[curedude]

This is my first post so please go easy....

I currently own a 2004 LR SE7 and a 2000 LR SE.... I have been told by the dealer that my LR 2000 has Cracked Cylinder Heads and that I need them replaced... They are telling me it will cost $3400... I about puked...

Anyway, being that the vehicle was at the dealers for around 35 minutes, and based on the oil leake I feel they are making some assumptions...

I pulled the LR from the dealer and had a trusted mechanic look at it, he exclaimed that the Gasket is definatley spent, but there is no way to tell if the Cylinders are shot unless they send them out for pressure tests. He is assuming that the LR might have told me they were cracked as if it were a common issue with 2000 LR Discos...

A: - Does anyone here know if this is such a common issue in this year (2000), make and model engine?

B: - I have looked online, but can any reccomend a reputible Land Rover parts dealer online?

Thanks for any assitance...

Signed: "Broke in Rhode Island"....

 

[son of lucas]

well, my quick answer would be ..no..2000 model year disco 2's don't have a problem with cracked heads...and try www.roverparts.com as an online parts supply house...but....that would be my short answer
now for the long reply
what was the original problem that you brought it to the dealer for in the first place??? i dont really see that in your original post. Is there a chance the dealer said you have warped heads (as opposed to cracked)
if so, did you , by chance, overheat the engine....it's possible the dealer would give you this diagnosis in such a short amount of time if they were aware that you just suffered an overheat..

anyway...regardless, your mechanic is probably accurate in that it is probably impossible to accurately diagnose your problem without tearing the motor down....


in any case, i'd like to hear some more details about your problem...it would help us to help you

 

[curedude]

Son of Lucas - Thanks

Thanks - The original reason I brought the vehicle in, was to have a service done (oil change, etc). I also informed him of an oil leak, that warranted his response...

I appreciate your help!

 

[son of lucas]

Well, in light of that information, i would suggest you find a new dealer, or have your independent mechanic work on your rover. Aside from the fact that they gave you such a quick diagnosis and such a large estimate...i have one more question...just so i have the correct info....they are telling you that you have an oil leak(not coolant) and you need new heads
this is highly suspect to me
this is why....although its "possible" to have an oil leak from your head gaskets, it's not that common, due to the design of the head to block coolant passages and the location of the oil feed holes
the coolant passages are at either end of the head/block...so when a head gasket fails, you get leakage of coolant at the front or rear of the engine to head joint(hope that makes sense)
now,there are 2 oil feed holes on each bank of the engine, which feed oil to the rocker bars, under pressure.....these are located above the cylinders, and what i would consider to be quite a bit "inboard" of any exterior mating surfaces,(except the upper most head to block mating surface, which is inside the engine, directly under the valley pan, in which case it would't be an exterior leak anyways) making an oil leak from the exterior mating surfaces highly unlikely

it's far more likely ,if they are seeing oil leakage at the front/rear of the heads , that the intake manifold gasket(also known as the valley pan gasket) is probably leaking, which is far more likely and not uncommon at all

so, i guess i should ask, where is the oil leak located.......like i said..it's possible, but not probable for the head gaskets to leak oil

hope all that was helpfull and coherent, as my computer/typing skills are'nt the best :dunno:

 

[Hank]

Contact Trevor Griffith at 410-833-2329

He runs Tresured Motor Car Company, in MD. He's honest, fast, reliable, and knows what he is doing. Oh, and he keeps a set of Rover heads on the shelf, machined, and ready to install, at about $350.00 (with your cores).

 

[curedude]

Son of Lucas,

Thanks for the GREAT information.. I do believe the dealer was trying to potentially stick it to me... I just happened to be testing a LR3 while mine was being worked on when they said the heads were cracked and they could work something out....

I have since seen my mechanic, who is extremely trusted, he stated I have an anti-freeze and oil leak...he actually pointed out where the leakage is... I am no mechanic, infact I am as illiterate a typist as a mechanic, but it looked to me as if I could actually *see* a piece of gasket....

Anyway - She is going in for head job, and I am still hoping they are not cracked, he seems to think they are fine, but I am testing anyway.... While this beast is ripped apart I may change the Thermostat too... anything else I should check?

Hank - Thanks for the info...

 

[son of lucas]

curedude, glad this helped...and i would say it is unlikely that you will need new heads due to warpage/cracking.

now for the bad news....land rover engines such as yours are prone to a problem of sticking valves in the cylinder heads....this condition will cause 1)check engine lights, with codes of multiple misfire,various cylinder specific misfires, and catalyst damaging misfires 2)engine running rough, poor fuel economy(yes, it could be worse) etc...

the problem is a carbon buildup on the stems of the valves causing them to stick and not fully close....but the carbon build up is only the "effect"....the "cause" is mismachined guides in the heads
the fix for this is to remove the exhaust valves from the heads and "ream" the guides to proper tolerances
you may want to consider this while your heads are off....it's gonna add to the repair bill, but may save you money down the road

please note...the disco 2's bosch engine's see valve sticking issues less often than the earlier G.E.M.S engines, but it does happen

a competant machine shop who is familiar with rover engines should be able to do the head work for you

my explanation isn't the best, but if you do a search for the valve sticking issue, there is plenty of better information on the subject....maybe someone else here on the site has some other source of info ???

 

[dent]

now for the bad news....land rover engines such as yours are prone to a problem of sticking valves in the cylinder heads....this condition will cause
please note...the disco 2's bosch engine's see valve sticking issues less often than the earlier G.E.M.S engines, but it does happen

I had thought this problem was fixed with the new style valves. sorta like a 2 step on the shaft of the valve to help carbon from building it.

on another note, does your exhast smell sweet and white? if so, definatly you're got a leak in your head gasket.
as for the sticky valve, diagonse it more as i did everything, compression tests, plugs, wires, etc etc finally broke down and did a head job and found that the problems was my cat, least my engine runs like new and i have all sorts of extra bolts now too

 

[curedude]

aha - Thanks Dent, as far as the exhaust everything seems fine...

I guess I will know when it is ripped apart on May 2nd... I will be, however brining to the attention all of the points collected on this board to my mechanic....

Thanks to all for the help, it has been invaluable!

Dean

 

[son of lucas]

Dent, you are correct..they did introduce the "carbon cutter sodium filled" valves on the later bosch engines, and yes, the bosch engines see less valve stick issues than the earlier engines,but, these engines are still very prone to the issue none the less....as the original problem of mismachined guides was never addresses
i believe the lack of valve issues with the later engines has less to do with the new valves, and more a credit to the more efficient and cleaner burning bosch engine management
i've seen the carbon cutter valves stick too many times to say that they completely fixed the problem, and it's worth a look if the heads require removal

 

[troverman]

The 1999-on 4.0 / 4.6 (BOSCH engine MGT) engines are probably the best--but they can have leaking headgaskets, and cracked blocks. My GEMS mgt motor (4.0) has 144k on it, original headgasket, no problems, runs good. My 1992 RRC 3.9L V8 needs h.g. now, blows out lots of white smoke, it has 190k on it and this will be the 1st h.g. repair ever. It still runs well.

 

[curedude]

Thanks.....

Thanks T - everyone's help has been invaluable - I have actually printed out these posts and discussed with my mechanic...

Thanks for the help...


Tear down begins in 5 more days....