I just read this entire thread and I must have miss the original reason why the heads were rebuild. Was it due to performance (engine, cooling, ect) issues?I know you said thehead gaskets were blown, buy why or how were they blown?

There's no special steps that's involved in removing coolant (condensation) from a engine withwater in the oil. Once all needed items have been changed or repaired a simple oil change is all it takes to remove water (condensation) from theengine block. Regardless of how long you've been driving around with a blown head gasket, a simple oil change is all it takes once all the repairs have been maded. It should not take multiple days for the water to clear up. There's a difference between steam/condensation that comes out your exhaust due to a coldexhaustsystem and high ambient humidity, compared to white smoke that's coming out your exhaust due to water in the combustion chamber.

My opinionis that your engine is burning coolant. For you to add 2 gallons of coolant (with no major externalleaks) the water has to be going somewhere.Even with a faulty thermostat, it will not cause you to loose 2 gallons of coolant without having an external leak. Has anyone re-check the oil dip stick or filler cap for signs of water in the oil? Try briefly smelling the exhaust to see if it smells sweet like antifreeze. What does thespark plugs look like? Ifacylinder is burning coolant,thespark plug will be white and cleaner than normal.

If your shop is knowledgeable, have them perform a leak-down test. A leak-down test will indicate if the combustion chamber is leaking and where it's leaking from. This is not the same as a basic compression test. Performing a compression test wouldn't hurt either, just for FYI.

Again, why did the head gasket go bad in the first place?

 

No Idea why the head gasket (if that is what it was)went bad, I just know it was blowing unusual amount of white smoke out the back and water was in the oil and it was using coolant, alot ...

Now it's doing all those things except no water in the oil .....


I just let the car warm up, hoses and radiator were at 55 degrees, water pump was at 170 (when gauge says engine is warmed up)

Went and drove the car like a bat out of hell,the hoses then read 150 degrees and water pump at 180

Got home and parked and let it sit for a few more minutes radiator said 70-80 degrees and water pump said 200 .....

Gauge started rising .............

Hoses said 170 and water pump was 220

Intake this whole time went from 90-110 degrees ...

Heard front fans come on, then a small 'pop' and hoses were 159 degrees and water pump was 170 degrees ...


I'm going to take the thermostat out tomorrow and let it run and see if it does the same thing ..... Disco Mike said it would run a little warmer then usual but it should not overheat.. probably help remove air pocket ...



Before I took it out tonight I made sure resevoir is full, all hoses tight and I filled the upper rad hose with coolant,

I did poor coolant int he resevoir and watched it come out the other side of the radiator, so I guess it's not plugged (if it is , not that bad.)

suggestions ?

 

When you pull the thermostat,make sure it has a little plastic bleed check valve in it. If it doesn't, it makes it difficult to bleed. From the sounds of it, you either have a bad thermostat, or a big bubble.

Did the belt routing diagram help?

 

What are you using to get the temperture readings of the radiator, water pump and hose, one of those infraredtemp guns? I'm new to Land Rovers, andif bleeding the cooling systems onLR's are like some of the other notorious cars out there, it can be a pain. I'll find out soon enough because that's on of the things I'll be doing withDisco project, flush cooling system.

So you're saying,you're not exactly sure why there was water in the oil.Could have been head gasket, intake manifold or crack block.How was the engine running before doing the head job, was it idling smooth, engine miss? If it was running smooth with no miss, it's possible safe to sayyour head gasket was ok and the water in the oil was problably due to something else. Just my guess.

Now with you doing a head job, you've replaced the head and intake gaskets. So if you're still burning coolant, it's probably the block/liner.

If it wasn't for the fact that you were getting white smoke of the exhaust, I would say the erratic temp reading you're getting is probably due to cooling system not being bleed or a faulty thermostat.

At this point all you can do is replace the thermostat and hope for the best. Doing a leak down test might point you in another direction

 

I was getting readings from an infrared heat gun, yes.

What i'm going to do is drain the entire system, add block sealer, run it for a few minutes, bleed it, let it dry, fill it up (without thermostat) until I can get a new one in the mail from dap ..

A block sealer isn't my first choice, but if done correctly could save me little over $1000, until I can afford to put another motor in ...

I found a motor in northern California for $350, but shipping for 600 miles, is another $800!!!!!!

 

Before you use the block sealer, I suggest just removing the t-stat and see what happens. In a case like this it's good to know exactly what'scausing the problem. Do one repair at a time.I've never persoanlly used a block sealer, but I hear the key is to let the engine block air dry for a long time. Overnight if possible.

I understandyour aggravation, good luck.

 

I'd bet moneyonan intermittent thermostat problem. Like it will open and close fine a few times as the coolant warms and cools with the radiator, and then sticks shut, or partially shut and the coolant starts to get hot.

I agree with the others- replace it or remove it and eliminate it as a variable before doing anything else.

Dave

 

would a 3.9 block out of a 89 RR work ?

They're both 3.9 short blocks, but are the bellhousings and mounts the same ?

I looked at one and only thing that seemed different was accessories ?

 

Check here
http://www.roverlandparts.com/index....&ProdID=76

This way you only do it once.

 

Well that guy with the 3.9 for $350 bailed on me and is giving the motor to his wife, so I found an 89 range rover short block that is guaranteed good for $200 and I'll rebuildi t before it goes into my truck ..

was just curious if 89 3.9 would fit my truck ?