HELP - overheating, burning coolant, oil leak, abs, brakes, etc.

[kashdaddy]

Hello all,

I recently purchased a Discovery V8i, Auto, Gas with 90,000 KM and need advise on where to start as far as tuning the vehicle. Please keep in mind that I am in South America and there are no Land Rover dealers or anyone with the computerized equipment to work on this type of vehicle and we do not go by vehicle year, but I think it's a 1994. This vehicle will be used primarily for off roading.

As of today, I have replaced the alternator, battery, spark plugs, belt.

Overheating: Someone told me to take off the catalyst converters and run a straight-pipe system. Another person told me this would affect the computerized readout and would result in my burning excessive gas. I was told that the overheating was a result of backpressure.
Burning coolant: I am in a very hot climate. I find myself having to add about two cups of coolant per week to the vehicle which is driven around 500 KM per week.
Oil Leak - vehicle is leaking excessive oil. Someone told me this is a result of the backpressure. It has caused my seals to damage and I was told that I will need to replace the pair of valve cover gasket, front cover seal, and sump gasket.
ABS Light in the instrument cluster (orange light) will remain on after i start the vehicle until i drive off then it will go off. Sometimes it remain on for the entire time. Brake Pads (front and rear) has been changes two weeks ago.
Brakes - brakes is a little spongy. Sometimes I have to pump the brakes several times on the off-road trail to get a grip. It will work well on regular paved road and not well of off-road. Someone told me to bleed the brake system to resolve this issue.
Low Acceleration - it also seems as if the vehicle has a low gas peddle.

Any further suggestions in addition to getting this issues fixed would be appreciated also. I am thinking about replacing all the shocks and springs, replacing the fuel filter, spark plug wires, and suspension bushing kit. When would i need to replace the timing-belt?

Please if anyone can help with these issues then I would greeatly appreciate it.

[ncooper]

ABS Light in the instrument cluster (orange light) will remain on after i start the vehicle until i drive off then it will go off. Sometimes it remain on for the entire time. Brake Pads (front and rear) has been changes two weeks ago.
Brakes - brakes is a little spongy. Sometimes I have to pump the brakes several times on the off-road trail to get a grip. It will work well on regular paved road and not well of off-road. Someone told me to bleed the brake system to resolve this issue.


The ABS light is supposed to stay on until the vehicle reaches a certain speed,8kph,I think.
It shouldn't stay on or come on again unless the ABS is active.

I expect you will need to bleed the brakes,it's not a simple task with ABS.
Best to back bleed the system,ie introduce fluid at the calipers and force it back up the system to the reservoir.

Oil Leak - vehicle is leaking excessive oil. Someone told me this is a result of the backpressure. It has caused my seals to damage and I was told that I will need to replace the pair of valve cover gasket, front cover seal, and sump gasket

If the "back pressure" is crankcase compression, replacing the seals won't stop the oil leaks. Pressure will be escaping from the cylinders into the crankcase and forcing the oil past the seals, it will do this to new seals too.

First,you could ensure that the engine breathing system is not blocked.

Then,if the problem persists,perhaps a compression test would help but a simple test is to start the engine and remove the oil filler cap. If there is pressure in the crankcase,there will be an obvious escape of pressure as you do this and,possibly, oil.

Burning coolant: I am in a very hot climate. I find myself having to add about two cups of coolant per week to the vehicle which is driven around 500 KM per week.


Given where you are,I wouldn't have thought this was excessive.
You could try not adding the extra coolant and see if the level continues to drop, the level marks are not always in the right place and you may be overfilling for your particular car.

Overheating: Someone told me to take off the catalyst converters and run a straight-pipe system. Another person told me this would affect the computerized readout and would result in my burning excessive gas. I was told that the overheating was a result of backpressure.


I would be inclined to ignore this advice.

Low Acceleration - it also seems as if the vehicle has a low gas peddle.



Not quite sure what you mean by this.

I hope this reply is of some help to you.

Nick.

Don't think the V8 has a timing belt??

[kashdaddy]

Nick,

Thanks a lot for the insight on the issues. Your respond was very helpful and at least it helped to point me in some kind of direction as opposed to being lost like i was before.

If the backpressure is a result of the crankcase compression then what sould be the solution for this? What needs to be done to fix the crankcase compression? Is this a large job?

Also, is there a simple test to determine if the engine breathing system is not blocked? Or is this the same test that you described with running the engine with the oil cap removed?

