Hi. I have a 2004 Disco SE in excellent shape. Recently found out my cylinder # 6 misfire code I have been getting is probably caused by leaking head gasket or worse. I am not a confident enough mechanic to tackle the project. If anyone knows a good one close to the Loveland area, please let me know. thanks

 

You said probably caused by leaking head gasket. What, if I may ask, led you to this conclusion? What I mean, is are there other symptoms? I.E. Overheating, loosing coolant, coolant in the oil. Is it a dead cylinder(running on 7 cylinders). The reason I ask, I had two misfires on the same bank, and replaced the coil(with 65.00 Advance Auto) and have not had a misfire since. How many miles on the vehicle? Is that the only code that it is throwing?
Not trying to be a ***, just want to see that all bases are covered, before paying big bucks for HG job.

 

European Motor Cars in Ft. Collins Tested the cooling system for combustion. Test showed a failure in head gasket or block. I don't think there is anything wrong with block because the car runs great. only time I get the code is after it is parked for a while. at start up, the engine misses for a second or 2 and then cleans right up.

 

coolant loss is minimal. maybe a cup of water a week.

 

Thanks, just thought I would ask.
Good Luck

 

Is the P306 code something I should worry about? It doesn't indicate a bad block or anything does it?

 

Also, if I release the pressure from the cooling system when I park it I never get the code. Just adding more info. thanks

 

The P0306 just means that the #6 cylinder is misfiring, and from your description, most likely misfiring because the spark plug gets saturated with coolant after it has been parked. The coolant burns off the plug fairly quickly, which is why the engine runs normally after a few seconds. If releasing the pressure after you park it causes it not to misfire on startup, it sounds like the leak isn't that bad...yet. The leak isn't yet a large gaping hole that coolant can flow through easily; it only happens while the coolant is still pressurised.

Still, it is something that needs to be taken care of sooner rather than later before the leak increases in size and you possibly overheat the engine.

 

You could try running some K-Seal in your radiator. If it's a small leak, there is some chance the K-Seal could seal it up temporarily. This is not a permanent solution, just another confirmation that it is the head gasket.

 

Will K-Seal mess up the heater core? I have heard horror stories about other sealers.