Losing water and no heat 300 TDI

HELP HELP HELP!

I have read some of the other threads but nothing quite matches my problem, I will probably get trolled on here for asking the same sort of questions, but i can't find a thread like it

I have no heating, and seem to be losing water. up to 2-3 litres when started, left to idle and then turned off when at op temp.

Long story, but the saga started like this,

Brought a 300 Tdi Disco (my first one) in October, and there was some slight warmish air coming out of vents, but nothing fantastic. after a month, it turned into cold air at all times. I replaced the Thermostat, first with a cheap one from fleabay, and then later on with one made by Watt?? i think they were called and was recommended to me. no change apart from i would get warmish air for a day, then would go cold again. i flushed the system after disconnecting most of the pipes, and flushed out a load of yukky coloured water, then ran a coolant cleaner through the system, then filled with coolant, replaced the water pump (as bearing was going) and fitted a new p gasket. result was warm air for 1 day, then cold again during this time, i would notice that the coolant level in the overflow would stay at same height, but the level in the thermostat housing would drop.

Now at this time, i tried to drive through an underpass that i though was only about a foot or 2 deep, I was very wrong and tuned out to be closer to 5 feet and hydrlocked the engine.

On dismantling the engine and found that 2 con-rods had bent, and when trying to remove them, they damaged the bores badly making it unusable. I them procured a new bottom end of the engine, fitted a new head gasket. torqued and angled down as per "RAVE" with the original head. replaced all gaskets and filled up the overflow, the thermostat and rad as per "Rave". same problem but not getting any warm air at all full stop!.

seemed then to be losing about a litre of coolant every 10 miles. (No steam/coloured smoke from exhaust, no water in oil or vice versa, but no leaks detected?) I have bled and bled the system countless times to no avail.

Then 3 days ago, it broke down on the M4, the temperature needle started to climb, so i pulled over and there was a flood of water coming from the radiator. now i then replaced the radiator thinking that this was the cause from day one, but still got the same issue, but now losing about 2-3 litres of water just starting her and letting her idle till she gets to operating temperature, and still no warm/hot air

I have noticed that the pipe going into the heater matrix gets hot, but the pipe coming out sometimes may get a little warm if i am lucky, but normally cold also when filling up the rad, the water in the rad stays the same if you leave the cap off for a few minutes, but when you do the same with the thermostat housing, it slowly goes down and will empty the thermostat bowl in about 2 minutes. (This is with the engine off) I put a rubber glove on the overflow reservoir with the cap on, and it stopped dropping, but take it off and just use the cap, it goes down again. I know the cap as a vent in it so this could explain the loss, but not all of it. I have also followed quite a few posts on here on out to bleed the system, but nothing seems to work. and no water in footwells

HELP!!!!

now, I think these could be the problems, but before i attempt them, I wanted your input if possible

1. blocked heater matrix ( I will bypass this tomorrow and report back)
2. knackered head??
3. an air leak at top of engine?

Please help!!! I am at my wits end and am thinking of getting rid and buying a jap, and i don't really want to have to do that as i Love my landy when she works.

Andrew

Land Rover Discovery 300 TDi 97

the coolant will go down when u take expansion cap off and the plug ontop of the engine as the expansion bottle is lower than the engine.

not really sure about the rest unless you have a major air lock.

Update - I bypassed the heater matrix but no difference, still losing water, however, I have noticed that it will empty into the expansion tank, and then leak out the expansion cap (Which is vented anyway) this is untill the water level in the engine reaches the same level as in the expansion tank (as in the water level drops well below the head in the engine and is about level with the glow plugs). and then it will drop no further, this is far from ideal as you can imagine, so i turned the engine off and waited for about 30 minutes to let it cool, and then opened the expansion tank cap, The result of which was an high pressure spray of COLD water everywhere (It had stopped leaking from the expansion tank 20 minutes prior to this test) The level in the expansion tank always stays between halfway up to full (which it should not get that high) If I then seal the expansion tank with teh cap again and refill through thermostat housing (which is about 2-3 litres of water) and try again, the same thing happens again, its starts to leak from expansion cap untill it reaches the same level in the engine again. I have tested the thermostat and it opens in hot water. (also the water in the expansion tank is cold?

Any ideas?

I have ordered today a new expansion cap, 2 new caps, 1 for thermostat housing and radiator (Brass) and replacement jubilee clips all round as some are weak and won;t tighten up much before clicking.

does anyone know what that piece is behind the viscous fan which as a pipe going to expansion bottle, 1 to thermostat housing and 1 to the oil cooler? whats it for/do? and anyone know the part number?

Cheers

Andrew

There is a valve on 300 tdi from memory that plays up, coolant bypass valve

Hi, its really is this simple, if you have no visual leak then its getting used or collected in the engine,

the level in the header tank should just allow the cross to be exposed and after that the coolant shouldn't leak out of the filler cap

If the engine is bled correctly the only thing apart from a knackerd head gasket block or head would the the 3way valve that allows for semi self bleeding (??!?!?) load of twiddle but it does however get blocked if its a cheap replacement and causes air locks and air locks cause coolant to be spewed out out the header tank

If you really need to find out if its a cylinder issue just use a sniff test it costs around £15 for the kit and will tell you in no time.