Hi everyone, just registered for the forums, but have cruised the Disco postings for sometime for all your nuggets of Rover wisdom.

I have a 2003 Disco SE7 w/59.5K miles & I have developed a major coolant problem. It started out as a drip, confirmed by placing pizza boxes under the truck. At the time, there were no issues with overheating. I checked the coolant level, & it was a little low, so I topped it off with the DexCool, and it was ok for about a week.

This morning, I noticed a puddle of coolant underneath the truck. I started up the truck, drove for less than two miles when the dash temp gauge went from the middle to just below the red. At that point, I pulled over...red temp light, SES light both came on. I turned off the engine immediately, and let it cool for 15-20 mins. There was a massive puddle of orange coolant underneath the truck, and from the looks of it, it was steadily pouring down from somewhere.

I had a jug of DexCool in the truck, and the entire bottle was barely enough to get to the local (non-LR) auto shop, as it was leaking the whole way to the shop. I just dropped it off, asked them to do a coolant system pressure test to find the source of the leak, and he'll get back to me hopefully later today.

Two things: One, does the sheer volume of coolant loss mean head gasket? And two, if it is the head gasket, is this the cylinder head I need? http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/LDF001040.cfm

Thanks in advance,
Akbar

 

Stop driving the truck before you toast your engine.
Do you have a mechanic you trust?

 

As always, thanks for the quick response. He's serviced a couple vehicles for me in the past, and has always done a good job, so yeah...I trust him. And the truck is not being driven, it's at the shop. I've read too many posts about blowing a sleeve, overheating, etc.

But this is almost certainly a head gasket, yes?

 

YUP!!
What sort of a quote has he given you?

 

None yet, he's supposed to get back to me later today...as soon as I hear something from him, I'll post it. Thanks again for the help.

 

Could be a lot of things....Could need a head job....most likely..very common...throttle heater is know for leaks...

 

Went out of town, so I'm just getting the Disco back...had the upper & lower intake manifold gaskets replaced, valve cover gasket, swapped the stock spark plugs & wires, air cleaner element, and a new thermostat. Done for just over $2k.

I'm glad I had the spare Acura RL, but I missed having my Disco. Just wanted to thank you guys for the prompt responses and help.