D3 Breakdown - Major Loss of Coolant

[Oztourer]

OK -towing the van home from the south coast yesterday in my D3, I suffered a sudden and major loss off coolant resulting in many chimes, gongs and alarms followed by the engine stopping, steam coming from under the bonnet and water pooling under the car. Looking under the bonnet I noticed the expansion tank cap was loose to the point of nearly coming completely off. I haven't been able to have a detailed look to see if anything major has split or come loose, other than the cap, but my LR mechanic did say that these caps have been known to pop due to system over pressurisation from some other cause (water pump??).

Got the car unceremoniously towed home (fortunately we were nearly home) but can't get it looked at until Wednesday. The car turns over but won't start. Not sure if it's due to fault codes needing to be cleared. I don't want to clear them however until I get it looked at. Let's hope it's not terminal :(.

[Narangga]

Certainly hope it's not terminal for you. :(

The wait will be painful too.

[eddy]

This part Thermostat Housing Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 LR073372 (http://www.allfourx4.com.au/Thermostat-Housing-Land-Rover-Discovery-3-TDV6-LR073372) is common point of failure so one of the first areas to look for leaks.

[AnD3rew]

Yes just had min replaced proactively as it was starting to,look a bit sketchy.

[Fatso]

This part Thermostat Housing Land Rover Discovery 3 TDV6 LR073372 (http://www.allfourx4.com.au/Thermostat-Housing-Land-Rover-Discovery-3-TDV6-LR073372) is common point of failure so one of the first areas to look for leaks.



I carry one of these in my spares box .

[tasobb]

Yep same here. Started to lose some coolant 3 days before the end of a 7 week holiday to SA and northern Vic. Didn't mention it to the better half.
Got home to Tas OK:D and found the housing had cracked. nice and easy to fix.

[~Rich~]

Question: where on the part do they normally crack?

[Narangga]

Mine cracked where the red line is. Lost about a litre of coolant a day for a few days and fortunately didn't split properly until it was under a pressure test in the workshop.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/896.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DpBFdb)

I would think that they may let go anywhere due to becoming brittle with the continuous heat.

[Dagilmo]

I thought the earlier design was prone to failure but that issue has been fixed and the current design is OK.


Can anyone confirm?

[Narangga]

I thought the earlier design was prone to failure but that issue has been fixed and the current design is OK.


Can anyone confirm?

I can't confirm that but I do know my BIL has a replacement engine in his 2011 3.0L D4 due to the original unit on his vehicle failing about 12 months ago. It was made out of plastic like my new one is.

[Graeme]

The part number has again recently been superseded.

[Narangga]

Had any news yet Oztourer?

[Oztourer]

My worst fears have been realised and the damage is terminal:(. I'm getting exhaust gas in the cooling system which suggests cracked head/engine block or blown gaskets. Cooling system holds pressure when tested however the engine is slow to crank (won't start) which is also indicating damage to cylinders/rings/bore. The next decision is hard. Do I cut my losses and abandoned my LR adventure or invest in a replacement motor? Speaking to my mechanic, if I replace the motor, I have 3 options - high km second hand (many $1000), low km second hand (for approx. $1000 more), or brand (many, many $1000's). I have an extended used car warranty which I'm hoping will come through for some of the costs if I do decide to take the plunge but I hope they don't try to find some loop hole and not pay up. There are many threads here and on the UK sites about the pros and cons of both. Anyone have any recent experience they would like to offer?

[Narangga]

Sorry to hear that.

I have no experience to share with you to help guide the road ahead of you. However, have you considered a Ford engine as a replacement?

[rar110]

Will on the forum is currently doing an engine swap from a Ford Territory tdv6, which is basically the same. Others have had this done. He paid $4000 for a very very low km motor.

[Oztourer]

I've seen several write ups on the Territory conversion. It's my understanding that this can only be done on the MY07-09 update to the D3. Mine is MY05. I'll keep looking. As much as it's a complete PITA, there are people in this world in must worse off situations than me.

[Narangga]

I know 'EU*' refers to the emissions standards. Does that mean that an EU4 engine is not backwards compatible with an EU3 vehicle due to electronics etc. rather than the actual engine itself?

