Thread: Info on changing head gasket on TD5 disco

here is a link to when mine went and a cost break down of the parts,a few of us here have done it ourselfs but you would want the manauls or rave CD do a search on the topic for more info.
head gasket td5

There is a very high chance the head is cracked, especially if it got hot. Many local garages won't do it as the part is usually over $4k (aftermarket) or $5k (OE) plus labour. I'm guessing its and earlier td5 and will also want steel dowels fitted to replace the plastic original ones.
I would get it done somewhere reputable so you get a decent warranty on the work. Mine was $6500 at the dealers.
I looked to a lot of places and none advised trying to weld my head.
It's not the best news sorry!
Dave

Get on to some of the Landy wreckers over east.Occasionly on Ebay but none at the moment.
You could possibly be better getting a complete low km motor and keep all the extra bits off yours for spares.
I got mine done when it first showed signs of a small leak before it became a major problem.I was lucky and got out of it cheaply.
Goodluck
Andrew

Thanks all for the replys..Been reading some back threads and sounds like my little trouble started last nov. coming back from qld. we tow a 20 foot van .. blew the small hose under the terbo but stopped in a second and turned the motor off . got a flat bed ride to have it fixed. never lost any water for 3months. Never got hot even when it was 40 plus. had no reason to question any thing when we headed of this year. just lost a little water after doing some 600ks from home.first thought it could be a hoes clamp..put a small bottle under the over flow thats how I figered it must be the head gasket..a few bubbles from the bottem tank when hot. and very tight hoses.. even towing the van the temp never went up..so fingers xed..thanks again ..robert42...and yep its a 1999 disco..140thou.

its a bit of a pita to change the head in a disco especially if you bust a bolt... ask auke....

Dont let anyone machine the head (ask discosteve)


if you got it early (and is sounds like you have) theres a slight chance that it IS just a head gasket but the favorable odds are in the headgasket being a symptom not a cause.

Theres nothing Ultra hard about doing a TD5 head change RTFM, print the bloody thing and take it with you to the guy whose going to do the work, have him read it (including the part that says "NO MACHINING" and advise him that once he has it off and measured that you would like him to stop and procede no further untill such time as you have been consulted as to how you wish him to procede.

Ensure that once the head work is approved to be done that the entire cooling system is at a minimum eyeballed for servicability and tested IMHO most head faults arent "sole cause" type failures but part of something else. Fixing the head gets you going again but only till the other part of the cause shows up, usually much more catastrophically.

At your mileage it would not hurt to pull the water pump out and check it the bearing was starting to go on mine and the seal was weeping a little hopefully it is just the head gasket and that hose behind the turbo blew on mine and I think that was the cause of the head gasket failure I have done close to 60 000 K's since I replaced it and no probs so far.

To everyone else keep an eye on that hose it gets cooked from the turbo