Thread: not sure whats gotten into my disco lately with all these niggling issues!

Do you have a td5?

I just did my head gasket. I had no coolant in the oil, it was just blowing exhaust into the cooling system. So you can still have a blown head gasket and have the oil ok.

My cooling hoses were all rock hard after running for a short time so if there was any problem with the cap seal you would soon have all the coolant emptied out the overflow

If you are not getting any obvious pressurisation in the cooling system, then yes look for a leak. A bottle on the expansion tank overflow will tell you if the cap is sealing properly, the fuel cooler can leak, the hose under the turbo and the water pump itself would need looking at. But yes you would usually be getting some clues from the pink residue.

Good luck with it

Notice any smoke while towing?
Any white smoke while idling?
I'd crack the coolant drain in the bottom hose and measure how much comes out...
But if you're losing it and there aren't any nice pink stains, that suggests it's being burnt up

no white smoke when idling and no smoke when towing. ive been reading a lot of threads and say to run it until the top hose is warm to touch, reving at 1000rpm with cap off, and if water bubbles up means head gasket? ill be looking more tomorrow as by time i got to check, was going dark and my little head torch was not sufficient. its been idling rough now ans then and lacking a bit of power but as i know the MAF has failed i put it down to that, and always check my coolant every few days and it never really changes. there is definately no difference to the lack of any pressurization of the hose if the cap is on or off though. so i am hoping just a hole somewhere that ive not found yet, or its the filler cap.
dont know what im going to do if is the head gasket i cannot drive other cars other than my disco. well only other one i can drive comfortably is my panelvan but thats so far from being back on the road its not funny. i also cannot afford thousands of dollars at a mechanic so id probably try do it myself which will raise its own dilemmas. seemed to be a lot of action at the expansion tank when it occured. its nto got any colour in the coolant now, as had to refil with only water to get it the few kms back home which makes it harder to find any leaks lol so ill be putting some coolant back in the system tomorrow. hopefully better luck in the search. so far ive been lucky with the issues being only minor. fingers crossed that continues in this case.

if the radiator caps do not hold pressure can the water sort of boil away?

100% Yes, put a new cap and tighten it well...it must keep 1.4 bar pressure in the system cos at that pressure the boiling point of coolant rises to 123*C...with no pressure(no sealing cap) at 90*C + the water starts to emit small bubbles and at 100 will boil...if you dont have a coolant temp gauge you might not notice it that you have 100+*C(which is not uncommon at all) cos the gauge leaves the middle around 115*C(it's not very reliable)

happened to me ... new genuine cap was the cure

FWIW I'm pretty sure I've got a dodgy expansion tank cap.
I get a slight hissing after a hard run, I've taken to cable-tying an old soft drink bottle onto the overflow pipe to catch any that gets pushed out.
I only ever got maybe 50mls in the bottle until I had to top it up and bled the system properly and over-filled it a bit, but still no more than 100mls in the bottle.
You say the expansion tank is clear, you've topped it up with water? Iand after a drive it mixes in with the rest, I'd be surprised if you burnt through all 13L....
Check for any visual leaks, crawl around underneath or get someone else to if need be
Good luck!

If it is the head gasket, it is not too hard a job if you do tackle it yourself. Have a look at the good oil and there is a great series of articles with lots of pics. This combined with the manual pages will see you right.

It does take quite a bit of time though when you haven't done it before, and a few tools. You need the star type sockets for the head bolts, 27mm socket for the timing chain tensioner, fan spanner etc. You will also need assistance to lift the head if you don't have an engine crane.

Hope that it is something else.

Radiator caps are cheap. I'd try a new one before anything else. I know you said you've recently replaced the thermostat but i was trying to think what would happen if it was stuck closed. I reckon you would get similar symptoms.

I think the coolant pumps from the bottom so if the theromostat was stuck closed you could build pressure in the bottom hose but the coolant would be restricted by the thermostat before the top hose. You could also overheat as the flow would be restricted and may also cause bubbling.

Just another possibility that would be cheaper than a head gasket.

update LOL, im going to replace the radiator cap, but i re-bled the system, was not really any airbubbles in there to come out. and had the cap ws off in my bag for a day whilst i tried to find a new one in mt barker (why they dont stock them in the car places up here boggles me as there are landrovers everywhere!) but after running it to temp with no hassles, and a short drive around the 'block' with no issues. and then i drove to hydrotherapy today again with no issues. no fluid disappearing. nothing. so i tend to think it is related to the cap, and the cap is currently in a happy place after it chucked a wobbly on friday. my MAF i am finally able to order this week (hurray!) as its over fueling and then black soot is now all over my horse float LOL!
but hopefully this is the cap and nothing else!