*First Post* Hello. I'm not a "CAR PERSON", so I'm going to try my best to properly explain my issue, so please bear with me. I have a 2011 HSE with about 120K miles. I have been living a coolant system NIGHTMARE! I noticed a coolant leak (puddle on the ground) and took it in to get looked at. The mechanic found the leak and from that has subsequently replaced my water pump, radiator coolant hose (it burst!), thermostat, viscous fan clutch, and various coolant hoses. A small leak has since been found in my radiator, and before I spend another dime I need to know what is going on. ALSO, my interior compartment gage sensor NEVER indicated that it was overheating.

I have owned my vehicle for 5 years now and it "feels" to me to be a pressure issue. The latest thing that was done was bypassing the thermostat. The water still didn't bleed all of the air out the line. It acted as if something was blocking the flow of the water. After bypassing the thermostat, the radiator was removed from the vehicle and we ran a water hose through all ports and could not find any obstructions, thus ruling out the radiator. Brand new thermostat, water pump, fan clutch, hoses, and belts.....still overheating and rough idling(limp mode)... I'm at a complete loss.

Prior to this, I had not been putting the correct antifreeze (green) in my car. Since all the work, I have (pink). I have read the correct coolant is a HUGE FACTOR in my coolant system running properly.

Please Help.

*Second Post *

Ok, it's been so much that has happened since this last post. My gasket was blown between the cylinder combustion chamber and coolant passage. This created white smoke from my tailpipe as well as bubbling in the overflow tank engine compartment. The attached are pics of the current condition of my "repairs". Heads have been machined and the head gasket is in the process of being replaced. I got a second opinion on this process and the guy I took out said that it did not look as if they have been machined at all. So, I am posting these pics to get any advice on if they look like they have or have not been machined. 2nd, he says that ONE of the bolt threads to the gasket has been stripped.

So now he recommends the following:

1. Using a helicoil to repair the stripped thread.
2. Removing the entire engine and getting ALL the threads reworked & engine cleaned (and additional $2000), or
3. Replacing the engine.

What I now understand what I did wrong and may have caused all of these issues:

1. Wasn't using the right fuel
2. Used water (sometimes) in my coolant tank
3. Mixed coolants (as advised to do when I went to AutoZone)

I've paid over $4000 thus far for my repairs. He also has stated that if I go with option #1, he can not offer me any kind of warranty because there is a 50/50 chance that that will hold. I bought the car from the Land Rover dealership in 2014 with a complete service record, 52K miles, and only one owner. He has also said that he has noticed that someone has used some sort of sealant which is the reason why he can't offer me a warranty which is why he suggested option #2, which in turn will qualify me for a warranty. At this point, I'm ready to just have my truck towed to the dealership in its current condition because he doesn't seem like he knows what he's doing.

 

HeliCoil is a NO. They are not good for situations like this. The proper way to repair would be a TimerSert and I have yet to find a TimeSert that will fit the very low threaded holes of this block. For that reason, we stopped doing head gaskets and started doing complete (new or used) motors.

The few times we did do headgaskets, we loosened the head bolts, then re-torqued all the head bolts. If all bolts torque to spec and hold, we then tear down and send heads out. We stopped doing that, because it is still quite a bit of disassembly to loosen/re-torque head bolts and if you do find the threads are OK, it still doesn't mean the block is 100%, only chances are better. If they do pull, its a bunch of extra work on top of motor replacement (adds insult to injury).

 

Yeah, doing head gaskets on these is a crap shoot.

 

What did you end up doing Jacqueline?