Hey guys, I have been lurking around for over an month and decided I finally need some help. I (my sister) have an' 02 Disco 2 (4.0 v8) 100,000 miles with coolant in the oil. This spring there were some overheating problems due to a leaking/plugged radiator so the radiator, water pump, timing chain and associated gaskets were replaced by a local LR mechanic in Grand Haven, MI. Fast forward 4 months and it overheated again, but this time all of the coolant ended up in the crankcase. We called the mechanic and he started sputtering doom and gloom...slipped sleeve....need a new engine....by the way, I'll give you $1500 bux for it. mlm He won't see this car again. ok...so for the symptoms... it runs great. no ticking, starts right up. I put a compression tester on all cylinders and they are all around 180-200. I am hoping the *new* timing gasket was installed wrong or it needs a valley gasket. Does anyone have an opinion? I ordered a coolant tester and a complete head gasket kit with new bolts just in case. Any advise on what to look for? No coolant is on the ground and I don't see steam in the exhaust. also which adapter should I get for my mityvac? MVA107 or 113? or stant 12030 Thanks for the help.

 

Another indicator - any sound of water rushing under the dash, which is frequently exhaust gas in coolant? If no, that is a good sign against HG. Of course, there is the chemical test for combustion gas in coolant that is about $50 for a kit that will do over a dozen tests.

Valley pan is certainly a strong candidate. They can also leak under the intake and run down back of engine. When taking the top parts off, build in a few minutes to to an un-related fuel rail PSI test, this schrader valve is hard to get at normally and you will be in a great position to test it to verify health of fuel pump.

Many posts on HG repair in recent months have commented how the intake manifold bolts were found to be basically finger tight at the rear. Don't know if snug up would fix (or how long), some have suggested some Loctite on assembly.

If going back into the front cover, consider doing the oil pump. Here's a pix that shows the cracks that can develop, can be a source of the tick, but not always noisy. Can still pump, just low PSI. Or test it with manual gauge.

Un-sure about which coolant tester adapter to select - when you resolve this and get the proper one, please take a pix or two and make a post just about it, many other members would find that helpful. The loaner kits usually don't have the adapter to go into the coolant container. Thanks in advance.

And you of course have the RAVE by now....

 

When you get your preasure tester, fill and purge the system of all air, then try and pump the system up to 20 lbs. You probabally wont get their, if you do let it sit for 30 minutes.

When was the compression test done? was it done when the engine was hot or cold?

I did not see where you say you had the head gaskets replaced, just associated gaskets. At 100k you probably are in need of head gaskets quite a common problem as you must have found out.

You will also need an upper intake gasket not all head gasket kits come with one.

Until you can preasure test it, you really cant make a decide your course of action.

 

I did the compression test cold. The truck has been sitting for a month and I didn't want to start it until I know what's wrong with it, BUT it still runs like a champ! Will it be obvious if the valley gasket is the culprit? Also, if it fails the pressure test, how will I know where if it is all internal? No coolant is leaking outside of the engine.

 

unless you have a huge leak coolant will normally only leak under preasure. There could be 3 or 4 small leaks that are burning off as soon as it is hitting the engine and you would never know it.

I should add if the valley pan gasket is leaking, you still have to pull the upper and lower intakes, so why not drop the exhaust manifolds 18 bolts and do the head gaskets while your there.

 

I have a little more info. Apparently there was a "Woosh, woosh" noise under the dash. Sounds like that is a symptom of the head gasket? Might this be a symptom of a slipped liner as well?

 

Symptom of gas or air in coolant, can be burped, might continue to occur. A chemical test for exhaust gas in coolant (auto parts store) will tell for sure. It is quite possible to have a head gasket problem without a slipped sleeve.

 

The is a considerable amount of coolant in the oil. It will empty the overflow container within a day.

 

But with such loss, no external leak, and no white smoke, no running rough, may be valley pan. Pix of an HG, there is a slot at the end of each head for coolant in/out.

Any strange color on the plugs if pulled for inspection (like steam cleaned)?

It is said that a slipped sleeve and cracked block can allow coolant to ooze up behind the sleeve and into the cylinder. But, "It" may not be a cracked block, or slipped sleeve, or even head gasket.

I'm afraid you will find out a lot at the valley pan point. See drawing attached. Wonder if you could see with mirror and flash light between valley pan and intake arch, if anything looks strange.

And obviously you have discontinued use of the vehicle, except for emergency?

 

I pulled and replaced the plugs when I did the compression test and they were original. The electrode was worn off and there was a lot of carbon/soot. They were very dirty. Not wet or clean. I will not have access to the vehicle until next week. I am going to start with a pressure test and then tear down the heads. I will plan on taking pics. Also...another bit of back story. Apparently the radiator was replaced with the timing chains and cover gasket/water pump. A mechanic at the tire shop put a can of "fairy dust" in the coolant to stop a leaky radiator, which made it worse. I wonder if remnants of that failed repair are causing this problem? Anyway, I ordered a head gasket kit, head bolts and a pressure tester. I ordered the mityvac mva107 adapter. I will post the results next week.