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TD5 coolant loss

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age:
Only found mud-club yesterday so hope this works!  Any help / (polite) suggestions will be welcome.

My Defender TD5 X reg (120k) is losing litres of coolant - came back from Devon last week filling up every 20 miles!  Header emptied completely on Hill to Cribbs Causeway and temp guage went to 3/4 with 'tappety' rattle coming on - otherwise not showing over temp at all.  I switched off and pulled over and AA came and refilled.  Started up no probs and filled up more carefully all the way home.

No sign of any leaks when run up to working temp on ramps.  New header cap.  After longer faster hot run water spray up under bonnet above header and puddles of coolant in ribbing on top of gearbox.

When taking header cap off to refill there is 'bubbling' into header from bottom feed pipe.  Bleed point on radiator hose releases lots of steam every time.

Help?!  Does this ring any bells with other TD5 owners?  I'm getting a bad feeling about gaskets/heads but hoping for something more simple....

Cheers, Age

Jimbo:
Doesn't sound good.

I had similar problems on a 'W' plate Disco - it was fine on 'easy' runs, but give it some stick (it was fine under 60mph !), or a long hill (so the engine has to work), and it soon boiled. Tried changing the thermostat - made no difference, drained and flushed the cooling system - no change.

Had the head gasket done (and replaced the plastic  :shock:  head locating dowels with the later steel ones) and problem solved.

We we investigated the old gasket, it seemed to have gone between one cylinder and a water-way - so the engine compression was literally forcing the coolant out via the cap on the expansion tank.

Hope this helps.

age:
Unfortunately sounds right on the button......  Did you do the gasket yourself or good workshop?  See you're in Herts so might be worth the trip if highly recommended....

Er, and about how much..........??  I see a service exchange head is getting on for a grand if that's damaged.  Happy New Year eh??

Cheers, A.

Jimbo:
My tame mechanic did the job for me - tbh it was a couple of years back and I can't remember how much (had the clutch done at the same time !)

If you get a garage to do it - make sure they know what they're up to - most people (including LR) say that you CAN'T skim a Td5 head, although others in the know say that you can take the barest minimum off. As long as you've not boiled the thing to death, the head *should* be ok.

There are (I think) three different thicknesses of head gasket, identified by punched holes at one end - you can't see these marks until the heads off though  :roll:

As I mentioned earlier, the early Td5's had plastic dowels to locate the head - these have since been upgraded to steel dowels, so you'll need them as well. And don't forget to replace the head bolts - they are designed to be a use-once thing !

age:
Really appreciate the advice.  Thame Land Rover (independents) have a pretty good rep around here. I'll get a quote from them and make sure all the studs etc are included.  I'm praying I haven't cracked it!!  I'll let you know when its confirmed/booked/done and how the overdraft goes!  Cheers, A.

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