Time to Rebuild Bottom End
#121
11-12-2018 | 07:02 AM
TReK
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 3,388
Likes: 483
Sigh...
Well, life is still good, but my daughter's Rover isn't. Cracked block or metal Cometic headgasket failure at 184,000 miles. Not an overheat problem. Just a poor quality block from the factory finally giving up the ghost (warpage or crack). Coolant is pouring out of her exhaust.
I won't be doing a Disco 2 build for the Barrett-Jackson auction now that I've seen this weak block firsthand.
It still drives if you add coolant, so I'll retire it out to my ranch for the occasional overland trip there. No more road miles. I'll be cancelling its insurance. It will literally be a future barn find for someone else.
I'm disappointed. There is just so much to like about the Disco 2, especially with its Crower performance cam. When running, it has useful 4wd capability and a luxury interior.
I had uparmored the interior panels with ballistic panels and uparmored the glass with security film. This beast was bulletproof stealth.
It will be in a barn in North Central Texas for the next 10 to 20 years so if anyone ever wants a great chassis with lots of goodies and a reasonably clean interior just send a private message here and then post to this thread so that I get an email to come view PMs, otherwise it will just be sitting in a barn. I'm not going to put any more $ or effort into it.
Randy is now parked. Possibly forever.
Well, life is still good, but my daughter's Rover isn't. Cracked block or metal Cometic headgasket failure at 184,000 miles. Not an overheat problem. Just a poor quality block from the factory finally giving up the ghost (warpage or crack). Coolant is pouring out of her exhaust.
I won't be doing a Disco 2 build for the Barrett-Jackson auction now that I've seen this weak block firsthand.
It still drives if you add coolant, so I'll retire it out to my ranch for the occasional overland trip there. No more road miles. I'll be cancelling its insurance. It will literally be a future barn find for someone else.
I'm disappointed. There is just so much to like about the Disco 2, especially with its Crower performance cam. When running, it has useful 4wd capability and a luxury interior.
I had uparmored the interior panels with ballistic panels and uparmored the glass with security film. This beast was bulletproof stealth.
It will be in a barn in North Central Texas for the next 10 to 20 years so if anyone ever wants a great chassis with lots of goodies and a reasonably clean interior just send a private message here and then post to this thread so that I get an email to come view PMs, otherwise it will just be sitting in a barn. I'm not going to put any more $ or effort into it.
Randy is now parked. Possibly forever.
Man that sucks, sorry to hear that happened.
#123
11-12-2018 | 07:29 AM
Sigh...
Well, life is still good, but my daughter's Rover isn't. Cracked block or metal Cometic headgasket failure at 184,000 miles. Not an overheat problem. Just a poor quality block from the factory finally giving up the ghost (warpage or crack). Coolant is pouring out of her exhaust.
I won't be doing a Disco 2 build for the Barrett-Jackson auction now that I've seen this weak block firsthand.
It still drives if you add coolant, so I'll retire it out to my ranch for the occasional overland trip there. No more road miles. I'll be cancelling its insurance. It will literally be a future barn find for someone else.
I'm disappointed. There is just so much to like about the Disco 2, especially with its Crower performance cam. When running, it has useful 4wd capability and a luxury interior.
I had uparmored the interior panels with ballistic panels and uparmored the glass with security film. This beast was bulletproof stealth.
It will be in a barn in North Central Texas for the next 10 to 20 years so if anyone ever wants a great chassis with lots of goodies and a reasonably clean interior just send a private message here and then post to this thread so that I get an email to come view PMs, otherwise it will just be sitting in a barn. I'm not going to put any more $ or effort into it.
Randy is now parked. Possibly forever.
Well, life is still good, but my daughter's Rover isn't. Cracked block or metal Cometic headgasket failure at 184,000 miles. Not an overheat problem. Just a poor quality block from the factory finally giving up the ghost (warpage or crack). Coolant is pouring out of her exhaust.
I won't be doing a Disco 2 build for the Barrett-Jackson auction now that I've seen this weak block firsthand.
It still drives if you add coolant, so I'll retire it out to my ranch for the occasional overland trip there. No more road miles. I'll be cancelling its insurance. It will literally be a future barn find for someone else.
I'm disappointed. There is just so much to like about the Disco 2, especially with its Crower performance cam. When running, it has useful 4wd capability and a luxury interior.
I had uparmored the interior panels with ballistic panels and uparmored the glass with security film. This beast was bulletproof stealth.
