Land Rover Repair: No heat, coolant leak, 3 quarters

Question
I have a 99 disco that only has heat while you drive. I can have running idle for an hour and still no heat. Only when in motion. I did not get the heat at all until I had the coolant flushed and filled. Also when you rev the motor you will hear the cooolant gurgleing through the lines. Specificly on the passenger side.After a week the heat was gone and the car was overheating. I checked the coolant resevoir to find it empty. Putting in 3 quarters of antifreeze jug, car no longer overheats but still only gets warm when you actually drive it. you can also smell the antifreeze through the vehicle. I am praying your going to tell me I have a small coolant leak and maybe a bad thermostadt. But your going to tell me  I have a bad heater core aren't you.. Please dont. Unless you think thats what it is. I would hate to see the estimate of that repair.
Thanks for your help,
Nathan Simonson

Answer
It sounds like you have a coolant leak and there is air in the heater core.  That's why you hear the gurgle.  It's important to fix this because your engine can be badly damaged by overheating.

There are some articles about overheating and cooling systems on my web site - www.robisonservice.com > service > land rover > articles