Pissing coolant - No codes - 2003 D2

Lake_Bueller

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2004
2,105
59
56
Beloit, WI
I'm hoping for a little advise from the collective.

Quick back story:
2003 Disco with head gasket replacement about 20k miles ago (done under previous owner)

Starting leaking from throttle body heater about a month ago. Because it's the dead of winter in Wisconsin, I had a local indy shop replace the throttle body heater and swap out to a low temp thermostat while he was working on the truck.

Fast forward about 3 weeks. I'm driving the truck for work and notice a puddle under the truck. It's dripping something (looked clear and didn't smell like coolant) from the back of the engine (right side over the cat). I open the hood and the coolant level is low. I top it off and drive it home.

A few days later, I start the truck and get it to temp. No leaks or drips. I drive it for about 20 minutes and everything looks fine. The coolant level stayed steady. For shits and grins, I pull out the block tester. Yep...it turns yellow.

So my question is this:
Head gasket
or
Intake gasket

Is it possible to have exhaust gasses in the coolant from a bad intake gasket?


Aside from the rear frame rust (which I had planned on replacing/repairing), the truck is super clean with only 96k miles. It hasn't thrown any codes or 3 amigos. I'm into the truck for almost nothing (literally almost nothing).
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
No misfires?

No I can't `think of a way an intake gasket will get exhaust gas in the cooling system. It sounds like you have a head gasket letting go. It was -16F here in the southern part of Wisconsin. It had to be colder up by you. The kind of head gasket failures I would call a clamping failure will show itself when it gets as cold as it just did. A clamping failure is when a head bolt either pulled out, wasn't torqued properly or whatever.

I find those exhaust gas testers kind of scetchy. If I was you I would figure out what's leaking and hope for the best.
 
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Aug 20, 2007
2,727
45
Nashville TN
not to hijack your thread, but mine is doing the same thing, but not pissing coolant. just an extremely slow drip. heads replaced 6500 miles ago. been doing it since 1200 miles. hoping my shop will warranty the work (24 months 24,000 miles warranty standard on parts and labor), but I need to take it in.


interesting to see the clamping failure might be worse at colder temps, as it's definitely gotten worse. I'm a bit pissed he put dexcool back in when I specifically requested good ol green coolant, but I was going to do a flush when it warms up anyways. HEre's where mine puddles. Front is slightly wet but nothing like this. this is about 1500 miles worth of drips.
 

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boxster

Well-known member
Jun 1, 2009
443
88
Fallbrook Ca.
not to hijack your thread, but mine is doing the same thing, but not pissing coolant. just an extremely slow drip. heads replaced 6500 miles ago. been doing it since 1200 miles. hoping my shop will warranty the work (24 months 24,000 miles warranty standard on parts and labor), but I need to take it in.


interesting to see the clamping failure might be worse at colder temps, as it's definitely gotten worse. I'm a bit pissed he put dexcool back in when I specifically requested good ol green coolant, but I was going to do a flush when it warms up anyways. HEre's where mine puddles. Front is slightly wet but nothing like this. this is about 1500 miles worth of drips.
 

boxster

Well-known member
Jun 1, 2009
443
88
Fallbrook Ca.
not to hijack your thread, but mine is doing the same thing, but not pissing coolant. just an extremely slow drip. heads replaced 6500 miles ago. been doing it since 1200 miles. hoping my shop will warranty the work (24 months 24,000 miles warranty standard on parts and labor), but I need to take it in.


interesting to see the clamping failure might be worse at colder temps, as it's definitely gotten worse. I'm a bit pissed he put dexcool back in when I specifically requested good ol green coolant, but I was going to do a flush when it warms up anyways. HEre's where mine puddles. Front is slightly wet but nothing like this. this is about 1500 miles worth of drips.
Pressure test the cooling system you should be able to isolate the coolant leak.
 
Aug 20, 2007
2,727
45
Nashville TN
Pressure test the cooling system you should be able to isolate the coolant leak.
I think I need to do an overnight test. It holds pressure fine for several hours on a pressure test, and the reservoir holds pressure after running/driving without any over pressurization or anything, so I'm positive no gases entering the system. I had him do a pressure test but no obvious leaks at the time. it must be really really small. Just hoping the block isn't micro warped. I've never seen it go above 210 and that was once at noon in the drive through on a 99F day.
 

boxster

Well-known member
Jun 1, 2009
443
88
Fallbrook Ca.
I think I need to do an overnight test. It holds pressure fine for several hours on a pressure test, and the reservoir holds pressure after running/driving without any over pressurization or anything, so I'm positive no gases entering the system. I had him do a pressure test but no obvious leaks at the time. it must be really really small. Just hoping the block isn't micro warped. I've never seen it go above 210 and that was once at noon in the drive through on a 99F day.
Had a cylinder head with porosity or crack in the water jacket wouldn’t leak when hot when it cooled off it leaked coolant.
 

