I've got a 01 LR Discovery series 2. I was losing antifreeze/coolant at a record pace, and now it won't run. I'm sure it's a head gasket kinda thing. It's got 185k on it and I'm debating on whether a costly repair like head gaskets is worth it given the age and mileage. I love this car, with the exception of the repairs. Any advice?

 

what do you mean it won't run? is the check engine light on?

 

ot cheaper to fix it then to junk it. $1500 to have a shop fix it $350 if you do it.

 

Hilltopersx; When I say it won't run I mean it will start, but it blows white smoke, and idols terribly. When I put it in drive it has no power.

Disco Mike; taking it to a shop here in St Louis will cost me about $2500. How hard is it to do on your own? Is there somewhere that I could find instructions or something on how to do it myself. I really want to save this thing. I love it.

 

you need to download the workshop manual called RAVE. the link is in mikes signature. it has step by step instructions with illustrations on how to do the head gaskets. the head gasket kit is available from Atlantic British its $150. You might want to look into replaceing other gaskets while you are there and also use new bolts to put the beast back together.

 

Is there a chance that the engine is already ruined by this?

 

It depends on how much you ran it.

White smoke is generally an indication that either coolant or oil was leaking into your cylinders. If it was coolant, you'd have gone through it pretty fast (in my experience, all, happily, on Chrysler slant-6s, which are immune to overheating :-), if oil, you *might* also have coolant in your oil, which would make it look foamy.

It's not unsavable, but you need to get on it promptly, and you'll have some cleanup to do.

Note that the procedure for head gaskets is "tear down entire top half of engine, replace gaskets, reassemble entire top half of engine"; if you don't have a lot of wrench-time, it will not be a quick fix for you. A good mechanic generally takes between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the engine.

 

Does anyone know of any independent mechanics in St Louis? I'd rather give my money to a local business owner than to the large dealership.

 

don't give your money to anyone. we can help you thru the repair if you have the time to do it. save yourself $1,000

 

It would be great to do it myself. The dealer told me that it would cost between $2800-$3200 depending on whether or not I had the secondary air or not. Seems a little pricey compared to what I'm hearing on here for repair costs. My only concern is having the correct diagnosis on the problem. I'm fairly certain it's the head gaskets based on the symtoms, and a dealer in OKC telling me that they would need to be done soon. That was earlier this year. Would it be beneficial to take it in and have a diagnostic done to be sure I've got the right problem? I'll have to have it towed, so I want to be sure.