James Carr

James Carr

Member
So... I have a1989 90 with a disco 200tdi conversion, on Friday I finished installing a new gearbox, clutch, and everything that goes along with it.

Off to billing I went today, 80 mile journey from London, no hiccups. Off road course done with skipping a heartbeat.
Quick once over and fluids check before leaving, all good!
5 minutes down the road, my alternator consumes my intake pipe from air filter to turbo.

Some time later and help from fellow landy owners (thanks to the gents in two discovery’s from Blackpool I think they said!)
I notice my radiator has emptied its contents! Totally unrelated to the air intake hose, I see a fan blade has snapped and obviously damaged my rad (yes, yes, I didn’t switch it off before the River crossing whilst at the show, so it is my fault)
So, some thinking and bodges later, I use some exhaust repair gum to seal the hole and get me home!

80 miles later, I’m coming off my exit of the m25 and start to notice the temp gauge rising again (it stayed where it should be the whole way home)
I get off the exit ramp and pull over, as I do the engine totally seizes, the putty has blown out and all coolant lost. After hours of attempting to fix it, and the engine refusing to turn over, a friend comes to give me a pull and I try a bump start. To my relief she lives again. I rush home just as the coolant has stated run out again due to the leak.

So, sorry for the background story but my question now. Other than a new rad.... should I be checking for other damages that may have been caused from the rad leak and overheating/engine seizure.

Note - there seems to be no contamination in the engine oil what so ever so think my head gasket is safe. Also, no cracks in the block or head either.

Thanks for reading and any advice will be much appreciated!
 
If the engine seized then it’s likely to need a rebuild!
HOWEVER....how does it run since you fixed the coolant leak. Does it smoke or make any unusual noises (rumbling, clattering, tapping etc)
How is the oil pressure does the warning light flicker on tick-over?
Is the performance OK?
If all seems well then just drive it and see how you go.
You MIGHT just get (very) lucky and have got away with it.
I had a Mini engine dump it’s coolant and seize on me once. Afterwards it ran but growled and smoked like a tramp steamer.
There was almost no oil pressure either.
I hope you are luckier than l was!
 
jamesmartin said:
i think youll need to do head gasket and check bores whilst heads off
Click to expand...

Forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject but if the head gasket had gone wouldn’t the oil and water/coolant have mixed and be visible within the oil? Or am I missled?

When you say check the bores, am I checking for scoring?
 
James Carr said:
Forgive my lack of knowledge on this subject but if the head gasket had gone wouldn’t the oil and water/coolant have mixed and be visible within the oil? Or am I missled?

When you say check the bores, am I checking for scoring?
Click to expand...
rarely on tdis usually pressurisation is the sign,if its been hot enough to stop engine heads bound to have moved ie warped
 
lightning said:
If the engine seized then it’s likely to need a rebuild!
HOWEVER....how does it run since you fixed the coolant leak. Does it smoke or make any unusual noises (rumbling, clattering, tapping etc)
How is the oil pressure does the warning light flicker on tick-over?
Is the performance OK?
If all seems well then just drive it and see how you go.
You MIGHT just get (very) lucky and have got away with it.
I had a Mini engine dump it’s coolant and seize on me once. Afterwards it ran but growled and smoked like a tramp steamer.
There was almost no oil pressure either.
I hope you are luckier than l was!
Click to expand...

Well, it was only about 2 Miles from Home after I got it running the last time. There was no smoke (other than the usual bit of black smoke due to the straight through exhaust) but nothing unusual. No unusual noises or tapping that I could tell.

I may replace the rad and flush the cooling system and take it on a test drive close to home and see how it goes.

Also no oil light showing either and performance seems fine too but I didn’t push it as obviously was trying to take the last part of the journey carefully so not to cause any more stress on the old girl

Thanks for the input!
 
You’ve had a lucky escape, do the old girl a favour and get a new head gasket and head checked out. It’s the least you can do for her!
 
