Disco 300tdi Auto Jap import

50 miles from home towing Caravan after doing 4500 miles in Spain.
Temp guage went up and burning smell. Stopped immediately and pulled off road. Opened bonnet, smoke and water everywhere.
AA guy came and said 'head gasket gone' and recovered us home.
I have taken off the head and the gasket is in perfect condition. Now I don't know where to go from here really.
Will get new gasket anyway and put it back together, fill water and see if there are any leaks, no obvious broken pipes
Can anyone suggest anything to look for before I put it back??
Also any suggestions as to the problem gratefully received.
Cheers

Tell me you got a 2nd opinion and didn't just take the word of an AA guy. In the trade AA drivers are referred to as failed Mechanics. While there are afew who know what they're on about the vast majority are idiots who don't know one end of a landy from another.

Normandiscofan said:

Disco 300tdi Auto Jap import

50 miles from home towing Caravan after doing 4500 miles in Spain.
Temp guage went up and burning smell. Stopped immediately and pulled off road. Opened bonnet, smoke and water everywhere.
AA guy came and said 'head gasket gone' and recovered us home.
I have taken off the head and the gasket is in perfect condition. Now I don't know where to go from here really.
Will get new gasket anyway and put it back together, fill water and see if there are any leaks, no obvious broken pipes
Can anyone suggest anything to look for before I put it back??
Also any suggestions as to the problem gratefully received.
Cheers

Click to expand...

Whatever the case you lost water and it overheated, the direct cause of the loss is impossible at this minute since you ripped the head of without testing anything first. So, make sure the head is flat with a steel rule give it a good clean up and check for cracks visually and refit it. Then check for leaks.

Fit a good gasket, not a ****e spurious part, best you can get.

You say the gasket is ok, but I have removed many heads and found no obvious signs of it passing, a major blow taking out the flame ring is bad news and usually a head skim job so if the gasket looks ok yev won a watch.

Hope you know what you are doing, if not download the thread on it or buy a book, but any probs get back here, somebody will help.

Hi Norm, before you put it all back, check and replace the P gasket behind the waterpump, its dead easy to change and they leak coolant at a steady rate with little or no tell-tale signs other than a little staining in the alternator region that looks as if it may be a leaking top hose. it only costs a few pence, but they all fail in due course. You will need to remove or lower the alternator to get at the pump. Cheers JV ROVERMAN.

If you had no burst pipes etc then the water/coolant must have been forced out of the expansion tank - and it would have taken increased pressure in the cooling system to do this .
In your place I would certainly have the head pressure tested before refitting - no point in doing the job twice .
And IF the head is cracked you could do more damage next time .