Thread: Possible head gasket td5

Originally Posted by str405

G’day all,

have been having issues with my 2002 discovery td5 spitting out coolant on a frequent basis, mainly, it seems, at highway speeds.

symptoms;

-high pressure build up in coolant system even after cooling down overnight. Pressure present even after several days.
-coolant loss with no leaks. I’ve strapped a 600ml bottle to the overflow tube and it fills up occasionally.

doesn’t blow smoke, no oil in water no water in oil. No power loss, runs just fine. Have drained and bled of air many times over using all the tricks of the trade. System has been pressure tested and passes. Heater blows hot.

reservoir and cap replaced, radiator replaced, top hose replaced. Again, no leaks.

Anyone experienced this before?

Did you replace the cap with a genuine one or aftermarket and what is the cap rating underneath? has it got 140 kp or 250 kp? Non genuine caps and caps with 250 on them can cause problems
a

Thanks for the suggestion. Replaced with genuine, cap reads 140.

How many kilometers?

Originally Posted by discorevy

How many kilometers?

186 000km

Likely to have plastic head dowels , replace with steel , not the news you'd like , but you probably won't have the issue again after the jobs done , I've done 3 in the last 2 weeks , there's a few more things worth doing while the head is off to keep things trouble free in the future

Originally Posted by discorevy

Likely to have plastic head dowels , replace with steel , not the news you'd like , but you probably won't have the issue again after the jobs done , I've done 3 in the last 2 weeks , there's a few more things worth doing while the head is off to keep things trouble free in the future

What could I do while the head is done? Any idea how much it would cost?

My mechanic says plastic dowels causing issues are a myth - if they go it's likely caused by something else. Mine still has plastic dowels at 230k without issue.

Might be a small crack in the head but I'm no expert. Someone will be along shortly that knows.

Originally Posted by gusthedog

My mechanic says plastic dowels causing issues are a myth - if they go it's likely caused by something else. Mine still has plastic dowels at 230k without issue.

Might be a small crack in the head but I'm no expert. Someone will be along shortly that knows.

Geez , wish I'd known that before, Gus, would have saved me a lot of work doing the 150 odd replacements over the years but I've only been working on the brand for 34 years as a qualified mechanic.
Anyhow, other things worth replacing while the head is off ,if you intend keeping the vehicle are , hoses , oil cooler (especially if proper coolant maintenance has been lax) water pump, fuel cooler "0 rings ( viton ) alternator service , engine mounts if sagged , thermostat, fan bearing and pulleys , good check of harmonic balancer.
If in doubt , call an experienced independent land rover specialist or pm Justinc or dazza on here
PS , your td5 head might be overdue for a walk gus