Thread: Disappearing coolant

Try this when the engine is cool.

o Take off expansion tank cap
o Top fluid up to normal level if needed
o Start engine (still with cap off exp tank)
o Rev engine a bit (push the throttle cable)
o look/listen at the liquid in the tank to see if any bubbles are coming back through the tank

If you have bubbling, then probably your head gasket is gone.

Sometimes you can hold your hand over the tank opening and feel the pressure building up on your palm.

Thanks Spudboy

The local mechanic tells me that there doesn't seem to be any pressure build up with the expansion cap off.

That said the mechanic admits to not knowing much about LR's. His pressure tester doesn't have an adapter to fit the radiator.

Might have to try and track down a different mechanic.

Kev

Well it may not be a head gasket of course, but that is a pretty easy check to do.

I had coolant leaking out of one of my welch plugs (?) which had corroded. I didn't notice (pinhole leak, couldn't see anything - was evaporating from the engine heat) until it got hot and then it was too late. Head warped.

Good luck finding a more 'Landie' mechanic

" Couple of days later I put the heater back on, and say 15km later, heater stops working, temp rises rapidly. Pull over, top it up, turn heater off, drive to work and then home (say 100km) no problem"

Heater stops working / no water evident on cabin : ? suggests water leaking out prior to entering the heater core... is there a tap in the heater inlet line in the engine compartment which may be leaking?

Well I found a Landie mechanic in Canberra - Mitchell - a place called Canberra Motor Works.

He fixed a slightly loose clamp and did a pressure test - no problem with the heater but a slight leak at the water pump to engine block gasket. He tests for a head gasket leak by putting his exhaust gas tester into the surge tank - sure enough when he did this - leaking head gasket.

While he was tinkering around he found that the head studs had been torqued to about 30ft/lbs - the should be 90!

Se he torqued them down, rang me and I collected it. I assumed that it would just leak - albeit a bit more slowly. Interestingly it seems to have stopped. Probably not a permanent fix but in the short term a good result.

Must admit - it is an odd one - and now I have put about 500km without a leak I reckon that I should try buying a lottery ticket as well.

Thanks for the suggestions all! See you out there somewhere.

Kev