Thread: Defender td5 head gasket

think he'll tell ya to get the madman one


cheers phil

Latest update.

Had Roving Mechanicals over yesterday, tests proved inconclusive. There is no perceptible leak in the cooling system to be found. The test for CO in the coolant was inconclusive. The fluid remained unchanged however the bubbles that came through did seem to have a yellow tinge to them.

I believe the only thing that could be causing the problems I have experienced would be a minute crack in the head gasket leaking combustion gasses into the water jackets and thus pressurising the coolant system. This would be consistent with the symptoms I have been experiencing. i.e. the heating of the fluid and the resulting loss of the fluid is magnified when the engine is pushed a little harder.

Therefore I feel it's best to pull the head and do a head re condition at minimum rather than potentially destroying the head and/or the whole engine. So far it hasn't heated up too much so fingers crossed it should have minimal problems.

If there is any other possibility I may have overlooked please feel free to post. Roving Mech Peter Davis seems to think it's the head gasket as he's seen many with the same symptoms and that's the usual culprit.

Cheers

Josh

I have the same issue as you. I sent mine to GC and he put the car on the dyno and confirmed that the coolant system was getting pressurised. As for whether it is a gasket or head I will not know until I remove it and get it checked.

I am going to take next week off and do the job myself.

Parts + 3 days labour, GC's price sounds fair and if I wasn't going to do it he would be my first choice as I have been happy with their work ethic so far.

I have mine booked in with GC just in case but I'm waiting on Roving Mechanicals to get back to me with an estimate. I've received good reviews about him and he's local. I've also only heard good reports about GC so either way I believe my vehicle would be in good hands.

I would do it myself if I had a garage I could fit the deefer in and the time to do it. I have most of the tools I'd require. It's not the type of job I want to do on the driveway in the elements though.

cheers

Josh

After having Roving Mechanicals fall ill and unable to do anything for at least another week, I kept my booking with Coopers and on Friday it was confirmed that yes the head gasket is blown.

Coopers are going to redo the head and hopefully I'll have Bender back in time for the night run on Saturday.

I'll update with any more specifics once I get the whole story from Coopers.

Thanks again to all for your inputs

Cheers

Josh

Now for the latest......

Coopers has now had my 130 for over a week and today they called me to tell me that they have put the head back on and everything is ok except for a distinct lack of power. It's only producing 35kw, which for a chipped and intercooled td5 is not even half what it should be. They checked and double checked everything and finally decided to try swapping the injectors. On doing this the truck seems to be working fine again.

What I don't understand is how a perfectly servicable set of injectors can be removed from the head and then cease to work on being replaced.

Does anybody have any idea what might cause this turn of events? Or has anyone experienced this type of anomoly? Coopers said that they have seen this only ever happen 3 or 4 times before and have no idea why it has occurred.

I want to know why all of a sudden a full set of injectors has failed for no apparent reason as it means I am likely up for a new set or at least a second hand set of injectors for no apparent reason! A ball park figure of approx $900 - $1000 each seems a little exhorbitant. Considering that's $5000 just for injectors. Something is not right here. If anyone can shed some light I would be most appreciative.

cheers

Josh

I recall somewhere in the RAVE procedure that either the injectors or hydraulic lifters need to be stored upright or they will not work properly. The other thing is that the injectors must be re-installed in the positions they came from or the engine will not operate correctly.

I seriously hope that they are not resorting to shotgun fault diagnosis at your expense.

note: I would ask for your old injectors and get them tested to confirm they were replaced for the right reason. If they are operational Ward may have to answer some hard questions. You may even be able to sell them if they are good.

Originally Posted by XSiV

Now for the latest......

Coopers has now had my 130 for over a week and today they called me to tell me that they have put the head back on and everything is ok except for a distinct lack of power. It's only producing 35kw, which for a chipped and intercooled td5 is not even half what it should be. They checked and double checked everything and finally decided to try swapping the injectors. On doing this the truck seems to be working fine again.

What I don't understand is how a perfectly servicable set of injectors can be removed from the head and then cease to work on being replaced.

Does anybody have any idea what might cause this turn of events? Or has anyone experienced this type of anomoly? Coopers said that they have seen this only ever happen 3 or 4 times before and have no idea why it has occurred.

I want to know why all of a sudden a full set of injectors has failed for no apparent reason as it means I am likely up for a new set or at least a second hand set of injectors for no apparent reason! A ball park figure of approx $900 - $1000 each seems a little exhorbitant. Considering that's $5000 just for injectors. Something is not right here. If anyone can shed some light I would be most appreciative.

cheers

Josh

Below in bold is a good idea, just too be on the safe side, as said they need to be replaced in the correct order.

Also, injectors are available at a much cheaper price than that, i've seen them as low as $900 for a set of 5, at the price you have been quoted i'd say they were purchased direct from a LandRover dealer.

Originally Posted by eckolsim

I recall somewhere in the RAVE procedure that either the injectors or hydraulic lifters need to be stored upright or they will not work properly. The other thing is that the injectors must be re-installed in the positions they came from or the engine will not operate correctly.

I seriously hope that they are not resorting to shotgun fault diagnosis at your expense.

note: I would ask for your old injectors and get them tested to confirm they were replaced for the right reason. If they are operational Ward may have to answer some hard questions. You may even be able to sell them if they are good.

Any way good luck with and i hope it doesn't get too expensive.

On the EGT side of things Josh, i went with a Madmans EMS1, they are expensive but i like piece of mind, the alternitive is just the Engine Saver, this keeps an eye on coolent levels and is a very good device and like the Madman it's Land Rover specific, Engine Saver is also a supporter of this forum.

The Madmans EMS was the only device that i found that did multipal things, it gives you gearbox/transfer case temp, coolent temp and coolent level warning, EGT monitoring and oil pressure monitoring, as well as pitch and roll and an artificial horizon, and it's easy too fit.

Baz.