Land Rover Repair: Discovery 2, head gasket replacement, head gaskets

Question
Wanting to keep my 1999 Discovery 2, i inquired to my  mechanic what would
keep it in top running form when i took it in for 90k service.  he suggested i
replace 2 head gaskets, serpentine belt, thermostat, cooling hose, and some
brake work.  $3,000 and 1 week later my engine overheated and dropped a
cylinder.  I never had an overheating problem or any other problem for that
matter.  The mechanic claims the cylinder just dropped on it's own and then
the car overheated.  He state the work he did had nothing to do with losing
the engine.  LR says it would have to overheat and then drop a cylinder.  They
suggest his work and behavior seem suspect.

Best of all, the mechainc suggested he put the car back together and tow it
close to a dealer where I could trade it in for another car.  I'm sure you're as
horrified by his integrity as I am.  

Any suggestions??  Thanks for your time.

Jennifer Ritchey
Los Angeles  

Answer
How do you know it dropped a liner?  Did you have the engine removed and disassembled to check that?  You can't tell from outside.

My experience suggests that the overheat might have been caused by an error or oversight in the head gasket replacement.  You might want to read two magazine articles that I have reprinted on my web site, one on the diagnosis of overheating and the other on dropped liners.

http://www.robisonservice.com/articles/RonR_march2006.asp

http://www.robisonservice.com/articles/RonR_jan2006.asp

Land Rover is right, in that dropped liners are the result of an overheat, not a cause. They will cause continued overheating but they happen when something else overheats the truck.

Good luck.

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John