It will be in a barn in North Central Texas for the next 10 to 20 years so if anyone ever wants a great chassis with lots of goodies and a reasonably clean interior just send a private message here and then post to this thread so that I get an email to come view PMs, otherwise it will just be sitting in a barn. I'm not going to put any more $ or effort into it.
Randy is now parked. Possibly forever.
That said, coolant in the exhaust is not usually an indicator of a cracked block - but could be an indicator of a blown hg. Before you give up completely, I would recommend a little diagnostics which takes very little work. You could start with looking at the 02 reading via torque app - the side with the coolant leak will likely be either very slow or not cycling at all. Inspection of the plugs should give you an indication also. Only the corner cylinders really have exposure to coolant passages at the hg interface, the center cylinders do not. Get a pressure tester from one of the autoparts stores, put the tester on the system with the plugs out and you should be able to hear the leak or maybe even see it with the coolant running out if it is that big. Once you id the cyl with the leak, you can move the piston up and down in the bore. If it leaks top and bottom it is likely a hg, leaking on when down *MIGHT* indicate a crack. Because the block has liners, for coolant to make it in to the cc chamber via a crack you would have to have cracked both the block and the liner, which again is very doubtful. It would have to have be overheated like crazy to do that. Any water in the oil? No? Not a cracked block then. Cracked blocks will leak water in the oil. Pull the heads and redo the pressure test with block off plates -
Given what you put in to it, I wouldn't even rule out an engine swap. You could put all the good 4.6 parts in a 4.0 block (much easier to find cheaply) and still have a great truck. Or, buy a parts truck/4.0 engine, swap it in for the short term while you diagnose the 4.6 for the long term.
Good luck!
The following users liked this post:
No Doubt (11-24-2018)
#124
11-12-2018 | 08:07 AM
Camel Trophy
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 4,703
Likes: 1,282
From: Michigan
I have been where you are an apparent engine failure after tons of work, it is very discouraging. I had to let a car sit a month one time before I wasn't too mad to work on it again.
That said, coolant in the exhaust is not usually an indicator of a cracked block - but could be an indicator of a blown hg. Before you give up completely, I would recommend a little diagnostics which takes very little work. You could start with looking at the 02 reading via torque app - the side with the coolant leak will likely be either very slow or not cycling at all. Inspection of the plugs should give you an indication also. Only the corner cylinders really have exposure to coolant passages at the hg interface, the center cylinders do not. Get a pressure tester from one of the autoparts stores, put the tester on the system with the plugs out and you should be able to hear the leak or maybe even see it with the coolant running out if it is that big. Once you id the cyl with the leak, you can move the piston up and down in the bore. If it leaks top and bottom it is likely a hg, leaking on when down *MIGHT* indicate a crack. Because the block has liners, for coolant to make it in to the cc chamber via a crack you would have to have cracked both the block and the liner, which again is very doubtful. It would have to have be overheated like crazy to do that. Any water in the oil? No? Not a cracked block then. Cracked blocks will leak water in the oil. Pull the heads and redo the pressure test with block off plates -
Given what you put in to it, I wouldn't even rule out an engine swap. You could put all the good 4.6 parts in a 4.0 block (much easier to find cheaply) and still have a great truck. Or, buy a parts truck/4.0 engine, swap it in for the short term while you diagnose the 4.6 for the long term.
Good luck!
That said, coolant in the exhaust is not usually an indicator of a cracked block - but could be an indicator of a blown hg. Before you give up completely, I would recommend a little diagnostics which takes very little work. You could start with looking at the 02 reading via torque app - the side with the coolant leak will likely be either very slow or not cycling at all. Inspection of the plugs should give you an indication also. Only the corner cylinders really have exposure to coolant passages at the hg interface, the center cylinders do not. Get a pressure tester from one of the autoparts stores, put the tester on the system with the plugs out and you should be able to hear the leak or maybe even see it with the coolant running out if it is that big. Once you id the cyl with the leak, you can move the piston up and down in the bore. If it leaks top and bottom it is likely a hg, leaking on when down *MIGHT* indicate a crack. Because the block has liners, for coolant to make it in to the cc chamber via a crack you would have to have cracked both the block and the liner, which again is very doubtful. It would have to have be overheated like crazy to do that. Any water in the oil? No? Not a cracked block then. Cracked blocks will leak water in the oil. Pull the heads and redo the pressure test with block off plates -
Given what you put in to it, I wouldn't even rule out an engine swap. You could put all the good 4.6 parts in a 4.0 block (much easier to find cheaply) and still have a great truck. Or, buy a parts truck/4.0 engine, swap it in for the short term while you diagnose the 4.6 for the long term.