Thanks, once again!

[ncooper]

Hello again,

Crankcase compression is generally caused by pressure "blowing by" worn piston rings or bores,however,at 90,000 km I would have thought this kind of wear is unlikely, unless the engine has been poorly serviced and/or severely abused.

Rectifying this fault is expensive and difficult.

I regret that I don't know enough about the V8 engine to describe the engine breathing system in detail. The principal is that the crankcase is vented into the engine inlet to allow it to burn its own vapours.
There will be a pipe into the inlet side and you can trace it to its outlet from the crankcase.

If you can find the pipe into the inlet side,it may be into the air filter,the pipe from there to the inlet manifold or the inlet manifold itself, you can take it off and blow down it. You should be able to blow freely. You then need to check that whatever it is connected to is clear.

Alternatively, take it off with the engine running and oil vapour should come out of it.
If there is a large amount of vapour,under some pressure, then the engine may be faulty as described above.
If neither of these things happen, the system is probably blocked or faulty.

I think a good idea would be to order a copy of the Haynes manual from here http://www.haynes.com/, they are good publications and will answer most of your initial questions in detail and save you from relying on the advice of people whose qualifications you may not be able to rely on.

Let us know how you get on.

Nick.

[ncooper]

Just as an afterthought, you might also check the exhaust system is not damaged, ie squashed somewhere,if the vehicle has been used off road or on bad roads, it's not unlikely.

Nick.

[charley_bucket]

I suggest before anything else, if the engine is running seriously hot and dumping out coolant, you begin by replacing the water pump. It is not too complicated and it stopped mine from leaking coolant. It also helps the engine idle smoother. You need to solve this overheating problem, especially as summer has not arrived yet, or has it? before dumping too much into her because they have aluminum blocks and overheating can ruin the block. A rebuilt one costs about 160 usa and is worth every penny. Also check all the radiator hoses to make sure they are not brittle and cracked.
Good Luck in the adventure!

[charley_bucket]

also, no timing belt, you got an internal chain. one of the reasons they last so long. the oil leak, if significant, like a quart a week, then its your main seal and that is like the hardest seal to change. it is also tricky to seat right, requires a special tool, so if you are a novice mechanic like me, I would pay to have that done.
good luck in your adventures~

[kashdaddy]

I took the vehicle in to get the following done:

Oil Leak
Change the pair of valve cover gasket
Change the front cover seal
Change the oil pressure switch.

Overheating:
Check the water pump.
Check the Fan.

General:
Flush and fill the defferentrial fluids.
Flush and fill the oil and replace filter.
Flush and fill the radiator.
Flush and fill the transmission.
Flush and fill the Brake fluid.

Completed Service:
Changed the alternator.
Changed the battery.
Change the belt.

Future service:
Change all the shocks and springs.
Change all the bushings.
Change the spark plugs, wires, distrubitor cap and brush.

Please let me know if I am forgetting anything at 90,000 km!

[Disco69]

Might be worth checking the radiator - they are known to lose their fins at the back (fan side) just where you cant see them very well.
If the radiator is not cooling the engine properly then it will run that bit hotter which would could cause a certain amount of coolant loss and the engine seals would probably suffer too.
If the the engine is running hotter than it should then the oil will get thinner (as it gets hotter) and so leak past the seals more easily.

[kashdaddy]

I went off-road and end up in a ditch with about 3 feet of water. I then drove out the trail for about six hours (thank god) and park the vehicle.

This morning I started the vehicle and it will not move when in drive.

What could possible be the problem?

I will have a mechanic check it out, but I need to have an idea as to a start point.

[PabloM]

I went off-road and end up in a ditch with about 3 feet of water. I then drove out the trail for about six hours (thank god) and park the vehicle.

This morning I started the vehicle and it will not move when in drive.

What could possible be the problem?

I will have a mechanic check it out, but I need to have an idea as to a start point.

Check for water in tha transmistion oil. If the oil has some H20, it will have to be rebuilt. I hope that this is not the case.

Back to the overheating thing. I used to have a coolant leak and whenever the level was low I started to see how the temp started to go up. A refill would solve this problem until a week ago the leak got bigger and I took the Disco II to the dealer and they found a crack in the radiator. I got it back today after 1,200 USD :o so I`ll keep you informed about this, but the thing is, check you radiator!!