| Author | Message | ||
     Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 |
A week ago, my Discovery II started running hot (quickly). After checking all the common items (thermostat, cap, etc.), I suspected a blown head gasket or cracked head. I pulled the plugs and did a compression check. Cylinder 5 showed low at about 120 lbs dry while the others were 145 or better. I also was able to fill the engine with water and witness bubbling in the top water connection - only when the compression gauge was in cylinder 5. It obviously had a problem only in this cylinder. After pulling the head, I couldn't see how a blown head gasket would leak pressure into the water jacket since the water ports are at either end of the head - unless the head is cracked. I didn't see any visible crack in the head. After doing several tests on the head and the block I finally found out what the problem was! Compression is leaking into the water jacket between the steel sleeve and the aluminum block of cylinder 5. This is obviously a manufacturers defect in the engine. This engine only has 70,000 miles on it. Has anyone else experienced this or even heard of a Disco having this problem? Anyone know of any trees I can bark up to get LR to replace the engine outside of warranty? I've heard from a few people that LR has openly admitted a compression issue existed with the 4.0 engine. Any help would definitely be appreciated. | ||
| Kenny Bissett (Jetson) Member Username: Jetson Post Number: 131 Registered: 07-2003 |
I believe this happened to mine as well at around 20k. Replaced the engine under warranty, but I was never told officially what happened. This was back in 99 when I first bought the vehicle brand new. since then I have seen posts about tis issue and I concluded that mine had that same problem. another symptom was the loss of oil at a fast rate... Kenny | ||
| Chris Browne (Chris_browne) Senior Member Username: Chris_browne Post Number: 582 Registered: 02-2003 |
Block porousity like you describe is a more common than anyone wants to admit. Seen it in RRCs and D1s as well.... A new short block from dealers is around $1500, maybe less | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2004 |
I'd like that dough to come out of LR's pocket, not mine!  | ||
| Jon Button (J_button) New Member Username: J_button Post Number: 14 Registered: 11-2003 |
This happend on mine also. 99 D2. Replace head gaskets, then a couple months went by and the engine developed a bad intermittant knock. Replace the lifters and the problem was worse. They removed the heads and found a couple of the sleeves where slipping causing the knock. Don't know what causes this, maybe it was overheated at some point (not when I owned it). Extended warrantee footed the bill thank goodness. Replaced the short block and cleaned up the valves while the heads were off. Runs great now. | ||
| Erik G. Burrows (Erik) Senior Member Username: Erik Post Number: 303 Registered: 04-2002 |
Happened to mine twice Mike, and I'm only at 72,000 miles! I was told that Land Rover fixed the design defect, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for engine #3. | ||
| Dave Crall (Discoverover) Member Username: Discoverover Post Number: 101 Registered: 11-2002 |
This also happened to my 96' discovery 4.0 at 39K miles! It was knocking and a sleeve had slipped down. One idea is that the sleeve was never completely seated when the engine was made. The shorter sleeve had room to slide. I have a new bosch block now and am hoping it is made better. Dave | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 3 Registered: 01-2004 |
Erik, Who has been footing the bill for your new engines? | ||
| Erik G. Burrows (Erik) Senior Member Username: Erik Post Number: 304 Registered: 04-2002 |
The first two were under warranty. The last one, replaced at 71,000 miles a few weeks ago was out of my pocket. $4000 at British 4x4 in Mission Viejo Ca. | ||
| Erik G. Burrows (Erik) Senior Member Username: Erik Post Number: 305 Registered: 04-2002 |
Sorry, I stated that wrong: The first replacement was under warrany, the second replacement came out of my pocket, putting me on engine #3 now. | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 4 Registered: 01-2004 |
Unless I can get a great deal on a new motor I will probably just end up replacing the short block. That will hopefully be a lot cheaper. Did you ever contact Land Rover even when your warranty was up about this issue? | ||
| Lance Cowley (Duckhunter) New Member Username: Duckhunter Post Number: 10 Registered: 01-2004 |
Sleeves slipping on disco's is common! Usually just the 4.0L's. You can get new blocks for around $1000.00 to your door and put it in yourself! I have done it and it is not that hard. Two guys and couple of days and your done.... Save the $95 per/hr labor your being charged! Good luck and if you are looking for an engine I may have a BRAND NEW one that I can get you in a few weeks I just have to ask my buddy if he is going to sell it or use it in a project.....(4.0L) If you are going to pay 4k you should buy an RPI engine like me and get an extra 100 HP. Another thing is that if you buy the right one you can get one of there motors thats sleeved by them and dont have this problem! ECR offers there products so look there to see what I am talking about or look on the RPI web site. But buy it from RPI direct casue you will save thousands even after you ship it your self! GOOD LUCK | ||
