cd.
Is there a plug on the bottom of the intake manifold that I may have missed?

 

I had a Disco I in the other day with a leak that looked like it was coming from the same spot. Upon further inspection, I found that it was coming from the upper radiator hose, running down the front and dripping in the same location you described. I tightened the clamp and the leak was gone. Double check that just to rule it out.

 

Thanks for the tip. I have already yanked out the intake manifold and upon further inspection found I had pinched the edge of the thermostat. This was keeping the thermostat housing from properly squeezing the gasket..........loooosssseerrr..........I know... I could have fixed it without pulling the intake but I think of it as practice!

Now for a 2nd new valley pan gasket and end seals along with a full o-ring set for the injectors

167k miles....those o-rings don't owe me anything.