Purchased my first discovery, what should I expect to go wrong first :-)

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Originally Posted by James445F

Hi there
My advice is
Don't rely on your temp gauges there not accurate, get some quality window pilar mount gauges with warning lights(temp and oil pressure) are a must have for V8.. The engine watchdog won't read oil pressure, only temps..

Your engine temp should be around 90-98C when hot, thermo kicks in at 98.

Remove and replace plugs and leads with platinum plugs and 8mm HT leads. You will need to remove the plenum intake to get to coil pack 30mins work.

While you have the intake off remove rocker covers to inspect and clean carbon build up and replace gaskets.

Remove timing cover no need to remove water pump as it s bolted to cover. Remove oil pump cover, make alignment marks on oil pump gears, remove pump gears to check for cracks as there's a good chance they are cracked. Replace timing cover crankshaft seal. This requires sump removal, check your oil pickup for blockage, clean everything as you go, lock tite is required.

Replace O2 sensors, exhaust flange gaskets and check header bolts for tightness.

This is what I would start checking , all up around a days work but don't rush it.
Just stick to the overhaul manual and torque specs, tightening sequence and you shouldn't have any probs as these engines are simple to work on. good luck Attachment 74003

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I forgot to mention to replace timing gears and chain as they will be worn out.
Also while the sump is off its worth removing a few conrod bearings one at a time to inspect for signs of bottom end wear. Inspect cylinder sleeves for any sign of movement (slippage).

There's no special tools required for all this work, you only need a descent socket set, torque wrench and a rattle gun to remove the harmonic balancer. Also You will need to remove you radiator.

It's better to know your engine condition now rather then wait for your engine to show signs of wear and failure . It might look and sound ok on the outside but its likely its due for a complete rebuild.

I have recently rebuilt my 2003 4.0L at 120,000km due to a slipped camshaft bearing. When I pulled it down I found internally the engine was in bad shape although it looked and sounded new externally, these are just not a tough engine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by James445F

Hi there
My advice is
Don't rely on your temp gauges there not accurate, get some quality window pilar mount gauges with warning lights(temp and oil pressure) are a must have for V8.. The engine watchdog won't read oil pressure, only temps..

Your engine temp should be around 90-98C when hot, thermo kicks in at 98.

Remove and replace plugs and leads with platinum plugs and 8mm HT leads. You will need to remove the plenum intake to get to coil pack 30mins work.

While you have the intake off remove rocker covers to inspect and clean carbon build up and replace gaskets.

Remove timing cover no need to remove water pump as it s bolted to cover. Remove oil pump cover, make alignment marks on oil pump gears, remove pump gears to check for cracks as there's a good chance they are cracked. Replace timing cover crankshaft seal. This requires sump removal, check your oil pickup for blockage, clean everything as you go, lock tite is required.

Replace O2 sensors, exhaust flange gaskets and check header bolts for tightness.

This is what I would start checking , all up around a days work but don't rush it.
Just stick to the overhaul manual and torque specs, tightening sequence and you shouldn't have any probs as these engines are simple to work on. good luck Attachment 74003

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Don't pay much attention to the picture as u won't need to remove the lower intake or Valley gasket , its only for the valve cover torque settings

Cheers James, a lot to look forward to there haha!

Had a bit of a weird experience last 2 days. After having a local garage flush the old green coolant out and replace with the correct pink stuff, have noticed a pretty consistent dripping of what was mostly green droplets from the sump area, a couple of red drops in their today too. Is their somewhere in the engine bay that this could have been collecting when the work was done or have the garage maybe not put something back together right. A little concerned so have it booked back in tomorrow. Coolant in reservoir has dropped maybe 20mm from level but doesn't seem to be dropping with further driving.

Are you sure pink is the right colour? I thought Toyota coolant was pink and LR was green.

Sent from my GT-P5210 using AULRO mobile app

If you look up from underneath you may be able to trace back to the source of the leak.

Mine has leaks from both head gaskets, each on the outside front corner of the heads. Also check the weep hole on the water pump and check all the hoses.

My money would be on the head gaskets though.... Have you got the gurgling / waterfall sound behind the dash each time you accelerate?

I just checked prices on the 'higher' quality full gasket kits - about £130 from the UK. Service / exchange set of Turner heads are about £580.

Whichever way you cut it, it's going to cost some $$$$.

Is the leak coming from front of engine? The engine block has a drain plug bolt either side, near each engine mount check them for leaking.

It's most likely to be a loose hose clamp, your best off replacing them with the screw type. The coolant can be either colour green or pink as long as its the O.A.T type. I use pink.

Take off the top radiator cover, run engine until hot and check for leaks around front of engine.

If your head gaskets are leaking coolant it will be from the rear of heads. You can get good quality gaskets from all 4x4 spares for $45 each,

The mechanic had a look at it this morning and suspects it's coming from the water pump, he didn't have time to take the fan shroud and investigate further but has offered to do so tomorrow free of charge on the grounds that it should've been checked as part of the coolant flush last week. I'm sure I've read somewhere that there is a common leak around the water pump, I'll search the net again later, I don't really want to be stung for a new water pump if it's not necessary