Land Rover Repair: Overheating - head gasket, engine failure, head gasket repair, block sealer
QuestionQUESTION: Have a 2001 Discovery Series 2. Car is overheating when driving only, meaning ok in park even at higher RPMs. There was no sign of coolant leakage until I put a bucket under the hood and drove. found the reservoir overflow hose is leaking fluid. My investigations lead me to believe too much pressure in the engine. This is either from the head gasket or complete engine failure. when i drive over 10 miles, car overheats then goes back to normal for a bit. I replaced the stat and reservoir cap with no luck. Is there a way to determine if it is a head gasket or if it the engine block itself. Read an article about hov the sleeves cracks in a lot of these engines. Hate to do the work if it is not the head gasket.
Thanks for your time.
Bob
ANSWER: First, you should check the radiator for cold spots to see if your radiator is blocked. Next, do a block test to determine if there is head gasket and/or block failure. If the test is positive, there is no way to tell whether it is simply head gaskets or there is also a loose liner short of removing the cylinder heads and inspecting the liners.
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QUESTION: Thanks for the help Nigel. Getting very frustrated. I felt cool spots and did an engine block test. The block test was negative. So I replaced the radiator. Still having the same problem. Too much pressure in the system causing fluid to come out. Bought some head gasket repair fluid I will try tongith, but think i am just wasting my time. Any ideas?
AnswerWe have had a lot of problems with aftermarket radiators. We have seen multiple failures and do not recommend their use for this reason. To start with, if you did not buy an OEM radiator, I would do so now. Also, did you replace the thermostat? Did you properly bleed the system out? Is the condenser blocked. Is the A/C system overcharged? I do think you are wasting your time putting in block sealer if the block test was negative.
