D2 Head Gasket home repair, Version Feb 2011

seanmcd · Feb 6, 2011

Yep, shocking I know. My '03 D2 is leaking coolant down the rear of the block, I figure it must be head gaskets or valley pan gasket. After reading every thread I can about the repair I am going to do it myself late this week. I'll take pics and document the job if you all can offer some guidance and whatnot.

Some background: 2003 D2 4.6 with 120k miles, leaking coolant down the rear of the block and some oil drips. Oil in the pan looks good, no obvious contamination and the truck really runs great. No CEL, no codes. I am guessing it is a break in the coolant passage head gasket without any blowby into the cylinder. Truck has never overheated that I know of.

Ok, so thats my assesment, any comments or critques?

Moving on, I am going to call Atlantic British tomorrow AM and order:

Head gasket kit complete. Is the Bosch kit the best?
Head Bolts.
T-stat
Water Pump
Plugs and wires. 8mm? Magnacor?
I may get a hose kit and replace all the coolant hoses, still undecided.

I am undecided about having any work done on the heads, I haven't found a machine shop yet but when I do, what should I have done? Check the deck for any warpage? Replace valve seals, seats? Tanked?

Ok, so I have the D2 Manual and have downloaded the RAVE CD, but I can get it to open on my laptop, I have windows with Vista. I open the welcome pdf but all it does is open that one page, any comments?

I have a good assortment of tools, multiple sets of 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sockets in both metric and US. Also have 12 point sockets and I have the 8mm 12pt for the valve cover gaskets.

Are there any other tools I will need? Any suggestions?

I have a garage, air compressor and air tools, a good torque wrench. I will have another vehicle for at least 6 days while I work on the Disco.

So thats what I got right now, I will post pics and stuff during the process, any advice or comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks

rmuller · Feb 6, 2011

Assessment good. Call one of the parts guys here (will tillery, justin/l8, ptschram, etc..) for the parts though, much cheaper..

Machine shop -- Yeah, check for warpage, skim the heads, clean them and a 3 angle valve job... valve seals should come with head gasket kit. Elring kit is the best.. I personally dont see any point of replacing the hoses.. maybe the hose clamps, but most of the hoses should be fine.. just be careful with the hard plastic lines, they can get brittle.

for rave, google search for 'land rover rave' .. first 'resource' result has the unencrypted PDF version

Tool set sounds good...

Get a paint marker or white out pen so when you have to turn the head bolts 90o and another 90o you can mark it off.

seanmcd · Feb 6, 2011

rmuller said:
Assessment good. Call one of the parts guys here (will tillery, justin/l8, ptschram, etc..) for the parts though, much cheaper..

Machine shop -- Yeah, check for warpage, skim the heads, clean them and a 3 angle valve job... valve seals should come with head gasket kit. Elring kit is the best.. I personally dont see any point of replacing the hoses.. maybe the hose clamps, but most of the hoses should be fine.. just be careful with the hard plastic lines, they can get brittle.

for rave, google search for 'land rover rave' .. first 'resource' result has the unencrypted PDF version

Tool set sounds good...

Get a paint marker or white out pen so when you have to turn the head bolts 90o and another 90o you can mark it off.

Thanks very much for the reply.

As for the parts, I would love to save some money so I'll follow up with some of the guys you mentioned. I don't think I am going to replace the hoses, would rather maybe replace the CKPS instead, since my hands will be greasy.

Thanks very much.

I HATE PONIES · Feb 6, 2011

You will need a hammer to bash in the firewall. Even after bashing it, it will take some creativity to find the right combination of socket, extension, and breaker bar. By far the biggest pain in the ass of the whole job.

mbrummal · Feb 6, 2011

be sure to use a 6 point socket on the head bolts.

kennith · Feb 6, 2011

Add some penetrating fluid. I use Break Free CLP. I'd suggest you at least try it, but use what you want.

If you feel like going out and buying something, a set of flexible head Gear Wrenches can make life a lot easier. You don't need them, but if you want to add something to your collection, it's a damn good start.

One of the rear exhaust manifold bolts on the driver's side is going to be a pain in the ass. It's hard to get anything in there. A 3/8 inch breaker bar and a U-Joint will do it, but a U-Joint takes a bit of patience in that spot. You will run into places where such a bar can be good if you use slow, even pressure to remove things.

You can break stuff in there, though, so be careful.

A pair of tight fitting gloves like some of those Mechanix gloves will be very nice when loosening fasteners. I'd highly recommend investing in a set, so you can wrench fear-free in confined spaces.

Don't forget exhaust hardware, if you want to be thorough. I would not remove those manifold bolts from the heads without replacing them, but others don't feel the same way.

Get yourself some anti-seize for assembly, but make sure you only use it where you are supposed to.

Go to the parts store and get a cheap 12 pack of those microfiber towels, and various detailing products if you need them. The area should be clean when you put it back together, and as clean as is reasonable for you before you take it apart.

Stare at it and think your way through the process before you decide to go and do it. You may think of something you would like to have ahead of time.

