Defender TD5 Head Gasket

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
Update.

Car has again lost about 2 litres. There are no obvious leaks. Journey was a 30 mile trip. Am I overreacting if concerned this is a cracked cylinder head??

Lads. Cheers.

S.
 
Now if you get the engine cooling system pressure tested when hot- it is possible as I have done this in the past.

If there are no visible leaks and a pressure drop then it is head gasket/ head or block.
 
Last edited:
as stated above......

a} find good local garage who doesnt mind you popping in to check progress
b} head removed and checked, Early TD5 engines has plastic location dowls that are rubbish, these need changing for metal dowls
c} have head skimmed / cleaned and pressure tested {assuming gasket had blown}
d} may be wise to use new genuine parts
e} may also need new head bolts, they can stretch and worthwhile changing for piece of mind....

should be about £1200 - £1400 when all done, maybe a tad more with head bolts and all other ancilary gaskets and new bolts.....
 
90TD5 - fwiw I do think you need to listen to what these good peeps have said.

Ditch first guy, and unless money is no object go to a decent independent rather than a LR dealer (in fact on many occasions I've found that money is less of a consideration than skill....)

With a cracked header tank you WILL lose coolant - it is a pressurised system. Get a new one on there before you can nail down anything else. If the gasket is gone then you might get excessive pressure, but there is meant to be some pressure when running normally.

And to answer your first question, yes I did have a cracked TD5 cylinder head due to bodged head gasket job by nameless (and now defunct) dealer. New Turner head (the Spanish upgraded one mentioned above somewhere), fitted myself carefully and slowly.... and no probs since. A blown head gasket and even cracked cylinder head is unlikely to cause major damage to the engine if spotted and dealt with - you can see from the thread what you need to do in sequence to get to the bottom of that.

Listen to the good advice...! (and in my limited experience of forums, expect a few to take the P too) A
 
My 300 tdi was losing water and blue/white smoke on startup, on inspection oil was somehow soaking no.3 glow plug and injector. Turned out the head was porous. In garage being done under warranty now!

If you know the header tank is ****ed why havnt you started there already?

DIY mechanics ain't hard, and a header tank you could do in 10 minutes, 15 if you use a screwdriver on the jubilees and strip all your knuckles several times!
 
Also had that water problem and got a new head gasket.... problem solved. You should check the cylinder head while it´s out.
Changing the whole engine is way too much!
 
Back
Top