WaltNYC

Well-known member
Mar 3, 2010
707
135
NYC
Had a cylinder head with porosity or crack in the water jacket wouldn’t leak when hot when it cooled off it leaked coolant.
Was that confirmed by something you could see externally? Or did you open it up to figure it out?
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
I think I need to do an overnight test. It holds pressure fine for several hours on a pressure test,
I don't trust the tester to hold pressure for an extended period of time. I just keep the pressure pumped up to 15 psi and look for coolant coming out of the system. To many variables to trust the actual pressure drop and gauge on the tester.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
not to hijack your thread, but.....interesting to see the clamping failure might be worse at colder temps,
I had a really messed up overheating 5.0 in an LR4. If you look at the back side of the right bank of the block, it has an area that isn't coolant, isn't anything. and a hole is drilled into that void that accepts a fir tree type fastener to hold a harness to the back of the head. Because a couple head bolts pulled out of the block it would leak a little into that cavity of nothing and slowly leak out the hole with the fir tree fastener in it.
It was single digits cold here in Wisconsin and it was boiling over overheating when you would try to drive it a mile or less. So if I parked that truck in the shop at room temp it could drive all day and not get hot at all. But If I started it after it sat outside overnight it couldn't make it a mile without boiling over. I did a cylinder leak down test and it was bubling in the coolant reservoir.
When I pulled the head off that thing there was metal shavings in the threads of a few head bolts. I've learned to watch for that cause the first time I saw that I didn't notice till I was trying to torque the head. Then I had to take it back apart and do the thread repair.
 
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Lake_Bueller

Well-known member
Aug 11, 2004
2,105
59
56
Beloit, WI
Threw a code today...#4 cylinder. I'm not pissing coolant (exterior). The coolant level seems to be staying steady. But I haven't really driven the truck much the past few weeks.

My suspicion is a warped head. I had a VERY brief (less than 1 minute) overheat when the line on the throttle body heater gave out about a month ago. The coolant issues started about 3 weeks after replacing the throttle body heater and thermostat. It has not overheated since.
 
Aug 20, 2007
2,727
45
Nashville TN
Threw a code today...#4 cylinder. I'm not pissing coolant (exterior). The coolant level seems to be staying steady. But I haven't really driven the truck much the past few weeks.

My suspicion is a warped head. I had a VERY brief (less than 1 minute) overheat when the line on the throttle body heater gave out about a month ago. The coolant issues started about 3 weeks after replacing the throttle body heater and thermostat. It has not overheated since.

Make sure to check the block too for warpage using a machinist straight edge and feeler gauges when you remove the heads. I believe spec is .002” (.5mm) of difference allowed
 

roverover

Well-known member
Feb 27, 2005
3,819
28
68
Lancaster PA
www.UsedLandRoverParts.com
I had a really messed up overheating 5.0 in an LR4. If you look at the back side of the right bank of the block, it has an area that isn't coolant, isn't anything. and a hole is drilled into that void that accepts a fir tree type fastener to hold a harness to the back of the head. Because a couple head bolts pulled out of the block it would leak a little into that cavity of nothing and slowly leak out the hole with the fir tree fastener in it.
It was single digits cold here in Wisconsin and it was boiling over overheating when you would try to drive it a mile or less. So if I parked that truck in the shop at room temp it could drive all day and not get hot at all. But If I started it after it sat outside overnight it couldn't make it a mile without boiling over. I did a cylinder leak down test and it was bubling in the coolant reservoir.
When I pulled the head off that thing there was metal shavings in the threads of a few head bolts. I've learned to watch for that cause the first time I saw that I didn't notice till I was trying to torque the head. Then I had to take it back apart and do the thread repair.
You should be putting in 11mm bolts anyway if you have the heads off
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
If
Threw a code today...#4 cylinder. I'm not pissing coolant (exterior). The coolant level seems to be staying steady. But I haven't really driven the truck much the past few weeks.

My suspicion is a warped head. I had a VERY brief (less than 1 minute) overheat when the line on the throttle body heater gave out about a month ago. The coolant issues started about 3 weeks after replacing the throttle body heater and thermostat. It has not overheated since.
If you have coolant in cylinder 4 it’s probably coming up from a crack behind the liner. That kind of misfire happens on startup.
 

discostew

Well-known member
Sep 14, 2010
7,706
1,015
Northern Illinois
You should be putting in 11mm bolts anyway if you have the heads off

I'm not sure what your saying. I should have done all the thread repairs and put the bigger head bolts in any engine that I pull the heads off? Who's paying? Not sure if thats really possible unless you replace the heads as well.