Cheers,

Kennith

brianb883 · Feb 6, 2011

I HATE PONIES said:
You will need a hammer to bash in the firewall. Even after bashing it, it will take some creativity to find the right combination of socket, extension, and breaker bar. By far the biggest pain in the ass of the whole job.

Are you talking about the rear head bolt? Yes its a pain, and ate up 2 swivel sockets....no bashing required though.:victory:

kennith · Feb 6, 2011

I HATE PONIES said:
You will need a hammer to bash in the firewall. Even after bashing it, it will take some creativity to find the right combination of socket, extension, and breaker bar. By far the biggest pain in the ass of the whole job.

Oh, it can be done. It's a royal fucking pain in the ass, but it can be done. I never seen to use the same solution twice. Generally, I make a tool for such a job, but I haven't made one for that yet.

I've got a few bent, cut and welded tools for specialist jobs on the Rovers. Every now and again, I get around to fixing one so I don't need anything special. I'll get to the firewall eventually.

The thing I can't do is change my own fucking plug wires. Those coils need to be moved. It's a wonder I haven't done it already. Next set of wires, though, I'm not going to deal with that shit again, having to pay someone to do something stupid like that. I'm moving them.

Cheers,

Kennith

mbrummal · Feb 6, 2011

let us know where you put them kennith. I would like them in a different place too.

leshassell · Feb 6, 2011

A while back, I'd thought about extending the harness to allow the coils to be mounted in a more accessible location but more and more I wonder if converting to coil-on-plug would be the better solution. Any thoughts?

tex599 · Feb 6, 2011

No need to bash in the fire wall for the rear head bolts, a good swivel and impact socket is all you need to reach them. I good 3-4ft pipe for breaking the bolts loose and to torque them down with. x2 on parts from Will, good price, quick shipping. Get gallon plastic bags to put parts in and label them. Just did this on my 03 and found it to be relatively easy, just take your time. Also the rear bolt for the lower valley gasket cannot be torqued down with the fuel rail in place. Either torque it down before you put the intake on (Rave has you do it after, but assumes you have removed the fuel rail) or take a 1/2" wrench and bend it.

rmuller · Feb 7, 2011

leshassell said:
A while back, I'd thought about extending the harness to allow the coils to be mounted in a more accessible location but more and more I wonder if converting to coil-on-plug would be the better solution. Any thoughts?

I'd just leave it where it is... you should only have to replace plugs/wires every 50k or so, and it's not that bad of a job after you do it once... best trick for wires is to put a blanket down on the engine and lay directly on it, makes life much easier.

seanmcd · Feb 7, 2011

I ordered the gasket kit and wires from Will Tillery this morning. Great price, very helpful and took care of the shipping timeline I have, Good dude.

Friggin thing is now puking so much coolant on my driveway I am worrried the EPA is gonna declare this superfund site. Not a moment too soon I guess, will be glad when the thing is buttoned back up and running.

adriatic04 · Feb 7, 2011

rmuller said:
I'd just leave it where it is... you should only have to replace plugs/wires every 50k or so, and it's not that bad of a job after you do it once... best trick for wires is to put a blanket down on the engine and lay directly on it, makes life much easier.

and use the longest open ended box wrench you have. Use the open end to act as fingers on the wire and pop the wires off the coils.

gkalember · Feb 7, 2011

Get one of these:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947390000P?prdNo=21&blockNo=21&blockType=G21
makes getting hose clamps off very easy.

I just used leather yard gloves with the fingers cut out, no cuts, scrapes or bruised knuckles.

Get a short wobble extension, makes firewall head bolts easy to remove, replace.

I was able to find a broken huskey torque wrench, 30 in long, to use as a breaker bar to tighten down head bolts. Placed a cushion on the top of the radiator to get proper leverage.

Be careful on putting the exhaust bolts back in. Even if you think you've not cross threaded, it happens. Don't ask how I know.

Also a spark plug wire puller helps a lot.

Bosbefok · Feb 7, 2011

x2 on the wobble extension, but make sure it is an impact one, they are built tougher. Also get a shallow impact socket for the head bolts. You can get the back head bolt off and on without bashing in the firewall.

pdogg · Feb 7, 2011

Guys, this dude is doing head gaskets... pulling his spark plug wires is going to be the least of his problems, and besides, he'll have the coil pack sitting on his bench at this point anyway..

Tugela · Feb 7, 2011

Write up including list of tools used:

http://discoweb.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67575&highlight=head+gasket+lessons

Don't forget to watch the movie!

I HATE PONIES · Feb 7, 2011

kennith said:
Oh, it can be done. It's a royal fucking pain in the ass, but it can be done. I never seen to use the same solution twice. Generally, I make a tool for such a job, but I haven't made one for that yet.

By the time he gets done fucking with that bolt he will want to bash something with a hammer.:banghead:

mbrummal · Feb 7, 2011

I don't remember really having a problem with the last bolt when I did my head gaskets. YMMV?

D2 Head Gasket home repair, Version Feb 2011

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