| Erik G. Burrows (Erik) Senior Member Username: Erik Post Number: 306 Registered: 04-2002 |
No, I didn't. Maybe I should have, but I wasn't in the mood for a yelling match. If this newer block craps out, I'll drive up to LRNA and throw it through their window. BTW: Only the block was replaced on my truck, twice. This last time, the engine block cost about $1400 delivered. The rest was labor, gaskets, seals and fluids. | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 5 Registered: 01-2004 |
I will definitely do all the work myself. I am not going to let them charge me an arm and a leg for work that I have the know-how and tools to do. The problem is just finding time. I am particularly suspicious about the Land Rover Centre here in Dallas anyways since my Disco was in for a routine lube job 2 days before it blew up. I forgot to mention that when we were taking the head off 2 of the outside bolts were so loose I probably could have torqued them off with my bare hands! And guess where the problem was! Yep, right between those bolts! This would have been awfully easy for some grease monkey to do while they had it back in the dungeon changing the oil. They were all whipped up about a "Service Soon" light that had been on since I bought the thing caused by a reoccurring P0440 code. The service manager even called me to tell me that it was on before they started the lube job. I told them not to worry about it and he huffed and said "ok". Maybe they figured they could sabatoge my engine and I would be back in a week crying for them to fix it at any price. Of course I have no proof of this and certainly no recourse, but it all seems like way too much coincidence considering it had 58k when I bought it and drove fine through 70k until 2 days after a trip to the LR Centre. Things that make you go "hmmmm"! | ||
| Norm Orschnorschki (Norm) Member Username: Norm Post Number: 108 Registered: 02-2003 |
Having the blocks go bad two or three times with slipping sleeves on the same vehicle sounds like something more than just bad luck, even by Land Rover standards!!! I wouldn't put it past some dealers to sabatoge a motor. You might check with LRNA -- I'm sure they wouldn't want to have a rogue dealer out there giving their product a bad (or worse!) name. Then again, LRNA seems to be the poster boy for inertia in the realm of customer satisfaction. Could it be a problem with the fuel injection? I've heard that if the fuel mapping is out of whack (i.e. if you put in a 4.6 without reprogramming the ECU) the motor will run lean and cause excessive heat on the cylinder walls -- and it won't register on the coolant temp. gauge. Maybe that's the culprit... ---Norm | ||
| Shaun Power (Shaunp) Member Username: Shaunp Post Number: 236 Registered: 05-2003 |
I agree with Norm,I reckon it has another problem. Either it's getting hot or it's lean for some reason. I'd be having a good look at the injection, get the injectors flowed and clean the rad. Some of the after market LR guys here in Oz pin the liners in place at the bottom. | ||
| Erik G. Burrows (Erik) Senior Member Username: Erik Post Number: 310 Registered: 04-2002 |
Neither of my failed engine blocks actually 'slipped' a liner. In both cases, coolant found it's way to the cylinder liner through the excessively porous block. I've heard this attributed to bad casting tecniques and poor workmanship. Once the coolant hit the liner, it eventually corroded (with the help of the galvanic effects of steel on aluminum, I'm sure) it's way though. I could see several spots on the liner wall where coolant was leaking in. | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 6 Registered: 01-2004 |
Did any of you guys consider/have the shortblock resleeved? I know I could probably get it done cheaper then getting a new motor or shortblock, but I fear that 6 months down the road I will have problems with another cylinder. Has anyone heard of anyone doing this? Mike | ||
| Ron Brown (Ron) Senior Member Username: Ron Post Number: 678 Registered: 04-2001 |
Mike, LR will do nothing as you are not the original owner, and you do not buy it CPO from a dealer (if so you would still have some certified on it). The loose bolts is indicative of an overheated engine. Some are a PITA and some are easy to come out, depends on how it warped. I do not recommend resleeve, the new block is cheap (mainly because ford dropped the price to keep the warranty costs down). Check the heads for warp or do it again soon. Ron | ||
| Leigh Mikolajczyk (Leigh_m) New Member Username: Leigh_m Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 |
For those of you with extended warrenties, whose do you recommend and which should I avoid. I have a recently purchased 2000 Disco II with 46k on it. Any advice would be helpful as I need to purchase the warrenty in the next few months. Leigh | ||
| Mike (Shinerguy23) New Member Username: Shinerguy23 Post Number: 9 Registered: 01-2004 |
I'm kicking myself now for not buying one on my Disco! |
