Hi, just wondered if anyone could give some general advice as to what I might be looking at (problem/ parts? cost?) for the following problem.
Drove Disco 2 last week, it over heated, smoke from engine, got towed to garage, it already had enough coolant in it so they diagnosed a blocked radiator. Fitted new radiator and thermostat. Drove home and it stinks of hot oil. Thought it might be the metal in the new rad heating up, but parked on a white sheet overnight.
Have 30+ patches of oil on sheet this morning, suggesting multiple oil leaks from engine.
Might I have done some serious damage to all the seals from the engine overheating? What is the next step? does it require complete stripping? what is likely cost? HELP???
Cheers for any comments. Sonia.

 

Read all of this.

1. This is a could be serious condition. The overheating could have caused your head gaskets to be damaged, and heads to warp. That will be $300-$500 parts if you DIY, $1500 - $2500 for a shop. There are some tests for that that can prove conclusively that is the problem. BUT you did not mention as a symptom loss of coolant or white smoke out the exhaust, these usually accompany a head gasket failure. Smoke from engine can be coolant squirted out of ruptured hose, or oil leak from head gasket or other places.

2. You did mention oil in lots of places. It may be oozing out the valve cover gaskets, which are on top of the heads, which got very hot during overheat event. The valve cover bolts are 8mm 12 point, and the covers can be snugged up and stop many oil leaks. This is a 5 minute fix.

3. You could have oil leaking from an oil cooler, which on some Disco 2 trucks is fitted close to the radiator (lower level). An oil line to this could easily have been disturbed during replacement of the radiator, and be leaking now.

I would suggest the following:

A. Check oil with engine cold. If oil is still showing on the dipstick, be sure to add any to bring it to full. If you cannot see oil on the dipstick, add oil until you can, 1/2 quart at a time. This will tell you about how much oil was lost on the way home. Let's say you lost less than 1 quart. It would probably be OK for you to drive back to shop if you start with a full system. Otherwise ask shop to send their tow truck.

B. Check coolant with engine cold. Open the resivoir and look inside, fluid level should be at the halfway joint of the plastic. If not, add distilled water to bring it up to level. If you have to add more than a cup also report that to shop, and ask them about sending a wrecker.

C. Your mechanic should make good on items 2 and 3 above as part of the work he did. Item 1 above is a serious issue, and may lead to even more problems, something called a slipped liner, which requires major engine repair, way above head gaskets prices.

Where had your temp gauge been on the days before the overheating incident?

You should speak with mechanic before driving again.

 

Note to DIY Disco mechanics - before doing the above mentioned "bed sheet test" for leaks, allow she-who-must-be-obeyed to select the sheet, or you'll be sleeping in the Rover....

Home Depot does sell a variety of drop cloths, including one time use cheap ones.

 

Luckily it was "she who must be obeyed" who picked the sheet, mainly as it's her landrover and her husband has washed his hands of it!

Many thanks to previous post, great info.
Unfortunately the garage is over 90 mins away, as i broke down on the motorway and had to get towed to the nearest garage. Pretty much a blank cheque for the mechanic, as it had to be fixed there for the road side assistance policy, so not my garage of choice. I guess there is no come-back...

There is still oil in it after driving 150km, not as much as when i set off, but within normal range, and the coolant is correct level too, so am going to risk driving it to local garage 2km when he is back from vacation next week.

will ask him to clean it up inside and then take it from there, see where the leaks are coming from.

many thanks for comprehensive answer above, Sonia x

 

A mechanic should be able to examine the engine area, both from the top, and the bottom, and see the souce of a leak. If oil was getting on the exhaust manifolds, those are very hot, DON'T TOUCH, and it would smell and smoke. If leak is lower, or avoids the mainfolds, it may reach exhaust pipes and mufflers, which are cooler, and mainly produce smells from oil. Hopefully just a loose oil hose or line connection. If drips were red, might also have automatic transmission cooler involved, it is next to the oil cooler.

 

Sonia
If you want some help with this issue, PM me your tele. number and I'll be glad to walk you thru step by step what to do. In the mean time, do not drive it and do not put any more money into repairs.

Forgot to mention, when it comes to finding the oil leaks, always power scrub the top and bottom of the engine with cold water only and then watch for the oil to start to flow again.

 

Hi everyone,
Just wanted to thank you all for the useful input, humour and general help all round xx
There turns out to be a few issues, leaking coolant from seals that clearly blew when it over-heated, and also leaking oil assy under the radiator.
So; still waiting for parts to arrive here in France, but hopefully be back on the road before the end of the week.
Thanks again for all your help xx
Sonia x

 

The humor is our way of putting you at ease when times look grim.

Also, if the oil cooler underneath does not arrive, it can be bypassed by a mechanic and the vehicle driven carefully (not desert or autobahn use). D2's after a certain VIN no longer had an oil cooler. In the US, very few SUV or pickup trucks come with engine oil coolers, even though we have engines to 8 liters in some.

It may be some of the "built for Borneo" methodology.

Thanks for the followup.