Coolant Loss on '99 TD5

[ronnieb]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and I have searched the archives with little success. My Disco is losing coolant quite quickly. I have a water loss sensor so I am at least warned when the level drops, but it is a real concern. If I drive faster than 120km/h it looses coolant after about 150 km. If I do 110 - 120 Km/h or slower it lasts about 500km.

I have had the following done:
At LR in SA they did a pressure test to see if there was any leaks in the system itself. None was evident.
I took it to a radiator specialist and they did the pressure test to see if the head gasket has gone, but it didn't show anything. I have taken it to these guys more than once, and once they bled the system and a lot of air came out. After that it lasted a bit longer but now the problem is back in full force.

I have checked for leaks etc. but were unable to find any. What I have found is that the aircon causes a lot of water to drip when you park the car, obviously you can't really check this while driving. I live in Mozambique so it is quite hot and humid here, I always thought that was why the aircon creates all the water.

Any ideas?

Ronnie

[Jon v8]

Sounds like a head gasket to me,they dont always show on a pressure test.They also can run for days with no coolant loss or overheating and then the next day the get hot or eat a load of antifreeze.If there are no external leaks, the water pump is ok,the rad isnt blocked and the thermostat is ok then it it can only end up going into the oil, (unusual on td5) or out the exhaust.The way to check for possible h/gasket is to stick an exhaust gas analyzer probe into the coolant header tank with the engine running and hot.If there are hydrocarbons present in the air above the coolant then you know something is wrong- cyl head off and inspect.If the gasket is ok then get the head pressure tested.Remember the 5 electronic unit injectors are coded and must go back in order. Good luck !

[JimsTD5]

I agree (Head gasket) because air from the cylinder/s seeps into the coolent system and forces water down from the highest point i.e heater matrix and forces water out of the header tank.
(you mentioned bleeding and air in system)

[KKK2]

Head gasket gets my vote too

[Roger Whittle]

I don't know, they're all the same round here. They fall over themselves to help - and they do, believe me they do - but nobody welcomes a new forum member to the site. Welcome aboard Ronnieb, you are in good hands.

Roger.

[ronnieb]

Thanks for the replies. I will get someone to look at the head gasket.
Any ideas on what it all cost?

Thanks for the welcome.

Ronnie

[KKK2]

Oops didnt see you were a newbie, welcome to the forum, :D:D
cost varies with where you are and where you take it a main landrover dealer will be a lot more expensive than a good non franchised garage, it also depends on whether it is just the head gasket of if work has to be done on the head too, can a td5 head be skimmed? does anyone have an idea?

[Jon v8]

Oops didnt see you were a newbie, welcome to the forum, :D:D
cost varies with where you are and where you take it a main landrover dealer will be a lot more expensive than a good non franchised garage, it also depends on whether it is just the head gasket of if work has to be done on the head too, can a td5 head be skimmed? does anyone have an idea?Yes, they can be skimmed - the only thing to be careful of is to maintain the same dimension from head face to valve face.(Ie,the valve seats may need machining back by a similar amount ) Land Rover dont approve of it but in practice its done all the time.

[chrisinsouthoz]

Hi All,
I had a small coolant leak in 300Tdi just before we traded it. Pressure test/s showed nothing. Found coolant in the drivers footwell carpet. Had to be coming from the heater matrix, I reckon.

Cheers,
Chris

[Dimka]

Had a problem just like that. You may see traces of coolant on the side of the engine that have leaked from the little tube near the cap and dried there.Turned out the motor was overheated sometime, and the head lost form.
In my case I had to change the head (ouch - that's horribly expensive), but sometimes you can get away with the нефв just being polished. Not cheap, too, but lots better.

[John Radford]

Another thought... presuming you're putting colourful coolant back when you top up, what colour is the puddle left by the aircon drains? (there's one each side of the gearbox tunnel near the transfer box). If it's coloured then coolant must be coming through the heater matrix...

I get a fair-sized puddle of clear condensate from mine, being in Queensland...

[Graham S]

Hi Ronnie - I'm new to this forum too. Good to talk to you. My first posting!......

I have a Disco2 TD5 1999 yr, owned from new, now about 120K miles.

Had same symptoms at about 80K miles - head was refaced, thicker gasket fitted (apparently there are 3 thicknesses available). Solved problem for a while. Next to go was the exhaust manifold, which warped. Big credit card bills!

Then at just over 100K miles using coolant again. Pressure tests revealed nothing (Thing I found was that if I stopped for about 5 mins then restarted, exhaust was white for a few seconds as the water burned off, very noticeable from cold). My local non franchised dealer who maintains my vehicle recommended a replacement salvage engine as the cost effective solution - and safest bet. I now have low mileage TD5 from a 2004 model fitted (ie post facelift), all done by my non franchised dealer.

With hindsight, I wish I had just replaced the engine when the gasket first went. The gasket job proved not cheap and clearly does not always provide a long term fix. A colleage with similar age Disco2 TD5 had exacly same problem and gasket replacement failed soon after, likewise went for late model (post facelift) replacement salvage engine. Might all sound drastic, but I am delighted with the result and 20k miles on, I am convinced it was the right call.

PS watch you dont 'hydraulic' the engine if you do have gasket failure. The residual pressure in the coolant system might push water into the cylinder(s) effected when you stop - possibly causing a seizure or lock (water you cannot compress) when you restart with potentially nasty bent bits consequences.

PPS If you decide to do similar, pls be aware that there are differences in the pre/post facelift engines and their installations - so best get someone who knows their Discos and TD5's to do the work.

Hope thats of help. Regards Graham

[DavejDavies]

Interesting tread, my TD5 (99 Defender) has a small coolant leak - it also has an oil leak, discussed them with my local independant mechanic who says whilst it may have all the electronics its still a Land Rover so just keep topping up and live with it :rolleyes:



With hindsight, I wish I had just replaced the engine when the gasket first went.

Based on the above i think he was right :(

Dave