Give me the Bad News - Slipped Liner???

[81stubee]

As some of you may be aware i brought disco pom's P38. I'm normally pretty good at looking at cars but i brought one with the heart and accidentaly overlooked something very very important, The Coolant Colour:mad: It had bars leaks in it. grrrrrr grrrrr I feel really dumb and stupid

So i've replaced the coolant, the heater o-rings but am still losing coolant, not much though. The car has a rough idle from start-up dissapearing after a few minutes, then the car runs fine, just a bit rough at idle.

Symptoms:
Compression Tested - all reasonable no.2 has a slow leak
Spark Plugs - no. 2 rusted
Hoses - firm, still movement but very firm
There seems to be a little pressure in the header tank when cold.
Temperature seems to stray to midline and very erratic even on a 10 degree day

I was hoping for just a head gasket, but have just read that the coolant only comes up the rear of the head, so there's only one way that plug could be rusty.:(

Any advice? What are my options as the car is excellent physically, I think thats how I got sold. Is it worth taking the heads off or just driving till it drops. The other half seems to be taking it well, but i think this is the calm before the storm.

Oh well, at least i'm not bored like i was with the disco:o

Stu

[Blknight.aus]

if its a slipping liner once the engine is warmed up you should hear it ticking at tapping away..

doesnt matter which way you go you have to have the head off.

If the liner is slipping you will either see the liner out of position or ping marks in the head where its been hitting that.

If your lucky its a gasket/head

[PLR]

As some of you may be aware i brought disco pom's P38. I'm normally pretty good at looking at cars but i brought one with the heart and accidentaly overlooked something very very important, The Coolant Colour:mad: It had bars leaks in it. grrrrrr grrrrr I feel really dumb and stupid

So i've replaced the coolant, the heater o-rings but am still losing coolant, not much though. The car has a rough idle from start-up dissapearing after a few minutes, then the car runs fine, just a bit rough at idle.

Symptoms:
Compression Tested - all reasonable no.2 has a slow leak
Spark Plugs - no. 2 rusted
Hoses - firm, still movement but very firm
There seems to be a little pressure in the header tank when cold.
Temperature seems to stray to midline and very erratic even on a 10 degree day

I was hoping for just a head gasket, but have just read that the coolant only comes up the rear of the head, so there's only one way that plug could be rusty.:(

Any advice? What are my options as the car is excellent physically, I think thats how I got sold. Is it worth taking the heads off or just driving till it drops. The other half seems to be taking it well, but i think this is the calm before the storm.

Oh well, at least i'm not bored like i was with the disco:o

Stu

G`day stu ,

It has liquid at both ends cyls 1 & 2 plus 7 & 8 , so gaskets not a lost option .

If you know of another P38a that is running as it should and you are able to see it at first start up from dead cold .

Compair the amount of liquid/steam ect with yours under the same conditions .

If yours fumes for longer or constant it may be the gasket .

If yours shows much denser fumes/liquid initially and slows as the engine improves it may be liner/block .

If # 4 cyl shows any signs of liquid then it`s more likely that it the liner/block problem .

Tends to go if one liner is a problem the one beside will also be , it`s to do with the way of manufacturing .

I`d suggest before you consider pulling it apart you do alot of diagnosing .

If it`s a gasket , fix it for sure .

If it`s a liner try chemiweld but make sure all the coolant is removed ( drain block ) and replaced with water .

Make sure it doesn`t overheat in the mean time and get the story from the previous owner . He has no credable reason not to tell you . ( someone will have a contact ask if you don`t )

Only suggestions .

Cheers
Peter

[rovercare]

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/54356-tyre-kicking-gone-whole-new-level-2.html

Yep, well worth 15k:mad:

[jimbo110]

I hate to say we told you so but http://www.aulro.com/afvb/general-chat/55873-way-asylum.html#post736319..............:(

[4X4V8]

That's terrible. I know the feeling, after having gone through something similar with my previous D2. All of us V8 owners, esp the later ones, 3.9 thru 4.6 are vulnerable to this kind of situation.

In my case, I had to sell the car cos my business wasn't crash hot at the time (never buy a LR on start-up of a business, unless you want to add to the stress..) and despite long research, postings here and everywhere and several mechanics looking, no-one could tell me the tap-tap noise my car had was a slipped liner or not.

It was not losing coolant, however... that and a corroded spark plug are obviously not good signs...

I hope you don't have to rely on yr P38A as a daily driver. Being able to park it while you diagnose it and figure out options takes the pressure off and reduces the risk of jumping at shadows.

A friend of mine argues that when he buys a car, he always hopes he can get one with the best body and trim he can. While good mechanicals are also obviously a good thing, if they do go bung they can be replaced.

It's harder to get a banged up or rusty body or knackered interior right.

The chemiweld is worth a go I reckon if it seems to be a slipped liner. What have you got to lose? I read about this stuff available in the UK. Anyone else use it with any success?

Meanwhile, my new D2 hasn't caused me any grief yet, so boring. I really should have bought a P38A after all...;)

[81stubee]

In all fairness to disco pom, I think he may too have got ripped as he only had it for 6months. He swears he doesn't know anything about the bars leaks and not much about cars. After he brought the car it had to have the radiator replaced as it sprung a leak, so i think this may have been where the trouble started, and his work friend borrowed the car for 3 weeks while away in the UK.

I've only ever had a tapping for a few seconds when cold, but it sounds incredibly like worn tappets, so here's hoping. The cars not a daily driver, just takes us away on the weekends, and I have a fair reign of the company car and fuel. I Probably wouldn't have gone this road if I solely depended on it.

Liner or not, i'm still going to detail her this arvo :)

Stu

[jsp]

Bah..... my P38's rattly as heck untill its really warmed up - always has been. Had the block hardness tested and pressure tested a heap of times as have had every overheating issue under the sun. Will just drive it ill it drops - the value on these cars is becomming more dependant on how much petrol's in the tank...

[p38arover]

So I was right about my diagnosis for the coolant colour.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/55875-p38-questions.html

Sometimes I hate being right. :(

Now, was it losing coolant with the Bars Leaks in the system?

Is there any trace of coolant below the RH heater floor ducts which could indicate a cracked heater core (see http://www.aulro.com/afvb/technical-chatter/56487-p38a-heater-core-replacement-2.html )

For the symptoms, read How to Power Tune Rover V8 Engines ... - Google Book Search (http://tinyurl.com/4jjj8j)

[81stubee]

Ron,

It was losing coolant through the O-Rings, and I replaced then on the weekend. You could see where the Bars LEaks had sealed them up. I reckon they were moved when they did the hose and radiator replacement. Seems to be Ok now and floor is drying. But still losing about 100ml of coolant over night. Odd thing was that when I started her up after doing the o-rings she ran perfectly smooth for about 5-10seconds and then got the misfire back until she warmed up.

Stu