Windows, Leaks and a Possible Head Gasket

[BB_Disco]

Another new to me is 2002 D2 with a few issues I'm trying to sort. I call her "Crisco" on the account I overheated her on the maiden voyage around the block. Not sure if it's best to post them all in one or break them into parts, so going to add them all here and modify them if necessary.

Rear Passenger Window Issue
I rolled the window down and couldn't get it back up (that's what she said). Removed the door panel per recommendation through some research in the various forums to check the actuator. I believe the motor is working and getting power. I checked over everything and didn't see anything indicating the window had come off the bracket or wheels had broken. I gave the actuator arm a little push-up, and that forced the gear to move. I then hit the button to roll the window up, and it worked; however, when it gets to the top, the motor doesn't stop trying to go up or down when I roll it down. Do I need a new actuator arm, a new motor, or both? Including a video so you can see/hear what's going on in the door internals. I think it's the actuator, but the fact it seems like something is clicking makes me think it's the motor and gear in the motor that's slipping.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iD1qdMiCckIEeh33Bou5_Vn_Fta42rPC/view?usp=sharing

Leaking Fluids
I'm getting a small leak from the bolt on the front of the transmission fluid pan and another what looks like an oil leak coming from the area circled in red in the image. Should I replace the washer and plug screw for the trans fluid or add some silicone tape to the existing plug, screw it back in and call it a day? For the other leak, it looks a lot more involved. Lots of what looks like RTV on the bottom plate but no drip from there that I can tell. Not even sure where to start with what I would need to fix that leak.



Head Gasket Just Cause?
I overheated like an idiot. I didn't check the coolant level before taking off. Test drove it before purchase and had it towed to me. When it showed up, I hopped in and took off without the preflight check. Only went around the block, less than a quarter mile. I heard the belt squeal, I looked at the temp gauge, and it was red, so I pulled over and shut her down. I isolated the leak to the water pump (or so I think), so I'm replacing it along with a host of other things. The car has 150K on it, and I was debating if I should replace the head gaskets and accompanying seals that come with the kit from AB while fixing the other items. The car is not experiencing any signs of head gasket failure that I'm aware of, no chocolate milk oil, white smoke from the exhaust, etc. I haven't opened it up yet, so I can't say definitively, but that's just what I know to look for. I've spent more time than I'd like to wiping down the endless layers of gunk off the engine and every other part that is covered before I start replacing things so I can see any drips or leaks. I've seen recommendations to replace the HG's around this milage and especially with the overheat so I guess I'm looking for some reinforcement on my thought to go for it or move on. Any help is appreciated.

 

[Tugela]

Re: head gasket - you might pick up a kit from an auto parts store to test for exhaust gases in the coolant. That's a cheap and quick check that can give you more information. Overheating isn't always a death sentence for head gaskets. Otherwise, if you're not seeing symptoms of HG failure you could delay that job. It's inevitable that you'll need to do it, but since that project is no small investment in time and money it's not commonly treated as preventative maintenance.

 

[michaels]

on the window arms, the little plastic wheels that actually allow the scissor lift to move back and forth break a lot. look in the channels at the bottom fo the window regulator there for a broken wheel. it's a white round piece of plastic. seems like that might be broken off like a taking a piece of pie out of a whole pie. it'll spin where it's round, but hit the flat/broken spot, and then won't budge and make the motor grumble like that. otherwise, I'm not sure. if that's not it, then someone else might know.

transmission, yes, try replacing the crush washer/seal. it's $4 at Atlantic British. fluid looks a bit dark. consider doing a drain/fill and fluid replacement or go the extra mile and do the filter too.

transfer case. remove the driveshaft and y pipe and you can take that nose cone off to reseal it, or drop the whole case and reseal the entire thing. at minimum, reseal the inspection plate with RTV while it's empty. fluid looks like a good color. it seems like a small leak, so you could drain and fill in some more viscous fluid (85w-140) to slow it down, and you could just keep an eye on where you park it and fill it up every once in a while.

head gasket: do the cheap stuff first. first, pressure test the cooling system. it is designed to hold 20 psi. if it drops, you have a leak somewhere. then do an exhaust gas test. if that fails, boroscope each cylinder to see if they're steam cleaned. if it's any middle two cylinders, then you've most likely got a cracked block on your hands. if it's a cylinder in any corner, then you've blown the HG but it should be fixable. bypass the heater core with some hose to see if that is clogged. you just loop the two hoses by the firewall by the valve cover on the passenger side. it happens and can cause an overheat event. bad radiator flow can cause an overheat, as well as a bad water pump.

you can also do a UV dye test in the coolant, run it so it circulates, and then see where it ends up with the special goggles and light the dye kit comes with.

how fast were you going when it overheated? slow neighborhood driving or at highway speeds? slow crawl could indicate a bad fan clutch/fan or water pump if your cooling system isn't pressuring.

then on to spending some money:

if it passes the pressure test and exhaust gas test, then get new hoses, thermostat (do the inline thermostat with a 180 degree thermostat or the 180 soft spring thermostat from brit part) , water pump, and all plastic connector and a new fan clutch. you'll want do that anyways if you do the head gaskets. replace the coolant reservoir. flush coolant. if you want, take the radiator out and have it flow tested at a shop, that isn't a bad idea anyways. or replace it. unless you just want to dig into the heads, I'd do all that first and see how it takes, then do the head gasket job.

at this point, every disco owner should have a real coolant temp gauge in their car. it's vital to know what range of temp your car operates. the disco dash gauge won't go past middle until it hits 230 degrees, and damage is already being done. get an ultraguage, scan gauge, or cheap OBD reader that will display coolant temp in real time. leave it connected anytime you drive the car. it should never go over 220, but with lower temp thermostat and all new cooling system, should ride under 200 unless it's over 95 outside and you're idling a while. my engine only sees over 200 when it's idling in a. drive through and it's 90+ outside. it'll run 188 on a day like today at 95 degrees at 70 mph. I run an ultra gauge and it displays temps within the first few seconds unless I disconnected the battery at that point is takes about 2 minutes to reboot that first crank up.

hope that helps. good luck.

 

[Flyfish]

Re: head gasket - you might pick up a kit from an auto parts store to test for exhaust gases in the coolant. That's a cheap and quick check that can give you more information. Overheating isn't always a death sentence for head gaskets. Otherwise, if you're not seeing symptoms of HG failure you could delay that job. It's inevitable that you'll need to do it, but since that project is no small investment in time and money it's not commonly treated as preventative maintenance.

X2

A compression test would probably be a good idea too.