Hi All,

O.K. so new to this Forum although I have read alot of posts over the last two years of owning my Disco 2, I bought it cheap at NZ$7500 (most selling for around $12K then) knowing that it had engine problems after having it checked over by local Land Rover specialists. Drove it for about a month it over heated so sent it in for engine rebuild, invoice reads -remove heads off block, dismantle heads, clean all parts, clean block gasket surface up, assemble heads with new exhaust valve stem seals, refit heads to block with new gaskets, bolts & washers, torque heads to manufactures specifications, refit tappet covers with new gaskets, refit inlet manifold with new gasket & end seals, refit exhaust manifold with new gasket, replace studs & nuts if needed, fit new flange gaskets, connect all hoses, replace where necessary, refill radiator with clean water & antifreeze, check air filter & plugs, replace if needed, change oil & filter, run engine up to temperature, put on autologic & check for faults, clear faults, road test.

It ran o.k. for 10,000km then it started gurgling again, I took it back and the mechanics claimed they had a batch of faulty head bolts, something about the washers being soft, so they took the head bolts out one at a time and replaced, said if it didn't work they would do gaskets again, it seemed all good, I drove it for a couple of weeks (I do a round trip of 550km every fortnight plus drive a bit between these trips, went back in to see them to say all sounded good, drove off and up the next hill...... water fall under the dash So went back told them I was a bit over it and thinking of selling, they re-bled the system had it for a few days and reckoned all was well and since then all has been sweet, I have only ever done light towing until the other day, coming back from a camping trip with a double horse float full of camping stuff (not even any horses!) and over took a truck up a hill and next minute tept gauge in the red, pulled over and water coming out the expansion tank Back to where I began.

So I have put 60,000km on since the rebuild, am guessing it's the head gaskets again, will do a sniffer test on Monday as a starting point, I can't justify another $4000 rebuild, am wondering about doing it myself, Is there a list of things to check if sniffer shows no exhaust in the water system?

Sorry I know this has probably all been covered before!!!

 

Their list of tasks done did not seem to include "check heads for flatness" or "machine heads back to spec". The spec for max before warp is 0.002 inch, which is about 1/2 the thickness of printer paper.

In addition to head gaskets could be cracked block, behind a liner. This may be associated with a slipping liner (the "tick").

DIY is kit of parts, with new bolts (don't re-use); two weekends with a wrench, and machine shop inbetween. RAVE overhaul manual has it written out for you.

If you have a leak, and get low coolant over time, you can have the gurgle and overheat. But the chemical sniff test will confirm if those bubbles are combustion gas. With the poor gauges in a ROver, you could have been almost overheating for 1,000's of miles and not known it.

 

Thanks Savannah!

Heaps a good info there, have read all the links on cooling system,

Your right, there list doesn't include check heads and there is nothing billed for re-surfacing, I cant believe that they wouldn't have done it if it needed it, all they do is Rover and they seem very honest and likeable,

I will call them on Monday to see what they suggest and if they recall anything,
they do mention "strip and pressure test block, seems o.k."

Have removed spark plugs today and #* especially seems to have quite a white build up, is there any where here with pics of normal spark plugs vs problem signs?

No gurgle, just instant increase in head and then water discharge out the expansion chamber, it's the first I have seen of poor gauges, no it seems like I should have had after market sensors fitted along time ago!

 

If they were bad bolts supplied by them is this not there prob ? Anybody who has done this if they got to the bolts why not remill & or mill & replace head gaskets ? Something smells fishy. Just sain blamo.

 

I know many people worry about slipped liners, but for the distances and time you drive the truck, I don't think it is a slipped liner if it were then you would see an over heat every day or two.
I would check and see if they resurfaced the heads.
I am thinking that all though they flushed out the coolant, at your mileage you can can a semi-plugged radiator, which really can't be flushed out. Yhe other possibility would be one of the two cooling. Are both your electric fans working and have you checked or replaced your viscus clutch?

 

You don't need after market coolant sensors, just an accurate way to display them. The ECU makes the pointer sit on 50% way too long. Usual plugs involved are ends of the head, not middle. Your shop may have checked for flatness and heads were not warped at that time. It is not always needed to mill the heads, but checking them is an important step. Here's the page on how to do that.

 

Yeah I know, It never really felt right at the time but after 60,000km's I can't really expect any warranty can I??

 

Bit of an update, Did the sniffer test and positive change in fluid colour so must be at least head gasket, have emailed the Mechanics that did the engine re-build and they definitely do check for straightness of heads, if no charge for machining they must have been fine. They have emailed to say "They will look after me on this" which hopefully means good things.

 

Savannah can you give me a better idea of what you mean by the "tick", seems at the moment there is a tick which almost sounds like a short on one of the leads coming from central back area of motor, I don't ever recall hearing this noise in the past!