Good luck!
Brian.
#125
11-24-2018 | 08:37 PM
Thread Starter
|
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,236
Likes: 235
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
Added half a liter of water to top up the coolant and drove the Disco 2 out to its barn today. My daughter followed in her new Jeep and reported that Randy wasn't spewing "that" much white smoke.
The difference may be that it was near freezing back when I diagnosed the original problem compared to today where the temps were high 60's.
Anyway, for now if I add coolant and power steering fluid you can drive it at highway speeds (75mph for 18 miles today).
Coolant is getting into the oil. Not much, but a little. The coolant hoses are not getting hard/pressurized. The motor is maintaining normal temperature.
I could see doing a regular head gasket replacement, which are cheap if I use composite instead of Cometic, and having the heads decked again just for a test at some future date.
My son is 13 right now but he may need a project vehicle in a couple of years so I can see keeping it around for some experimental wrenching. If a new head gasket solves the problem then fantastic.
The difference may be that it was near freezing back when I diagnosed the original problem compared to today where the temps were high 60's.
Anyway, for now if I add coolant and power steering fluid you can drive it at highway speeds (75mph for 18 miles today).
Coolant is getting into the oil. Not much, but a little. The coolant hoses are not getting hard/pressurized. The motor is maintaining normal temperature.
I could see doing a regular head gasket replacement, which are cheap if I use composite instead of Cometic, and having the heads decked again just for a test at some future date.
My son is 13 right now but he may need a project vehicle in a couple of years so I can see keeping it around for some experimental wrenching. If a new head gasket solves the problem then fantastic.
Last edited by No Doubt; 11-24-2018 at 08:40 PM.
#128
11-27-2018 | 04:26 PM
Added half a liter of water to top up the coolant and drove the Disco 2 out to its barn today. My daughter followed in her new Jeep and reported that Randy wasn't spewing "that" much white smoke.
The difference may be that it was near freezing back when I diagnosed the original problem compared to today where the temps were high 60's.
Anyway, for now if I add coolant and power steering fluid you can drive it at highway speeds (75mph for 18 miles today).
Coolant is getting into the oil. Not much, but a little. The coolant hoses are not getting hard/pressurized. The motor is maintaining normal temperature.
I could see doing a regular head gasket replacement, which are cheap if I use composite instead of Cometic, and having the heads decked again just for a test at some future date.
My son is 13 right now but he may need a project vehicle in a couple of years so I can see keeping it around for some experimental wrenching. If a new head gasket solves the problem then fantastic.
The difference may be that it was near freezing back when I diagnosed the original problem compared to today where the temps were high 60's.
Anyway, for now if I add coolant and power steering fluid you can drive it at highway speeds (75mph for 18 miles today).
Coolant is getting into the oil. Not much, but a little. The coolant hoses are not getting hard/pressurized. The motor is maintaining normal temperature.
I could see doing a regular head gasket replacement, which are cheap if I use composite instead of Cometic, and having the heads decked again just for a test at some future date.
My son is 13 right now but he may need a project vehicle in a couple of years so I can see keeping it around for some experimental wrenching. If a new head gasket solves the problem then fantastic.
The following users liked this post:
No Doubt (11-27-2018)
#129
11-27-2018 | 04:31 PM
Thread Starter
|
Recovery Vehicle
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 1,236
Likes: 235
From: Alabama + Vegas + Texas
you might wanna drop the oil pan and put a pressure tester on the cooling system and see where the woman is coming from. If you pull the spark plugs at the same time you might find that the only thing that is blown is the front cover gasket in the head gaskets are actually OK. That’s not the typical failure but given that you replaced the original head gasket with better once it is feasible. It’s a much smaller jobs to just replace the front cover gasket
#130
11-27-2018 | 05:05 PM
Camel Trophy
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 4,703
Likes: 1,282
From: Michigan
Also, have you checked for codes...if it is a head gasket issue...you'd normally have misfire codes.
The white rover we just picked up had misfire codes on #1, #2, #7, #8.
I'd pull the plugs and look for anti-freeze within cylinders, even if you don't have any codes, first, with a scope. Then move on to the pressure check and oil pan removal.
Brian.
The white rover we just picked up had misfire codes on #1, #2, #7, #8.
I'd pull the plugs and look for anti-freeze within cylinders, even if you don't have any codes, first, with a scope. Then move on to the pressure check and oil pan removal.
Brian.