Hello all,
Prospective future LR4 owner here. I found a 2011 with 90,000 miles that has had the timing chain, water pump and front crossover pipe done, but not the rear crossover pipe. I'd like to understand more about the crossover pipe failure issue, so does someone have a picture of an old rear one taken off that shows the problem? Does it give a reasonable warning by leaking for a while before failure? Or can it be a really sudden failure?
I'm a reasonable handy home mechanic, so should/can I proactively replace the rear pipe myself, or am I looking at a hefty dealer/shop job?

Also, is there any obvious evidence of warped heads if this has already overheated? Before committing to buying, would a coolant pressure test at a shop be telling of head condition?

Thanks for all help and replies,
Steve.

 

Shame the rear crossover pipe was not replaced with the front one.

The big cost is labor to remove the intake to get to the rear and front crossover pipes.

No way to tell warping of the heads without removing them for measurements.

If the engine sounds good with not chain noise and it holds a coolant pressure tests for a couple of hours then buy it.

I would recommend having the rear replaced. Just a matter of time with age and all the heat cycles the plastic rear crossover pipes will fail. If you are lucky it will be a small leak and notice it. One issue is the engine skid plate can mask any leak by collecting dripping coolant so you don't know there is an issue.

As far as DYI. Lots of YouTube videos on this now. After watching some you will be able to determine if you are up to it.

 

Those bloody things are wear items - I'd bite the bullet and replace it. IF it leaks slowly and IF you catch it in time, you might save it. If it fails catastrophically (and you can't catch it), you'll blow your engine in less than 60 seconds on a highway and have a $15K-$25K used/new engine replacement that will cost more than the vehicle. It's truly the achilles heel of this engine.

 

Thanks for the responses.

Related to the above, I'm going to look at a different LR4 (2012) with 160,000 mi. Carfax shows water pump replaced twice and top radiator hose done the last time... that's all it says. Should I steer clear of this one? Do these vehicles at that mileage typically need a steady stream of repairs?

thanks again,
Steve.

 

That's the only service history you have for 160K miles? I'd run away. You need a full and detailed service history otherwise you have no clue what your'e getting. I'll take a binder of bills and scribbled notes over nothing anyday.