[Piddler]

My worst fears have been realised and the damage is terminal:(. I'm getting exhaust gas in the cooling system which suggests cracked head/engine block or blown gaskets. Cooling system holds pressure when tested however the engine is slow to crank (won't start) which is also indicating damage to cylinders/rings/bore. The next decision is hard. Do I cut my losses and abandoned my LR adventure or invest in a replacement motor? Speaking to my mechanic, if I replace the motor, I have 3 options - high km second hand (many $1000), low km second hand (for approx. $1000 more), or brand (many, many $1000's). I have an extended used car warranty which I'm hoping will come through for some of the costs if I do decide to take the plunge but I hope they don't try to find some loop hole and not pay up. There are many threads here and on the UK sites about the pros and cons of both. Anyone have any recent experience they would like to offer?

Landy Andy had a post on here today someone in wa selling a D 4 on gumtree suitable to wreck with motor gearboxes etc only 50000k on it. Only wanted 8 grand, there are pictures heaps of stuff on it. Good option?

Cheers

[Oztourer]

I know 'EU*' refers to the emissions standards. Does that mean that an EU4 engine is not backwards compatible with an EU3 vehicle due to electronics etc. rather than the actual engine itself?

That's how I read it Dale. Exhaust manifold, wiring, air intake connections etc. all different. I imagine it would be possible to replace all the ancillary components too but then we would be talking serious $$$$!! Plus would then need to get engineering certification too probably.

I'm hoping to make my final decision on Monday once I get costings. There's a couple of great time lapse videos here on a D3 body and engine removal.

Cheers
Matt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-eRNzLPRc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzBCk-zbxtI

[Narangga]

That completes the story some more.

Have you/will you do a ring around to the main independent specialists and wreckers to find out what they have available and at what price?

[Oztourer]

After much deliberation and weighing up of pros and cons, we've decided the best way forward is to replace the motor. The plan was to have this car for a long time and although the cost is hard to swallow, keeping it on the road is the best option for us. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few photos of the process and see parts of my car that were never supposed to see the light of day again!!

[Narangga]

Hopefully you feel some sense of relief now that you have made the decision. Which engine option did you decide to go with?

Likewise we will be keeping ours for a few years. The D2 left us as a 15 year old but it was not age that caused us to ditch it. Rather the advantages that the D3 gave us over the D2 were too great to ignore in the end. However with them comes expense - as you now are finding out. :(

[LandyAndy]

It would be worth chasing a few damaged vehicle auctions and seeing what a complete 2.7 Territory goes for.The gearbox would be worth keeping as a spare.Sell the rest as parts to help cover the mojo transplant.
You need to look into compatability,others have done it.
Andrew

[shanegtr]

Mine cracked where the red line is. Lost about a litre of coolant a day for a few days and fortunately didn't split properly until it was under a pressure test in the workshop.

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/896.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/DpBFdb)

I would think that they may let go anywhere due to becoming brittle with the continuous heat.
I replaced mine earlier last month. Mine was leaking along the join line where it looks like the two halves of the housing are glued together

[Oztourer]

Getting excited! Installation of my new engine starts tomorrow. Hoping to get my car back next week - just in time for a weekend trip out to Cox river.

[jonesy63]

Any updates? :D

[Oztourer]

Yes I'm finally back on (and off) the road! Brand new engine and radiator. I don't normally name cars but in this case I'm thinking of naming her Jamie Sommers (of $6 million dollar woman fame) but I'm sure I'll recover from the financial setback one day!!!

Went for a run over the Blue Mountains down into the Megalong Valley, Cox's River and Lake Lyell over the weekend. Did some decent tracks and finally wiped the smirks off my mate's faces after suffering a month of ridicule. Very impressed with how she went. Had one issue with a transmission temp warning during a long low range hill climb which I need to check out but it cleared pretty quickly.

Also received my GOE rods today which will be going on soon. Few more projects to finish before hitting the Victorian high country in April.

[Oztourer]

Some views of my car I'd never thought I would ever need to see!!

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/15.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/16.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/17.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/18.jpg

https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2016/02/19.jpg

[Ean Austral]

So after all that do you know what caused the failure in the first place ?


Did you suffer the failed cam belt tensioner ? or did you not both to find out.


Your post says a cooling system failure but then the engine was slow to crank and wouldn't start.


Glad to hear its back up and running.


Cheers Ean

[LandyAndy]

Good news,now no re-learn the permagin:cool::cool::cool::cool:
Make sure the tranny has enough oil in it.
ENJOY
Andrew

[gotaflat]

OMG,

Wow Oztourer, it hard to look at...and wonder how it all comes apart and comes together again.

Supervisors picture on the back wall? :D