Hey everyone!

Been reading up on these forums a lot and Recently came into ownership of a 2000 disco. It was a, "you get it running it's yours" kind of deal... well i got it running on the side of the road by simply putting a new battery in it. Upon driving it home it constantly died after about 20 minutes and displayed the dreaded M and S lights but would start back up not long after and go another 20 minutes. Eventually I got it home and began to work on it. Below are all of the things I've done so far: Replaced Battery

Replaced terminals

Cleaned XYZ switch

Flushed coolant system

Replaced and flushed transmission fluid

New spark plugs

Serviced differential

Drain and filled transfer case

Flushed brake fluid

changed brake pads

Rotated and checked tires

It seemed well and great only the issue still remained of it shutting off every 20 minutes and displaying m and s lights, so i bit the bullet and took it to a doctor to help see what I have on my plate. The mechanic replaced the valve cover gasket and a crank shift sensor that he claims fixed the issues, which is great. He also replaced a ABS solenoid valve which fixed the three amigos. However, as these things happen, he found other issues. His biggest concern was the pressure in the cylinders wasnt what it needed to be and he claims this is due to a head gasket and another reason the brakes seem less effective... I do trust this mechanic and he has treated me well, but I cant afford a head gasket replacement quite yet and want to wait till next month to do it myself. my question is, how long, realistically could I drive with this problem? Could I manage a few 100 mile trips? Or should I leave it to in town driving before I do serious damage. I dont want to blow a head gasket and wasn't sure if monitoring the temperatures and coolant would be enough to survive a trip into the rockies or not.

any advice or help is deeply appreciated as I've inherited the disco curse.

 

If it is a head gasket leak it can go downhill very quickly. How much coolant is the truck consuming? How often do you need to refill the coolant reservoir?

Some head gasket leaks will drain the coolant in less than 15 minutes and then the truck quickly and massively overheats, warping the block effectively ruining it for good. If you’re lucky it will just warp you’re heads. That is not a risk I’d take on a long trip.





First step is to get an exhaust gas test. It is not 100% accurate but could help determine if you have a leak. Cheap enough to give a try.

 

I drove for about 5 thousand miles on a slipping liner. It was not bad until it wasn't. In that I mean it used very little fluid, I maybe had to add some coolant every couple of weeks, until one day the liner slipped completely and it took me 12 gallons of water to drive the last 5 miles home as I was spraying steam out the exhaust like a bug sprayer

 

Awesome thanks, ill do that first. Sadly idk how much coolant it is going through as I've only had the truck a few weeks and in that time it wasn't running long due to the crankshaft sensor, now that thats fixed I should have a better idea of whats going on. Hoping I can squeeze just a few miles out of it till I NEED to do a head gasket job

 

Yikes..Thats what i am worried about. Idk how long its been driving and had this problem since its new to me so it could've been driven 500 or 5000, I have no clue. Have any serious damage from that mishap?

 

Had to buy a new engine from Atlantic British. Bought one with the tophatted liners to keep it from ever happening again. Then I got ripped off by the mechanic who did the work. What LR calls for 15 hours worth of work, made easier because I had them replace everything, turning into a 35 hour fiasco that took 6 weeks to complete. so 8 grand for the engine and another 4 grand in labor, and he ripped me off for a grand by not recording a payment I made.

 

Ouch. well I definitely don't have that kind of money laying around to spend on this yet haha. Head gasket replacement is definitely cheaper than that. Plus when she goes I think I'll engine swap to and LS or something haha. Is there any temporary fixes I could do to help with the gasket? Its not blown yet thankfully.