'99 DII arrived today...broke down 45 minutes later...

[dcarr1971]

OK...this is not the way I envisioned my first post going...

Today has been a day of real highs and lows for me and the wife. After waiting more than 10 days to have our '99 Disco II (~95k miles) delivered (WooHoo!) to our home in Pittsburgh from NYC where we inspected it and test drove it, we drove it over to AAA to get it registered. (Roughly 12 miles from my house...My plan was get it registered, then bring it home and spend the rest of the day in the driveway changing all the fluids as part of the 90k service.)

Knowing that the engine had a head gasket replaced (along with the plugs, wires, head, h20 pump, and h20 pump gasket), upon delivery I had immediately checked the fluid levels and found everything to be correct. When we took it out, I kept an eye on the temp...for the first 11 miles it was steady in the dead center of the gauge. Then in the last mile it start creeping up and spiked just into the red as I pulled into the AAA parking lot where I stuck my head under the car just long enough to see a fountain of green coolant dumping from somewhere near the bottom of the engine. I quickly shut it off.

Other than the spike in temp and loss of coolant, the engine sounded fine when I shut it down...no SES, no Amigos...just the light on the temp gauge starting to come on. I had AAA flat bed it back to my house and the drive, my wife, and I pushed it into position in my driveway. Due to family obligations I wasn't able to pull the plastic shroud off the under side of the engine to pinpoint the source of the leak, but I'm hoping it's just a burst coolant hose.

I ran it past my 86 yr old grandfather (a former mechanic) who said that based on my description, that's probably what happened. He said that if it is just a hose, replace it and the rest of the radiator/cooling hoses, then take it straight to a radiator shop to have the entire cooling system tested and flushed.

So, OK...before I ask this, let me just say that the dealer is ~300 miles away, so returning it really isn't an option.

That said, anyone have any other helpful suggestions or have I crossed into the realm of things that are just too ugly for most folks to tackle on their own? Obviously I'll be trying to locate the leak and replacing all of the hoses.

 

[DiscoArt]

Before you do anything test for exhaust gasses in coolant. You might have a cracked block that is pressurizing the cooling system. It was fine for 11 miles but once the pressure got too high something popped.

 

[flyfisher11]

Coolant in a DII should be red OAT not green.

 

[crown14]

Coolant in a DII should be red OAT not green.

or orange

or pink

 

[dcarr1971]

Before you do anything test for exhaust gasses in coolant. You might have a cracked block that is pressurizing the cooling system. It was fine for 11 miles but once the pressure got too high something popped.

OK. Is this something that I can probably get my regular mechanic friend to do, or am I looking for a specialty shop?

 

[dcarr1971]

or orange

or pink

OK...I'll make sure I use the right stuff when I refill it. If my math and the records I received with it are correct, it looks like the truck had the head gasket replaced less then 30 miles ago.

Any reason to think this might have contributed to the failure this quickly?

 

[crown14]

OK...I'll make sure I use the right stuff when I refill it. If my math and the records I received with it are correct, it looks like the truck had the head gasket replaced less then 30 miles ago.

Any reason to think this might have contributed to the failure this quickly?

you shouldnt mix the two types!

 

[ptschram]

OK...I'll make sure I use the right stuff when I refill it. If my math and the records I received with it are correct, it looks like the truck had the head gasket replaced less then 30 miles ago.

Any reason to think this might have contributed to the failure this quickly?

It may not have contributed directly, but the head gasket replacement may have been done poorly, the heads might not have been resurfaced (a good likelihood if done at the dealer), or the head gasket job may have been done in a misguided attempt to correct a failed block.

 

[jhk07]

Duuude.....If you just bought this from a dealer, and it is ducking dumping coolant, I would have them on the phone NOW. Unless it is just so obvious that it is a Busted Hose or loose Hose clamp. And if the hose was THAT bad, the idiots should have replaced it. I hope i am wrong, but something just don't smell right. IE....green coolant

 

[dcarr1971]

It may not have contributed directly, but the head gasket replacement may have been done poorly, the heads might not have been resurfaced (a good likelihood if done at the dealer), or the head gasket job may have been done in a misguided attempt to correct a failed block.

Good point. If it helps, as a little more background info...the dealer did supply Rec'ts for the parts they (supposedly) used. Including everything I've listed previously, and an invoice for "Pressure Test and Reman Cylinderhead". (I actually called the auto shop from this invoice and confirmed that would have just been resurfacing the existing head, so the dealer didn't do this themselves.)

Everything that I'm finding on testing the coolant for exhaust gases indicates that the test will come back positive for either a blown head gasket or a cracked block.

So here's three more questions...

