Greetings! I have a 2011 Land Rover LR2 HSE that I picked up at auction recently. I intended for it to be a bit of a project car, but now that I am digging into it I am wondering if it would be better to cut my losses, or push on through. The LR2 was listed as runs and drives with primary damage being vandalism. When it arrived late at night I was able to get it running, and it seemed to be running pretty smoothly, no check engine light, but it did have a low coolant level warning. The next morning, I picked up some coolant and proceeded to top off the expansion tank, which was complexly empty. I also checked the engine oil level, and it was over the max fill line. When I started it up to let it come up to temp I noticed coolant leaking out of the front. Upon further inspection I noticed that the upper coolant hose was disconnected and was missing the clip (feeling of dread started to set in). I picked up a clip and reattached the upper coolant hose to the radiator and started up once again. This time no leaks, which was good, but the engine started to misfire and a check engine line came on, I also started seeing white smoke from the tail pipe.

I changed the oil, and it was dirty and seemed milky. Going through the spark plugs and they were all a bit wet, which is not surprising given the oil level. All of the ignition coils looked to be in really good shape, except the 6th ignition coil (right most), which looked like it had dried coolant on the shaft above the socket that attaches to the spark plug.

What could be the cause of the coolant in the oil?
1) Head Gasket leak?
2) Bad thermostat?
3) Something else altogether?

Where should I start?

 

Sounds like a project alright. Looks like you're going to be replacing the head gasket for starters. How many miles on the engine?

 

It has 101,000 miles on it.

 

That's fairly low for 2011. If you crack it open and it only looks like it needs a head gasket, might be worth the expense, but check it carefully as it might have overheated.

 

Head gasket?
Oil cooler leak?

 

I thought about the oil cooler too but when I read the coolant residue was only on cyl 6 it told me it's likely the gasket. An oil cooler failure would lead to coolant all over the place, not just one cylinder. Could be wrong, but I think it's good logic.

 

So assuming that it is a head gasket failure, what should I look for, before I begin to tear it apart?

 

I think you already found all the evidence you need. You might want to download any diagnostic codes from the computer to see what history you have that may shed further light on the truck conditions, but use a scanner like the Autel AP200 that understands LR modules.

 

Reading through the cylinder head removal steps, it looks like I will need to acquire 3 new specialty tools in order to remove and install the Alternator (aka Generator). The only places I am seeing that I can get the tools mentioned in the manual in in the UK. Is there somewhere I can look that would be a little closer to home in the United States?

 

Did your try your local LR dealer and eBay? At any rate, ordering from the UK is no big deal. Shipping is usually efficient and fast. I've ordered several things that way, including the upgrade to dual radiator fans for my 2008.