no one should even be talking a new motor, until a proper diagnosis has been done. jho

 

Yep, I'd kind of like the OP to explain that conversation a bit more. I'm not saying it's warranted, but Cannibal has a bit of a bad reputation. I think it would be good to clarify what happened.

Did the guy from Cannibal just say that he didn't really do head gaskets, and that his shop just swapped engines? Or was he saying you probly needed a new engine anyway, so you should just replace it?

 

Let me say that Steve was super nice--we talked for like 20 minutes, at least. What happened was, I told him what I had seen so far, and his immediate suggestion was that I keep an eye on it and take detailed notes--how much fluid am I having to replace each week? Temps? Etc. Good advice.

His reasoning behind a total engine swap was that he could do HG's for like $2500, but he said I probably have a bunch of other problems too that are hard to diagnose, and he said if I bite the bullet and do HG's and then turns out the whole engine blows up a year later, I will really be up a creek. So he said I'd be better off economically to just do a swap now and never worry about the engine again. I see his point, I was just saying, as a college student, that's not a possibility for me. He also said he'd buy the truck for $1500 if that happened and I didn't want to do a swap. Nice guy, just didn't know my economic situation and I don't blame him. He made valid points, they just don't work for me.

 

The only other nearby shop that works on D2's regularly that isn't a dealer is a place in Tulsa called O'Brien's. They were also a pleasure to talk to. Their HG job is pretty expensive, $28-2900, but they do all the stuff that you mentioned, in addition to changing out all the SP wires and plugs. I'm taking it over there for them to run some tests on it themselves to get a better idea of what's going on, as I live in an apartment complex and it's freezing right now AND I have a baby on the way within a month, so I'm a little crunched for time to even think about doing this job myself.

I may see if I can get O'Brien's to come down to like $2500, though. $400 is $400!

 

The oil on the dipstick looks like normal used oil. No mocha-look whatsoever. After I ran the engine a bit yesterday, the backside of the dipstick(facing downward) kept reading really high, but the side facing up was accurate. I don't know if it's always like that, it was the first time I'd checked.

The coolant was too low to see when I added more. I couldn't see any in the reservoir through the cap hole. Now that I'm full, it does indeed bubble a little, in the shallower stage closest to the cockpit.

The only smoke from the tailpipe is just because it's freezing, I believe. Not dark or smoggy at all. Didn't smell sweet last time I checked, but I'll check again.

Could be that I'm burning some coolant or have an exhaust leak, I noticed a little smoke coming from the passenger side a little below the VC's right after I started the engine the other day (it was still cold, I believe.) but it quickly subsided.

I'll follow Steve's advice and let you all know once I have some measurements on how much fluid I've been losing.

 

you might be lucky could be a $25 throttle body heater leaking.

 

Ok, I would change the oil just so I could examine it more closely. Then I'd drive it like usual but check the fluids every day, probly in the morning and evening for the next few days, then every morning after that. You're looking at the oil and coolant level and color. The 'bubbles' in the coolant tank towards the very back are pretty standard if they aren't really bubbles but just high pressure water returning from the plenum heater. Bubbles look like no kidding air bubbles rising up thru the coolant.

Do tighten the valve covers, but don't go crazy, just snug. You could easily break the bolts or strip the threads in the block. If you have a torque wrench, the manual calls for 6 lbft of torque on the bolts, torque them to 10 lbft and you should be good. Re-torque at every oil change.

 

The sad truth unfortunately for a lot of LR owners like me. His advice he gave you was dead on right in the case of my LR with only 83k miles on the motor (to clarify he did not give me this advice either). First HG $2500 cost after 3k in other replacement parts cost, then oil pressure lights and then amigos and then oil pump gears...ouch. I lost all faith in the motor and went for the replacement...

Dr Mordo care to elaborate on the statement "Cannibal has a somewhat Bad reputation"? Are you referring to Cannibal LAnd Rover parts or CannibalV8 Engines? They are different entities I believe.

 

His point is absolutely valid. It happened to me and it is a terrible situation to be in. I spent about 2K getting HG's done and it ran fine afterwards for about 4 months before the symptoms came back and manifested themselves in a seriously overheated engine in the middle of the highway on the way into work. I know my economic situation is different that yours, but spending the money on a headgasket job AND then a new engine is a whole lot worse than just the new engine.

 

Thanks, good advice. I had a buddy check the oil on my dip stick just to make sure I'm not crazy. He was equally perplexed. The dip stick is pure oil, no signs of any contaminants. Looks like it should and it's not overfilled at all. I took the oil cap off and it had collected a little more of that mustardy color on it, but not as much as the first time. I used a flashlight and peaked it and it wasn't gunky. there was a light brownish tint on the metal but nothing that looks bad. I've definitely lost coolant since I added more two days ago though. Nothing else to report. Not overheating, nothing.