Hello everybody, I have a '99 LR Discovery SII, last night I noticed a leakeage on my garage floor, I pulled the LR out a bit and saw a big stain of oily liquid (no motor oil for sure) also I saw a broken belt hunging under, I pull it and yes it was a broken belt, the leak is comming from the right arm (facing from front). I called my local dealer and they told me not to drive the vehicle, they think is the water pump and the belt broke, but, by the way and viscosity of the "oil" on the floor I can tell it is not coolant what's leaking, it looks more like power steering fluid.

Any input will be appreciated, looking around (trying to avoid taking it to the dealer...) but I need to make sure what it is. Anyone had a similiar experience?

Thanx guys and hope to hear from you!

BTW, I'm in South California....
BJ

 

Go soak up a little of the fluid on a piece of paper towel, what color is it, what does it smell like?
Can you spin the engines fan, can you feel movement in the fan like the hub or water pum failed?
Mike

 

Hi Mike!

Thanx for replying man, yes, I can spin the fan with my hand (pretty loose), I haven't done the paper towel test to see the color of the fluid. I'm at work right now but I'll do it this afternoon, and is it normal to spin the fan that easy? Engine no running (of course) and I could spin it.

Thanx Mike, any suggestion /input will be greatly appreciated. I'm already looking for reliable mechanics around my area (AAA recommended me a few, I have to check them out).

BJ

 

BJ,
Where are you located? As for the fan, wait till it is cold and spin it, should feel like it is restricted or have a drag, If it spins, free wheeling, the hub is shot.
Mike

 

Hey Mike,

I'm in south california, the car was cold, and it spined freely.

Thanx Mike

 

It's me again,

What's the hub? (sorry guys, don't know anything about mechanics, I'm electrical engineer)

and if that's the problem, how much $$$ am I looking at?

Thanx guys!

 

Using both hands on the fan blades --- try to "rock" the fan --alternatively pushing and pulling with opposite hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Then with both hands---push in, and pull out. If there is any looseness when doing this test, the odds are that the water pump bearing is shot. Normally, you will also have coolant drips or stains coming from the "weep hole" on the underside of the water pump --behind the pulley. The serpentine belt breaking can be due to a tensioner pulley bearing failure. If you go to my web-site and look under the tech info section, there are more details. It is fairly straightforward to replace the water pump, tensioner, and serpentine belt.

As Disco Mike mentioned, you may also have a fan clutch that is shot (these parts all have a service life, and the water pump, tensioner, and fan clutch normally go about the same time). The fan clutch ---when you rotate it with a cold engine--by hand---should turn easily, but with a slight amount of drag. If it "freewheels", it needs replacing.

I have all these parts at a good price on my site. So if you elect to try and fix this yourself, I can point you in the right direction. That is what my site is all about. Helping the do-it-yourself Land Rover owner.

If you think the fluid is not coolant or motor oil, take the cap off the power steering reservoir and check the fluid level. You may have damaged a power steering hose when the belt broke.

Regards,
Geoman
www.eurotekapg.com

 

Hello Geo, thanx for the replying,

Man, You know your business (sounds like it). I gonna give it a try and check what u suggested, after that I'll have a better grasp on what the problem/s are.

I'm checking ur site right now and if I do go the route (do it yourself) you'll be hearing from me lots of times!

Thanx and I'll keep u guys posted,

BJ

 

Hey guys, here we go;

I followed the hints from Mike and Geo and this is what I found out,

A) Using both hands on the fan blades --- try to "rock" the fan --alternatively pushing and pulling with opposite hands at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions. Then with both hands---push in, and pull out. If there is any looseness when doing this test, the odds are that the water pump bearing is shot. Normally, you will also have coolant drips or stains coming from the "weep hole" on the underside of the water pump --behind the pulley. The serpentine belt breaking can be due to a tensioner pulley bearing failure. If you go to my web-site and look under the tech info section, there are more details. It is fairly straightforward to replace the water pump, tensioner, and serpentine belt.

Result: Fan does has a drag when spinning, it doesn't spin freely (As I thought it was).
I tested at the 3 and 9 positions tried to pull/push, nothing loose, didn't move a bit either direction (in/out).
Found the remains of the belt, it is a thin belt I would say about 1 1/2 feet long to 2', dunno, since it is broken in 3 pieces!

B) If you think the fluid is not coolant or motor oil, take the cap off the power steering reservoir and check the fluid level. You may have damaged a power steering hose when the belt broke.

Result: I did what Mike suggested (paper towel test) and found out that the fluid's color is clear yellowish, then; I took the caps off from the power steering and Cornering Enhancement tank and (I got all messed up here) the tank closer to the ABS system (closer to the inside) is empty, the one on the outer side has fluid in it. Since I got the caps mix (don't know which tank is wich, if I have to guess I would say the inner tank is the cornering Enhancement tank, just want someone to confirm).
Now, what do I do next? I guess have to look for a leacky host, during day time...Again, Thanx to you guys that are giving me the hints and confidence to tackle this on my own! Wow! I couldn't believe it when I was taking the plastic cover off the top of radiator!
But, I guess, is all about doing it ourselves!

Please give any input on what to do next and thanx in advance...

BJ

 

Ok guys, I'm giving up on this @!#$&*^#@ truck (excuse my french). After giving a shot at trying to figure out what's wrong I'm taking it to a near shop to have it diagnose. Yesterday the Power Steering got stuck (hard to manuever) and a really loud metal noise coming from the engine. I haven't replaced the serpentine belt (ordered monday) or the tensioner. lots of oil (ps/ace fluid) on my garage floor. When I turn the truck on I can see like bubbles on both ACE and PS tanks (what does that means?); well guys, I'll let you know the outcome later (waiting to hear from shop on what and how much to get it fix)...

Let me know if anyone interested in buying a fully loaded LS II, 74,000 miles on it; 1999.

Thanx for your help guys...

BJ