Thread: I think I have a bad problem....

If the rest of the vehicle is ok, just grab a second hand engine and drop it in.

Only about 2 days work in the shed and away you go.

Pull the heads change the gaskets and drive it till it finaly dies.Like you said it isn't worth much but the job isn't hard or expensive. Pat

have you checked the oil in the sump hasnt turned a milky colour.......?
pull the dipstick and have a look.......


after a drive....when its all nice and hot and the cooling system is pressurised.......switch it off and let it sit........

then when its cooled down.......remove the sparkplugs and the power to the ignition coils......
and have someone give it a crank while you have a look to see if any water squirts out of any of the plug holes.....

it will do this on the first crank....so you need to be able to see both heads at the same time......

this will indicate a blown headgasket....and a reason for hard starting......

and make sure you dont have the gas on for this test......


there is also another reason for autos to get oil in the coolant......
but well check the headgasket first......


if its the gasket.....it should also leak compression into the cooling system and blowing out the coolant....
are you topping up the coolant at all......?

Thanks for the replies fellas,

There's no water in the oil but the coolant has needed topping up from time to time. I will pull the plugs at the weekend and check for the water squirting out.

I think fitting a replacement engine might be a tad beyond my ability and available tools - probably a bit pricey too. Unfortunately I don't have a shed as I live in a unit!

Think I might give the gasket change a go though - now long do you reckon it will take a first timer to do - where is the best place to get a set and is there anything else I should be looking out for?

Also is it going to cause further damage driving it as it is now? I'm not using it at the moment but might have to take it round to a mates place to do the work...

Cheers

Steve

Oh yeah and its a manual not an auto. It dropped all its coolant just before xmas through a leaky radiator. NMRA man said the LPG evaporator thingymebob freezing up and cutting the fuel could have saved the engine from damage. But in hindsight I guess the damage was probaly done then. I replaced the radiator but nothing else...

Originally Posted by Milhouse

Think I might give the gasket change a go though

.... have a read of this

Rebuilding a Rover V8

Interesting reading but I think a full engine rebuild might be a bit ambitious at the moment - maybe some time down the line...

Assuming it is a head gasket problem does this sound like a good deal?

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220408434111&_trkparms =tab%3DWatching

Or would I be as well ust buying the gaskets, bolts and getting my existing heads skimmed? Oh yeah and should I be using the tin or composite gaskets? Mine is a '93 V8i Disco - dual fuel.

How can I be sure its not anything worse than the gasket - I read a lot about slipped liners etc though I gather they are more common in the larger capacity V8s.

Cheers in advance

Steve

Gday mate

Sorry I can't help much with the gaskets questions but it may be worth getting a Workshop Manual off eBay

They really do come in handy

Land Rover Discovery Series 1 Workshop Manual (Rave) - eBay Media, Cars, Trucks, Clothing, Merchandise, Media, Cars, Bikes, Boats. (end time 16-May-09 13:26:46 AEST)

LAND ROVER WORKSHOP MANUAL DISCOVERY DEFENDER RAVE - eBay Land Rover Workshop Manuals, Land Rover, Car Manuals Literature, Cars, Parts Vehicles. (end time 07-May-09 23:32:29 AEST)

I got mine for about $15 from the UK but you might be able to pick up a CD for cheaper than that