| Author | Message | ||
     John Cinquegrana (Johnc) Senior Member Username: Johnc Post Number: 509 Registered: 07-2002 |
My wife calls me last night from the local grocery store and says that the Disco is leaking coolant, a lot.. So I go down and sure enough it's leaking from the driver's side between the engine and the firewall. I get underneath and can't see where the antifreeze is coming from. I checked a few hoses and nothing. I get the Disco home and use some engine cleaner to clean the valley area and behind the engine. Let it dry a bit and start her up. After about 3 or 4 mins of running the leak starts again. It's dripping right onto the pipe (before the cat). I could see it coming down the bellhousing but don't see any coolant on the valley.... where is it coming from? It's hard for me to see between the engine and the firewall even after I climbed on top of the engine and pushed the hood all the way back. I'm going away next week to the Cape and need to get her fixed (the Disco ... not my wife). Any advise or tip would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, John C. | ||
| Will Weatherford (Wweatherford) Member Username: Wweatherford Post Number: 49 Registered: 02-2003 |
Do you smell coolant (i.e., getting cooked on the hot exhaust pipe)? Might be head gasket... I have heard that they fail typically in the front or rear of the block, due to the locations of the coolant flow channels within the block... Anyone else? Good Luck W2 99D1 | ||
| John Cinquegrana (Johnc) Senior Member Username: Johnc Post Number: 510 Registered: 07-2002 |
Will, Yes, I smell coolant. I don't see any white smoke coming out of the exhaust though. Thanks, John | ||
| gp (Garrett) Senior Member Username: Garrett Post Number: 2174 Registered: 10-2001 |
my GUESS is the valley pan gasket. had the same issues as you.....coolant leak was hard to find and was dripping down the housing and on the cats leaving a nice white residue. replaced the valley pan and all has been well with the world since. was leaking towards the back of gasket towards the firewall making it hard to locate. | ||
| John Cinquegrana (Johnc) Senior Member Username: Johnc Post Number: 511 Registered: 07-2002 |
Thanks Garrett. How long did it take you to replace (if you did iut yourself)? Any tips or extra parts I should get? Thanks again, John | ||
| Will Weatherford (Wweatherford) Member Username: Wweatherford Post Number: 50 Registered: 02-2003 |
GP - How difficult/$ to replace a valley pan gasket? Thanks, W2 | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1814 Registered: 02-2002 |
The estimating guide gives a little more than two hours for the intake gasket swap. The left rear bolts become loose due to temperature variations and they typically leak here. The gasket from a 1963 Buick works well, shouldn't cost more than about $35 at NAPA. I'd plan for about four hours for the first time you do it. The biggest hassle for me was moving the coolant pipes out of the way to get access for removal. Be careful on reassembly if you don't tear it all the way down as it is easy to wrinkle the gasket and then, you have a chance to practice removal again... You know how I learned this! | ||
| gp (Garrett) Senior Member Username: Garrett Post Number: 2176 Registered: 10-2001 |
this was done last year. let me try and recall. when you order that gasket you will a variety of gaskets along with the main valley pan. it is pretty straight forward. of course most of the time is spent on getting to the gasket itself. removing the plenum, hoses, etc. crucial to make sure the surface of the gasket area is prepared well and clean. while you are in there and have that all torn down you may as well replace anything else you think may have been neglected in the past year or so. i would order the gasket from the dealer or someone like RN. this way you know you are getting all the extra gaskets that go along with doing this entire job. i believe i paid about $80-90 for everything. leave the better part of an afternoon for this. typically on work that i have never done i estimate twice what the book tells me. take pics too. good for when you are putting stuff back together and are wondering what the hell this let over part is for!  | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1821 Registered: 02-2002 |
I just did one on a '94 Disco a week or two ago, for the same reason. The only gasket I needed was the intake and end seals and they came with the NAPA gasket. It even came with a tube of sealant! One does not even need to remove the valve covers to pull the intake. | ||
| Will Weatherford (Wweatherford) Member Username: Wweatherford Post Number: 52 Registered: 02-2003 |
Paul/Garrett - Any chance someone has a pic handy of the gasket/location... this is essentially the intake manifold gasket? Sorry is I misunderstand... W2 99D1 | ||
| John Cinquegrana (Johnc) Senior Member Username: Johnc Post Number: 512 Registered: 07-2002 |
Thanks Paul and Garrett. Paul, I'm looking for the gasket set on Napa Online , what model Buick should I look for? I found this for a 1963 Buick Special but it's a 3.5 L engine http://www.napaonline.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ExecMacro/NAPAonline/search_results _product_detail.d2w/report?prrfnbr=23487449&prmenbr=5806&usrcommgrpid=51150889 Thanks guys. BTW: I've done the head gaskets on my RR with the help of George S. and it took us two days and $300 parts (30 bottles of carb cleaner and gasket set). | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1824 Registered: 02-2002 |
The intake manifold gasket on these vehicles also serves as the lifter valley cover. Look below the thermostat housing, you will see a piece fo stamped steel running across the front of the block, behind this is the pan/gasket. Blue no doubt has a pic, he has a pic of everything else on his truck! | ||
| gp (Garrett) Senior Member Username: Garrett Post Number: 2177 Registered: 10-2001 |
yes mr. gill certainly has a few dozen of this particular area. the stamped steel is shaped like a smilely face!!! http://catalog.roversnorth.com/catalog/large.taf?id=v8cylhead whole set for $149. that covers it all. or piece meal it with each part # listed. | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1825 Registered: 02-2002 |
John: Your engine began its life as a 3.5, then 3.9, then 4.2, then 4.0... You have the correct engine. | ||
| John Cinquegrana (Johnc) Senior Member Username: Johnc Post Number: 514 Registered: 07-2002 |
Thanks again Paul and GP. Update: I was able to see where it's leaking coolant - from the valley gasket (I used a mirror and placed it between the engine and firewall). I removed the plenum and am in the process of removing the intake manifold. 4 of the bolts on the IM were loose. One problem I am having now is removing the IM, all the bolts have been removed but it won't come out. I can lift it about a mm and move it back and forth a mm but she won't come out. I was hoping I didn't have to remove the fuel rail and the trumpets .... but I might have to. I started last night at 7:30 and stopped at 9:30 pm. I took pics before disassembling and also used a Brother Ptouch to label some wires and hoses that I thought I might forget where they went. The Disco is soo much easier to work on than the RR mainly because there is more room between the firewall and the engine. I'll post back tonite and let you know how it went. Thanks again for your advice. John | ||
| Paul T. Schram (Paulschram) Senior Member Username: Paulschram Post Number: 1838 Registered: 02-2002 |
Shouldn't have to pull the rail, nor the intake stack. Keep looking for the interferent. Might be the valve covers. Just because I got it off without pulling the covers doesn't mean you won't need to. CCheck to make sure you got all of the bolts, hoses, wires off -And out of the way. |
