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Thread: head gasket? i hope not.

  1. #1
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    head gasket? i hope not.

    hello all!
    i bought my first landrover D1 3.9L with 240ks 6 months ago for 5k (got a little ripped) and today im concerned the head gasket is letting go.
    so she has never overheated (that i know of, since the needle has never been beyond the middle)
    there is no oil in coolant or vice versa
    new plugs and leads 2 weeks ago and they look petty black but not wet.
    but about a month ago the top radiator hose popped a hole, so i figured its probably due some work on the cooling system.
    procrastinated till yesterday when the plastic radiator plug blew up. ok now i gotta look at it.
    so i replaced the thermostat today and since doing that i have noticed bubbles and white smoke coming out of the expansion bottle. also the heater doesn't seem to work like it did last week.
    i really hope im paranoid, could the heater box or other component be playing games with me?

    thanks in advance

  2. #2
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    These are tricky to bleed the air out of so I'd be going over that again first.
    MY08 TDV6 SE D3- permagrin ooh yeah
    2004 Jayco Freedom tin tent
    1998 Triumph Daytona T595
    1974 VW Kombi bus
    1958 Holden FC special sedan

  3. #3
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    Yeah have tried several times, had a good whiff while it was idling and smelt pretty bad of exhaust and some smoke coming out if you look in the right direction.

    I know it's been covered many time but I was bleeding the air with the expansion bottle cap off and the radiator bolt off. No acceleration with the heater on full.

  4. #4
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    sounds like a combustion leak
    PaulT

    REMLR 256 / SLOw 4 (P)

    W/Shops/trailers & GS's
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  5. #5
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    It sounds strange to me.
    The only water passages in a 3.9 block and head are at the very ends of each bank/head.
    There are no water passages between the cylinders.
    So to have combustion into the water the head gasket would have to fail at an end cylinder.
    So The next thing to do is do a compression check. If an end cylinder is down then there is the problem.
    If not well lets cross that bridge when we come to it.
    Regards PhilipA

  6. #6
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    Certainly replace the black plastic plug with one made from brass. Suitable plugs are available from LR Parts outlets, mine came from a crowd in Surfers a few years ago. Some engineering/manufacturing place whose name escapes me.


    https://4wdindustries.com.au/collections/radiators/products/brass-radiator-coolant-filler-plug-land-rover-200-300tdi-defender-discov-err4686?variant=7019933564974 $17.

    Brass radiator fill plug - Google Search


    Who ever thought fitting a plastic plug in a cooling system on an item that gets extremely hot was a great idea is beyond me.


  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by PhilipA View Post
    It sounds strange to me.
    The only water passages in a 3.9 block and head are at the very ends of each bank/head.
    There are no water passages between the cylinders.
    So to have combustion into the water the head gasket would have to fail at an end cylinder.
    So The next thing to do is do a compression check. If an end cylinder is down then there is the problem.
    If not well lets cross that bridge when we come to it.
    Regards PhilipA
    What equipment is required for this test? I'm not a huge fan of driving to a mechanic at the moment since I figure if exhaust is entering the system it would sky rocket the pressure causing something else to blow?

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by 4bee View Post
    Certainly replace the black plastic plug with one made from brass. Suitable plugs are available from LR Parts outlets, mine came from a crowd in Surfers a few years ago. Some engineering/manufacturing place whose name escapes me.


    https://4wdindustries.com.au/collections/radiators/products/brass-radiator-coolant-filler-plug-land-rover-200-300tdi-defender-discov-err4686?variant=7019933564974 $17.

    Brass radiator fill plug - Google Search


    Who ever thought fitting a plastic plug in a cooling system on an item that gets extremely hot was a great idea is beyond me.

    I know right? Thanks for the link but luckily i have a mate that had a spare. 1 problem fixed... few more to go.

  9. #9
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    What equipment is required for this test? I'm not a huge fan of driving to a mechanic at the moment since I figure if exhaust is entering the system it would sky rocket the pressure causing something else to blow?
    A compression gauge with a suitable thread for the spark plugs.

    Look if you do not know about how to check compression I suggest you bite the bullet and go to a mechanic.
    If you leave the radiator cap loose the pressure should escape but not too far and not too fast.
    Regards PhilipA

  10. #10
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    depending on where you are exactly, and timing(with work/no work) ... I have a compression tester you're welcome to have a go with.
    May take me a bit of time to fish it out too tho, I'm in a bit of a shambolic state at the moment re tools and shed stuff .. but shouldn't be too hard to work something out.
    Arthur.

    '99 D1 300Tdi Auto
    '03 D2 Td5 Auto

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