Hey Guys-
I took my DII in to see if the gaskets need to be replaced and I'm waiting for the techs to get in and have a look. If they need to be replaced I'm thinking of having 8mm Magnecor's and new plugs put in at the same time. However, the PO had all the wires and plugs replaced at the stealership this time last year. Is it worth the $$ to have them installed or is it better to wait? The truck is at an indy repair shop that specializes in Land Rovers (Auto Europa).

 

Well I just got off the phone the the shop owner and he said all the gaskets need to be replaced. The job will take 4 days and cost $2400 for parts and labor, and he recommends keeping the current plugs and wires. He also mentioned the starter was covered in oil but will be cleaned and still usable. Grrrrrr.

 

So what are they doing for $2400???

 

Take care of the repairs that need to be done now and upgrade your wires later. Unless you make a lot of money or are well off. What gaskets are they replacing for 2400?

 

Here's the work that is being done all with LR parts:
Replace the cylinder head gaskets...includes new cylinder head bolts, all new intake system gaskets, valve cover gaskets, engine oil & filter, coolant, de-carbon the intake system & valves, new valve seals , clean oil out of starter motor, clean engine block, new spark plugs, computer tune & reset all engine & transmission adaptions w/ LR T-4 software.

 

Ya that sounds about right...

 

Thanks 98, I figured as much. I want to be sure everything is in good running order before going I start offroading, and this is the one job I knew had to be done before I could really buy mods. Everything else on the DII is great so I know it will pay off long term, which is what I want out of this Rover. This site has really helped me get familiar with in's and out's of owning a LR and I thank all of you.

 

I have never heard you mention anything about needing head gaskets before???
At your mileage, you don't need any work done on the heads. I had mine done 4 months ago for just under $1400, I supplied the plugs and oil. I would talk to them about the head work and get that price down.

 

I agree with Mike, that sounds a little high to me. I would suggest getting the plugs and wires. You are only looking at a few hunderd more to have a job done right. If they have everything apart anyway, have them throw the new wires on. It is a lot cheaper to do it now and it will help with the de-carbon treatment.

 

After unclogging the a/c drain plugs my friend was looking at the engine. He pointed out the oil that was seeping along the heads and we found some parts with a noticable spray of oil on them. Near the radiator on the passenger side. When I was underneath looking for the CDL, I noticed the bottom of the t-case was covered with drips of oil. It wasn't very wet looking oil but looks like something that has been occuring longer than the ~3 months I've had the vehicle.

After reading this and other forums it sounded like a common issue. I happened to have the day off and decided to have it looked at. Is it possible to just replace the gaskets without the other work? When I asked about the Magnecor's to the shop owner he said they stopped using aftermarket wires for "reliability" reasons. I'm also not fond of going back to the stealership.

They gave me a multi-point inspection which came back all green (this was a few weeks after getting the truck). Now I'm no mechanic, but even when I saw where the oil was leaking from I would have at least mentioned something on that inspection. Isn't that what the other colors are for? Anyways, I'll call the shop owner tomorrow and see if the heads are that bad. It sounds like that is his standard procedure and I don't know how much he has taken apart to verify what's needed.