Have a 2001 Land Rover Disco 2 with 125K miles on it. Before we owned it I think it was in a major accident and was salvaged by a Land Rover mechanic who did some major work (not totally sure what). We just repaired/checked over the cooling system and after a water pump, tank, head gasket sealer, and a hose clamp, we're holding coolant pressure with no leaks.

Problem is we've got LOTS of blue smoke coming out the exhaust and TONS of oil leaking all over under the engine, not just from the oil pan. We've lost at least a quart of engine oil in 6 months driving 500 miles (maybe 1.5 qts). I understand that they usually leak (and rarely burn). We mostly use it as a work truck/backup vehicle (we live in a small town so most trips are just a couple miles). We don't want to put money into it and are only beginner/moderate mechanics. We're good at turning wrenches but we just don't know much about engines.

Looking for suggestions on how to proceed:

• Keep driving it and not worry about it, hope it lasts a couple years while keeping an eye on the oil?
• Put UV dye in the oil and check the engine for leaks. I'm still figuring out where those things even are and I'm not sure I have the skill to fix them. Still if I do go that route it would be great to get some feedback on what to check -- is there anything I'm missing?
  • front crankshaft seal
  • front cover
  • timing cover gasket
  • oil pan gasket
  • intake manifold gasket
  • valve cover gaskets
• What would be the most low hanging fruit to go for here?

 

Are you overfilled with too much oil? That would cause what you describe.


The more typical reasons to get blue smoke are bad valve stem seals (rebuild heads to fix) or bad piston rings.


Check your oil level.
Pull your spark plugs and evaluate their condition. You are looking for a plug covered in oil.

Do you hear knocking when revving and quickly releasing throttle?

 

if you cant see any oil give it a compression test, if you don't have one, hire one ,or go to you local \garage and get it done , always one of the first steps to finding a problem ans can indicate if it valves or rings if done correctly

 

Nope, but I like how easy that was to check. I'll have to get back to you on the rest, but I'll let you know.

If I can see lots of oil would you go for the compression test first or the UV dye first? I can see lots of oil it's just impossible to tell where its coming from.

 

The oil is likely coming from multiple places.
I'de bet a hundred on valve covers to start with.
But, the oil pan and timing cover, as well as lower intake manifold probably are too.
If it's burning oil, and leaking it(leaking is extremely common), and only a quart in 500 miles...I'de just drive it.
Check the oil regulary as well as coolant level and engine temps(unrelated to oil burning and leaks, but the most common D2 engine killer, overheating).
Unless the engine has way too much oil in it, causing the burning/blue smoke, the top and or bottom end need rebuilt.
Since you are not able to do the rebuild yourself, and paying a shop to will be big $$, I would not spend any money in it aside from oil and coolant to keep it going.
These engined become huge money pits quickly.
I am rebuilding a 4.6 now, and I will have over $3500 in just the engine when I'm done, and that's Me doing the work, zero labor costs.
I got too far down the rabbit hole to stop putting money in it. It was either eat all the money and have nothing, or continue spending in order to at least get some future return. As it's easier to sell or trade running than broken.
Good luck.

 

Excellent. That works for me.

As a side note, assuming that the spark plugs are getting fouled by the leaking oil, will it help it if I give it new spark plugs regularly? Or does that not matter as long as it's still driving?

 

If the plugs are fouling bad enough, you'll get misfires on those cylinders. You can remove and clean them, and that will usually fix it, temporarily.
Continuing to replace plugs will get expensive quick.
From the sound of your situation, you'll just be putting bandaids on the truck and try to keep it alive for as long as possible.
With the only options really being, dumping piles of money in it, or replacing it with a better D2.
Under the circimstances, if a plug misfires, clean it and try it again before replacing it.

 

Thank you!

 

Yes sir, good luck with it

 

More important than a simple compression test would be a leakdown test, the former tells you that it's passing air that it shouldn't, the latter tells you from where. Bottom end versus top end rebuilds are very different jobs. An oil pressure test will also help you understand the health of the engine.

Your consumption sounds excessive however it may be worth doing a search on PCV valve mod. Excess pressure built up in the crankcase will exacerbate oil leakage by pushing it out past gaskets.

Personally, I would keep an eye on the oil and drive it. Leaking tons of oil all over the place isn't great for the environment and while I'm not really one of "those guys", let's face it, if you can do something to minimize it you should. Plus I find it to be a reflection of myself and more directly, my mechanical abilities to be leaving pools of fluid everywhere.