- I'm going to try dumping some more coolant or distilled water into the overflow reservoir today to see if I can locate the leak. Any tricks to locating a leak short of starting the engine?

- If I can patch up the cooling system enough to do an exhaust gas test, should I just use distilled water during the test? I figure there is no telling how much of the green coolant is left in the radiator and block.

- If the result is positive for exhaust gases, then short of tearing the engine down is there any way to confirm a cracked block? Would it be something they should have caught when they had it torn down to do the head gasket the first time? (i.e.- Once you have the engine down to that state, would a crack in the block be obvious?)

When all this happened I immediately called the dealer, they insisted that it was OK when they had it and asked that I confirm whether the hoses were all intact and properly attached. If they weren't so far away, this car would have already landed back in their laps, and it still might if it has a cracked block, but the distance makes it tough...

 

[ptschram]

If it was done at a dealer and it has failed, I think the onus is on them to pay to have it transported back to them for them to fix as they have an obligation to warrant the work for one year.

Did you just buy this truck from the dealership and did they do the work to make it ready for sale, or did they do his work for the previous owner who then sold the truck to you? (yeah, it's a run-on sentence, but I think you can understand what I mean)

 

[rovercanus]

Why don't you guys quit telling him to do all this shit and actually tell him to see what the hell is leaking first?
There's a good possibility that he did just burst a worn hose.
Here, I'll do it.
See what is leaking first, fix that. If you have more problems then come back here and let these guys tell you the sky is falling.

You people should know better. This is why Disco Mike is in self imposed exile from here for prophesizing doom and gloom before even diagnosing the problem.
You fuckers should know better.

For what it's worth, I have been running green coolant in my truck rated for all systems for 60k miles.

 

[dcarr1971]

If it was done at a dealer and it has failed, I think the onus is on them to pay to have it transported back to them for them to fix as they have an obligation to warrant the work for one year.

Did you just buy this truck from the dealership and did they do the work to make it ready for sale, or did they do his work for the previous owner who then sold the truck to you? (yeah, it's a run-on sentence, but I think you can understand what I mean)

I bought the truck from the dealer (http://www.RoverClassic.com). They had purchased the vehicle from the Manheim Auto Auction and done the work to fix the vehicle before attempting to sell it.

If it's the head, water pump, or a cracked block I figure I have a strong case for putting it on them to fix it, replace the vehicle, or (better yet) return my $$$, but otherwise I have concerns since they never claimed to have replaced anything else.

 

[KyleT]

thermostat housing looks pretty brown from heat and age too.... kinda looks wet too. I would start there before you jump on the busted motor bandwagon...

 

[rovercanus]

I bought the truck from the dealer (http://www.RoverClassic.com). They had purchased the vehicle from the Manheim Auto Auction and done the work to fix the vehicle before attempting to sell it.

If it's the head, water pump, or a cracked block I figure I have a strong case for putting it on them to fix it, replace the vehicle, or (better yet) return my $$$, but otherwise I have concerns since they never claimed to have replaced anything else.

So did you see what is actually leaking?

 

[varova87]

figure out the problem first. If it's major, call them back and pursue them to fix it. I had to do that last year with my DII, although I never got it worked out. Some people can actually sleep at night knowing they screwed someone over.

 

[ptschram]

If it's still covered under warranty, why should this gentleman have to do anything more than make a phone call to the folks who did the work and from whom he purchased it?

I'd be pretty hot if I had just bought a vehicle and had a problem like this in the first 100 miles.

 

[dcarr1971]

Sorry guys, I've had to go to work for a while this morning. Before that, I pulled the top shroud off and snapped the attached pictures...they aren't too informative, but a beginning...a few more can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/ddcst3/1999LandRoverDiscoverySeriesII, but I don't think they're showing anything important...

I'm running to the store at lunch time to grab some distilled water and coolant, then hope to pull the bottom shroud the rest of the way off and at least start actively feeling around all the bottom hoses...

 

[rovercanus]

I see nothing stating that there actually is a warranty. But, warranty or not don't you think the best thing to do is to actually see what the issue is instead of a bunch of guys speculating?
I'm not even sure why this is posted on two different boards without the guy looking at it yet.
This is akin to saying, "My truck is broken, what do I need to fix it?".

 

[ptschram]

I see nothing stating that there actually is a warranty. But, warranty or not don't you think the best thing to do is to actually see what the issue is instead of a bunch of guys speculating?

No, I think the best course of action would be to call the place that sold/fixed it to see if they're gonna stand behind it.

If it is a reputable car lot (there are some) and a reputable shop (more than not, I believe) there is a good chance it will all be taken care of to the owner's satisfaction.