I'm sure there are a million posts on this, but my internet is down and I'm having trouble searching on my phone.

Mechanic tells me I need a new engine for my 2004 Discovery S (and I know he's right..). He's trying to find one, but says I should look also.

Can anyone recommend good places to look?

Thanks so much!

 

I've been told twice that I need a new engine, hasn't been true yet.

What mechanic (dealer or indy, LR specialist, foreign car shop, or family friend who works at an audi dealer) and why?

There could be good reasons, but we like details here.

What are the issues, the codes, the things you've done to troubleshoot?

These are pretty tough motors, only a few things really kill them like a severely overheated and cracked block and even than can be fixed.

 

*Following*


Just got news from our mechanic today that our block is cracked on 1999 disco 2. I am at a loss for words and don't know where to turn. Ours has a unique story - we had the oil changed in Jan, and shortly there after the engine started spitting back all kinds of codes, including cylinder 7 misfire. We had a freeze in NC where temps got down to 19 degrees (unusual in the south) and our disco had a hard time starting. We blamed it on the cold and started developing a overheating issue. Temp would go to 250 degrees within 15 minutes of driving it. We replaced the thermostat, radiator and hoses along with the fan clutch. The vehicle still had an issue starting and as of about 1 month ago would have difficulty turning over. My mechanic says the hydraulic cylinders are locked causing a cracked block and the engine had 2 quarts oil over what it calls for. Could a fowled oil change do this to our engine ?? I am looking at the manual and only see hydraulic lifts, not hydraulic cylinders. I am a LR greenie and NEED HELP! Should we get a new engine from atlantic british or take the engine our shop is offering at 100,000 miles with a 6 month warranty ?? I don't want to get rid of our Disco

 

oh - and our mechanic did not test oil for gases yet. From what I gather, a cracked block would produce water in the oil, correct?

 

What you need most is a new mechanic and a second/third opinion.

Several things can produce water in oil, there are a few active threads on the subject now, one seems to be loose valley gasket.

I wouldn't trust anyone who told you about the hydraulic cylinders.

RUN FORREST RUN!!

 

If it is confirmed that either of you does in fact require a new block, there are several options starting with a used, good condition version of what you already have, all the way to a 4.8L ACR motor from the UK, and several inbetween. It depends entirely on what you use the truck for (DD, off-road toy only...) and how much you have to spend ($500-8K if you install yourself). As Dave said...details.

 

He probably said, or meant to say, hydro-lock. This is where something fluid like water or fuel or possibly oil gets into the cylinders, and since this stuff doesn't compress like air/fuel mixture does, it locks up the engine. It could bend rods or do other damage.

EDIT: here is a link to a wiki article talking about it. I didn't read it, but it has nice photos. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrolock

 

i believe Jafir is correct, it does seam like he try to say hydrolocked.
But if that is the case if he removes the plugs and cranks it , it should shoot water out of the plug holes.

 

SALTYLRD21999, Let me try to answer your questions, and add my input regarding your engine, by inserting my comments within a quote from you:

You: "temps got down to 19 degrees (unusual in the south) and our disco had a hard time starting. We blamed it on the cold"
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Low Temperature will not stop the engine from starting, if it is in good shape mechanically, with winter viscosity oil, etc. My 2004 starts quickly, promptly with no problem in Montana winters way below zero. So, if you do the right thing for Rover, give it needed care, right oil, etc., it will start with ease.

You: "and started developing a overheating issue. Temp would go to 250 degrees within 15 minutes of driving it. We replaced the thermostat, radiator and hoses along with the fan clutch. "
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This is precisely when the damage was done. This was the cause of your primary problem. Engine overheated; you continued driving it for some unknown period; the engine block cracked. After the fact, you replaced the thermostat, radiator, hoses, etc., but that was done way too late; you wasted your money on all that effort, for none of it was capable of repairing the aforementioned damage. The aluminum blocks and heads of all engines, are sensitive to heat; the Rover in particular is extremely sensitive to overheating, which easily can warp the aluminum heads, cause cracking of the aluminum wall behind cylinder liners, which quickly leads to loosening of the cylinder liners (the cracks makes more room for the liners to move), and loosening of some of the head bolts (the cracks makes more room in threaded head bolt holes, allowing head bolts to loosen some degree). Once the cracking of aluminum wall between cylinder liner and water jacket takes place (as happened to you), combustion gasses from combustion chambers are able to escape through those cracks, into the water jacket, into the coolant system. Too, at the same time, the cracks allow coolant to escape from the cracks, upward, bypassing the head gaskets, going into some of the combustion chambers, essentially coolant sitting on top of some pistons, which causes the hydro-locking of pistons with enough coolant on top of them, which, in turn, can sometimes cause severe secondary damage to piston/connecting rod, etc.
Additionally, at the same time, the coolant is able to escape from the cracks, moving downward, into the oil pan. Though the coolant often moves both upward, to the pistons, and downward, into the oil pan, it may not necessarily do both, unless run for a time.

"The vehicle still had an issue starting and as of about 1 month ago would have difficulty turning over. My mechanic says the hydraulic cylinders are locked causing a cracked block and the engine had 2 quarts oil over what it calls for."
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I am certain that the cracking of aluminum block behind cylinder liners happened directly as a result of the overheated engine; not as a result of the hydro-locking. The hydro-locking happened as a result of coolant escaping from those cracks; getting into your combustion chambers. The hydro-locking didn't happen first, the cracking of block happened first.

You: " Could a fowled oil change do this to our engine ??"
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No, not at all.

You: " I am looking at the manual and only see hydraulic lifts, not hydraulic cylinders."
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Addressed above

I am a LR greenie and NEED HELP! Should we get a new engine from atlantic british or take the engine our shop is offering at 100,000 miles with a 6 month warranty ?? I don't want to get rid of our Disco __"
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You can say that again. It would really pay you to get intimately familiar with a working knowledge of, and experience in working on your Rover. I have always said that anyone owning a Rove should be capable of working on it himself, and/or have deep enough pockets full of money to be able to hire someone else to do all work on it--there is no middle ground. I would think long and hard about buying or not buying an engine with 100,000 miles on it. If you had ability, it might be worth using such an engine for rebuilding, installing new camshaft, new lifter, new rockers, having heads/valves rebuilt by competent auto. machine shop, installing new rod/main bearing inserts, etc. Finally it is most important to do whatever is necessary to see to it that whatever engine you put in will not ever overheat, for you don't want to repeat that mistake again. Questions?

You: "_oh - and our mechanic did not test oil for gases yet. From what I gather, a cracked block would produce water in the oil, correct?
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Not necessarily---see details explained above. Little too late for testing gasses in oil, for you already know what the problem is; sinking more money in tests to show what you already know, will do nothing but waste your money. Don't run that engine at all, until it is properly repaired.

 

Let's do some detective work.
Assuming your antifreeze has not been tampered with since the 19 degree day do this.

Go to the autoparts store.

Get an antifreeze reader.

When the truck is cold in the morning, suck in antifreeze to the reader.
Look at what temp the antifreeze is currently rated for.

If say you are protected to 0 degrees then the 19 degree day did not
affect you.

Also - when the antifreeze or water in the block freezes,
it usually knocks out a freeze plug - either partially or fully.

Look at the freeze plugs (hard to do) and note the condition and position.