Fairly certain that I have a coolant leak that is allowing coolant into the the oil pan in a large quantity. Although the oil does not appear foamy, it is overfull and the coolant has been disappearing out of the overflow tank the last two days.

The oil pressure light and TC light came on last night and alerted me to the potential problem. Prior to that, I thought I had a radiator leak that I was not able to locate.

A check of the dipstick revealed an overfull situation, but there is no appearance of coolant in the oil. In addition, there is no steaming of exhaust.

I'll be draining the oil to see if I can identify if it definitely has coolant in the pan, but I'm pretty sure, from the evidence I have so far, that is the case.

I am guessing that purchasing a used replacement will be less time consuming and less expensive than a rebuild and I've located a couple of possible sources. I'm a former shop teacher, turned administrator, and I have complete access to a shop, but I'm short on time due to working no a doctorate degree right now. A swap might be the most time efficient method of a repair.

Curious if anyone has any suggestions as to a good vendor for low milage engines.

Also, I'm curious if a newer 4.6 would fit in my current Rover without modifications or if the 4.0 is the only/best option.

 

4.6 is a stroked 4.0 so it will fit

 

Will tillery sometimes has used eng .

 

Don't guess yourself into a large expense, do a coolant pressure test, confirm, the leak and most likely you will find only a blown head gasket.
In the mean time don't drive the truck with coolant in the oil which can wash the bearings causing a lot of wear.
Let us know what you find.
As for a replacement engine, although it could be tempting to throw in a newer 4.6, they have a much higher sleeve failure rate.

 

I have the same problem -- loud clicking (which is apparently a slipped piston sleeve) and blown head gasket in my 2004 Disco II. And, I've only got 64,000 easy miles on it, bought it new.

The dealer (...) told me he could put a used engine with 125k miles in it for $8400, or a new one for $9500. So, I'll be looking for other options. I know you all are expert mechanics, unfortunately I'm not -- and am not equipped for this job if I was.

What kind of price range do you think I should be paying for a repair like this?

And, anyone have independent service shop recommendations in the Salt Lake City area?

Thanks,
Chris

 

Mike,

I will be performing a pressure leak test on the Disco soon, but even if it is just a blown head gasket, the motor has almost 150,000 miles on it, so a rebuild is probably not out of the question. Oil pump, valves, etc. are probably all due for a once over.

If I am planning on keeping this thing through the long haul, I want to give some consideration to what I need to do to stay out from under the hood, except for oil changes and other normal maintenance, for the next three to five years. That's why I'm giving consideration to a complete replacement or rebuild at the current time, while it's down.

Given the fact that I don't really have enough time to do all the rebuild work myself, I'm thinking instead about going the long block route.

Do any of you have any experience with Canibal V8's?

CANNiBALV8

Spoke with this guy on the phone at length on Thursday. Giving some serious thought to purchasing a long block from him. Seems he has spent a significant amount of time addressing the shortcomings of the original design.

 

How much was the Cannibal engine?

 

For what its worth, i had an engine with 140k that needed head gasket job that I tried to repair with mechanic in a bottle (kseal) it gummed up everything and caused more headaches than it was worth- My indy mechanic said he could do the HG job, but was pretty sure that the sleeves had slipped and I was in need of a new engine.

He found me a block out of an '02 with 86K on the ticker for $1300 with all new seals- He used all the parts off mine and with a few extras (motor mounts, core flush, thermostat, fluids) Cost me a total of $2700 including labor-

 

4.0 long block was around $5200.

Less than a long block from Atlantic British, with what appears to be some much needed attention to design improvements.

Also, no core charge up front...

I could pick up a used engine in a salvage yard, but there is no way to know how that motor was treated by the previous owner, nor is there any way to tell if it already had a sleeve slipped without a teardown and inspection, which I really don't have time for...

I need a pretty quick plug and play solution.

If I was going to sell the Disco, a salvage yard engine is the best option, but if I plan to keep it (which I'm pretty sure I will), it doesn't seem too logical to risk the same issues recurring in the future.

 

Yeah, $5200 would be worth it if you got 4-5 years of use out of it.