If it runs fine with no sign of HG failure l’d just leave it and see how you go, unless you fancy a morning spent taking the head off.
 
lightning said:
If it runs fine with no sign of HG failure l’d just leave it and see how you go, unless you fancy a morning spent taking the head off.
Click to expand...

If I can get away without removing the head, il try and sway to not touch it unless I really have too.
You know what it’s like, remove something only to uncover another problem or cause another
 
Just one thought, you say that the engine seized, I can see why you would be thinking in that direction but I have had it when a starter refused to work whenever it got hot. The fact that it bump started when you tried just makes me wonder. Though I do notice you say the engine seized as you stopped. I would tend to agree though that if the clearances become so small that seizure occurs there would be signs when you take the head off!
 
IMHO, your mistake here is carrying on regardless. it's just plain silly. £80 gets you in one of the motoring organisations including relay - this is the way to deal with this at the roadside, 'specially on an iron block alloy head engine which the heads are NLA!

IME the 200's are marginally more tolerant of this than the 300's - but I still wouldn't risk it. As above, you're unlikely to find out until the engine is running hot and HG, damaged by lack of coolant lets go.... It could either go in proper fashion, in which case you'll know as it'll be blowing "everywhere", or could just let enough water into the oil to trash the bottom of the engine slowly .....:eek:
 
James Carr said:
If I can get away without removing the head, il try and sway to not touch it unless I really have too.
You know what it’s like, remove something only to uncover another problem or cause another
Click to expand...
it depends if it failing on a near future journey is awkward , i like to be as sure as possible before i make journeys were failure could be awkward, my lads driving down to london tomorrow with some mates so i thought id check car over,luckily i did as one brake pad disintegrated
 
After the first bodge repair, leaving the expansion cap off would lower pressure and make the ‘fix’ last longer.

However, you will also boil faster, I drive over 50miles (Basingstoke to horsham) in a car with a leaking rad (bodge fixed aswell) and the rad cap off. However I stopped once the gauge got up to 3/4 and waited 30-40mins for it to cool and then repeated. I drove at a steady 40mph. I made it home (ages later), new pump, new rad and coolant flush and it was fine for another 5 years.

You MAY have got lucky.....

Let us know how you get on!
 
So, update.
Tonight’s the first time I’ve had a opportunity to take another look.
The engine WONT turn over under the power of the alternator, it gives a few turns then runs out of puff. Volt meter is showing I have enough power so don’t think it’s battery related.

I’m thinking best case scenario (amongst the obvious overheating issues) all possibility related to the forced tow start that got the engine running on Sunday evening...

Starter seized
Jumped some teeth on the timing belt

Tell me if I’m totally wrong!

Can’t see any obvious leaks, cracks or damage on the head or block.
So what now... do I just get a £500 disco and snatch the engine out of that, give it a good going over (new seals, timing kit etc etc)

Or do I make an attempt to fault find and fix my current engine.
Up to now, this engine has been a first time start, everything, without hesitation, even in the coldest of winter months. So it would be a shame to have to scrap the current engine in for another

Thanks people!
Ps.... would love to make it to kelmarsh!
 
A mate did the same as you,lost coolant, got hot,quick fix and got home.Over the next days engine ran worse and worse.When he brought it up to me it was still running but sounded like a bag of bolts.
Head off and the problem was plain to see,number one piston had melted around it's rim sealing the top ring in place. He had another engine so in it went.
Take head off and have a look,It does not take long to remove a head.Can you turn it by hand ?
 
Last edited:
tottot said:
A mate did the same as you,lost coolant, got hot,quick fix and got home.Over the next days engine ran worse and worse.When he brought it up to me it was still running but sounded like a bag of bolts.
Head off and the problem was plain to see,number one piston had melted around it's rim sealing the top ring in place. He had another engine so in it went.
Take head off and have a look,It does not take long to remove a head.
Click to expand...

Thank you, il get it off and take a look!
 
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