My husband asked me to post this for him. We have an 02 Disco II with 93k miles. It will likely have about 97k miles in October when I go on maternity leave. My husband has heard a lot of problems about head gaskets around 100k. Does that happen on most Discos or just some? He's thinking of planning to replace the head gasket while I'm on maternity leave and not driving much. He will likely do all the work himself.

 

Are you sure it has never been done before. Actually the gaskets can fail from 60K on and may go into the 140K plus range before it may quit.
I wouldn't do it just to be doing it if it were mine.

 

As far as we know it has never failed. We got it at 68k and he said there didn't appear to be much engine work that was done. I don't think he realized it could go to 140k before they quit. He'll be happy to hear that. Thanks

 

the head gaskets will only last that long if you flush the coolant every two years. When was the last time the coolant was flushed?

 

I'm not sure, but I'll mention the coolant to my husband. I think he flushed several of the fluids shortly after we purchased it.

 

Head gaskets are not a maintenance item that wears out. It's usually another problem like overheating and/or warpage that causes them to let go. If you do the coolant flushes as mentioned, keep a good thermostat in there and keep up regular oil changes, there's no reason to believe the head gasket will be a problem. Just be aware of the truck's condition.

 

X2. Keep good coolant in it and stay up with the maintenance. You don't have to change head gaskets until they fail. I would leave it alone as well...

 

The problem with the headgaskets in DIIs is, as mentioned, the coolant. Dexcool becomes extremely corrosive if not kept up with, so as preventative maintenance you'll actually want to do a coolant flush and refill up with some fresh coolant.