While driving to work this morning I happened to be looking in my rear view mirror when smoke started barreling out from beneath my truck. I stopped immediately and looked under the hood and everything seemed to be soaked and dripping wet, turns out it was steam from a major loss of coolant. I babied it the last few miles having to stop multiple times to prevent overheating. Once at work I started pumping water into the coolant reservoir to search for the source and without even starting the engine the water started running out nearly as fast as the hose was putting it in. It was dripping mostly from the driver side between the engine and firewall, I haven't been able to find the exact spot as I only had a moment to look and it is in an area that is hard to view. Is this a common trouble spot? I'm hoping it's a hose or heater core or something of that nature, I just got this truck a few weeks ago and it's my first Land Rover. Not in a position to invest any more funds in the project at this point. The engine was and is still running fine other than getting hot. Not missing or smoking or anything, I'll check the oil for signs of coolant on my next trip out.

 

Oil is clean, started it up and got a steady drip from this same location. Without seeing it from underneath it's hard to tell the exact location of the leak but it is behind the engine. Most of the drips are coming from towards the drivers side but some are coming from center or maybe even slightly passenger side. Probably just running down the sides of the tranny I guess.

 

sounds like a hose if it is leaking that quickly. you need to get underneath and see if you can find where the leak is coming from so we can help.

 

I can't really get under it until this evening but I took a look from below as best I could. The front axle, track bar, crossmember, and driver side(LH) cat are all still dripping wet. I know that doesn't help much but I just can't see up or down into the area to find the exact source. From what I've read in the rave it seems like it should be a heater matrix line or something of the sort, maybe the matrix itself gave up?

 

If it's pouring out as fast as you're filling it and it's coming from the drivers side, check to see if your freeze plug is still there. It's about a 2" diameter hole that's on the side of the block, below the exhaust manifold, towards the back of the engine. (in the area between cyl 5 & 7)

Eric

 

First of all, you need to realize the amount of additional damage you have caused your engine by continuing to drive it, even when you think you are not over heating it, cause you did.
By your threads, sound like you are not at all mechanical and my suggestion would be to have it towed, not driven, to a good shop and have them pressure test the coolant system to find/fix the leak, while praying the whole time that you have not also blown a head gasket or dropped a sleeve.
Let us know what you find.

 

Thank you for the assessment of my technical abilities, that was exactly what I was hoping to get from this post. This has to be the worst forum I've ever been a part of. All I was looking for was common situations with the symptoms I was having, I didn't expect an over the internet diagnosis I was just looking for someone to say, yeah when my head gasket went it was doing the same thing in the same location, or yeah my heater core line popped or came off and was leaking in the same area... On a Toyota forum or even the Yamaha forums I would have had countless responses within a few hours, this has been up all weekend and I haven't really gotten any useful responses. I would consider myself a reasonably technical individual, I have extensive experience working with Toyota's and older domestic vehicles. I know the risk of driving without coolant but I didn't cause any additional damage driving it the rest of the way to work and if I had then I would've gutted the piece and dropped in a 302 or something that I'm not going to have to spend more time working on than wheeling. It was the head gasket, under no heavy load accelerating lightly from a stop this thing blew a freakin head gasket lol. I'll be selling it as soon as I'm finished with the repair, waiting on the gasket at this point. I can't imagine how many times this issue has left someone stranded out on the trail, what a pos.

 

There are plenty others out there...

OK. Mine was leaking out the freeze plug when I did my head gaskets. Problem solved!

Try posting in the D2 section and not "general help"

Really? Then you don't know much about these engines. Good luck with that 302...

BTW: You'll notice beneath Mike's name it says "Retired Service Manager." I think he knows what he's talking about!

Eric

 

good luck with the sale.

 

Turns out the tech at my dealership was incorrect in his assessment, after towing the truck back to my garage and taking the time to identify the issue my self it was only the gasket on the bottom of the throttle body. The coolant was running down the valley and down the back of the engine. All fixed up and for sale now, though I'm sure no one here is going to be interested in it lol.