Help-gaskets, cylinders oh my!

[mabeastie]

I have a 96 Disco and recently have had many problems. It has 70k and somehow my fan shroud and my clutch fan got into a fight. The fan is blade-less, tore a hole in the radiator and the fan shroud was blown to bits. Through fixing this my mechanic tells me that my compression test showed the #6 and #8 cylinders at 150 and 170. They think that it is a gasket leak between the two but then she told me it might be the sleeve!!! This car is in great condition with not a lot of miles. Could it really be a sleeve meaning I need a new engine? I don't know why but they're not doing a pressure test to fine out the leak they're telling me they're going to take the heads off and check the pistons for scoring? Does this sound right or am I being taken for the proverbial ride? BTW for this and a serpentine belt and tube replacements with new front breaks and tires they want $6,127. Please, Please help me!

[ArmyRover]

no that's not a ride that's called gang bang date rape with no vasoline.

1 did you overheat it when the fan failed?
2 the motor in a 96 disco is not known to commonly drop sleeves.
3 what makes her think the pistons are scored
4 you do have a compression difference but the fact that two different cylinders have to different results doesn't mean the gasket is blown either.
5 were you having other issues with the motor before the fan let go.

I would want a lot more answers out of her and possibly a second opinion of course I wouldn't have taken it to the shop I would have taken care of it myself in the driveway lol

oh and on the price if you look I bet that's more than a 96 disco is worth

[mabeastie]

Originally Posted by ArmyRover

no that's not a ride that's called gang bang date rape with no vasoline.

1 did you overheat it when the fan failed?
2 the motor in a 96 disco is not known to commonly drop sleeves.
3 what makes her think the pistons are scored
4 you do have a compression difference but the fact that two different cylinders have to different results doesn't mean the gasket is blown either.
5 were you having other issues with the motor before the fan let go.

I would want a lot more answers out of her and possibly a second opinion of course I wouldn't have taken it to the shop I would have taken care of it myself in the driveway lol

oh and on the price if you look I bet that's more than a 96 disco is worth

Not until we hear the loud "boom!" did the car start to overheat. But coolant was gushing out of the hole in the radiator all over the engine. She just said when there is a low compression number for cylinders they open it to check the pistons(?) There was NO problems before the shroud hit the fan (haha) The mechanic thought because the cylinders with the problems were right next to each other and they share a gasket that it must have an internal leak. When she told me about the sleeve I thought, "There is no way that is 70k Disco needs a new engine!" I'm just really scared :/

[pavel]

mabeastie: IMO, don't spend any money on the engine yet. Start by getting a new rad (or getting the old one recored if possible). Install it yourself. Next find a wrecker and buy a used fan and viscous coupling. Make sure the viscous coupling turns smoothly - if it is rough or stiff, pass on the unit. The better option is to get a pair of Flexalite electric fans in a new shroud which will fit perfectly inside the new radiator. Follow the directions for hook up carefully. It will take you (relaxed) weekend to install it yourself.

If a head gasket is leaking, deal with that after the vehicle is running again. If the engine has dropped a sleeve, you can pick up a used engine as replacement for way less than the quote you received. For $6k, you should be able to fix all your Disco problems and buy an old Toyota to use as a cheap daily driver - then you can pamper your Disco.

[Ben Rover]

For 6k I could renovate my garage and have a place to store my Disco while I wait for my new engine to come in, bought with that same money

[HyaDisco]

Basically the cooling system of your car is out of order!
- get a radiator, preferably a genuine or a "proline" that comes with the installation kits (tube adapters for tran oil cooling lines, when necessary).
-get "tiny" seals for cooling lines
- getting a new water pump, thermostat, viscous fan, and the shrouder would not be a bad idea.
- also a new serpentine belt (an opportunity to renew it) and pulley if they are slippery!

Tip:
*You might get all this brand new from RoverNorth, RoverConnection or AtlanticBritish under a thousand dollars.
*You might get those used genuine parts from Land Rover Parts, for instance, at an affordable price.
*Using genuine parts helps meeting the recommended specifications and facilitates in diagnosing the problem accurately when something is wrong .

Hold on the "valve job". Restore your cooling system, first.

[polar]

Get a detailed Estimate and post it here, then the users can go over it.

Not all people can do this work them selfs, but 6K sounds a bit high for what you described.

[Rovin4life]

as a LR tech I concur with what these guys are saying.

First fix the problem at hand.

oh and compression is 160 plus or minus ten. So you are safe.
trust me on the specs. I have to do checks all the time.

anyway, I wouldnt have the company work on the truck anymore. The smartest dealers will just fix your problem and then see whats really bad. Dont get me wrong its possible that something could go wrong but if it were me and you were my customer I would fix the waterpump, the fan and clutch and the new radiator. And for shits and giggles maybe new oil hoses from the engine to the radiator since they are probably leaking.
but nothing on the engine unless I saw intake leaknig out the back but even then you worry about the problems at hand.