Questionhi john,
i will try to keep this as short as possible.
okay, my 99 disco has 100000 miles on it.
about 3 months ago, 4 dash lights came on. i took it to a
certified lr mechanic and they gave me the synopsis for all the lights. turns out to be o2 sensor, airbags leaking, crank shaft pulley, abs modulator ($2k), etc.
today, my wife said the car was starting to shake as she
drove it, it's been running hot (in town)taking a whole gallon on anti-freeze/water (the resorvoir is like a bottomless pit), it's starting to smoke (not like burning oil smell, but weird smell, i noticed moisture on the pavement), and when you crank it, it makes a single popping sound almost like it's not going to turn over, but it cranks.
i got this vehicle, used, in june 06' with 92k on it and 2 months later all this stuff started to happen to it and it's been very costly to me.
any ideas on the situation?
thanks
Answer Hi Tony,
sounds like you have a blown head gasket. It's possible that coolant is leaking in to the combustion and causing your engine to backfire. You should have your engine tested to verify this.
Anytime you have a coolant leak, it has to be investigated and repaired quickly. On major side affect to LR engine overheating is the possible loss of a cylinder sleeve. If the aluminum engine overheats for too long, the welds that hold the cylinder sleeves in place can weaken and even drop. When this happens, the engine is a write-off.
Nothing can be done for an engine that has dropped it's sleeves. So I cannot stress this enough - address the coolant leak right away. Most local mechanics can perform tests to determine if your headgasket is blown.
I don't think the previous problems that you mention are coming back to haunt you. IF you have done all those repairs to solve the ABS, TC, HDC (3 amigos), let's hope that is the end of it. The '3 amigos', as I call them, are a nagging problem for many Disco owners.
In the problem you've described, it seems to me to be related to your coolant leak. Check the oil to see if it is contaminated with coolant. Chances are it's the headgasket. Depending on where you live, it could be another $2k. Sorry.
Best of luck,
JohnMc
NB: a LR mechanic I know and trust, once told me that of all the Disco's he's worked on, the '99 is his favourite. I hope this give you some comfort and that the worst of your troubles are soon to be over.
