coolant leak

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gR@HaM

gR@HaM

Well-Known Member
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Location
Cheshire
Massively pi55ed off!!!!!
I seem to be spending every weekend on the disco, every time thinking 'if I sort this that will be it for at least 6months'
This weekend it was the swivel oil seals, week before that crank and cam shaft oil seals, week before that the heater matrix.
Went out in my lunch break to sort a leaking oil cooler pipe thinking the disco would then finally be ready for winter. .. no its leaking coolant everywhere!!

It doesn't seem to be coming from any of the hoses, I did the p-bracket and 2 of the core plugs only a year ago.
Looks to be coming from behind the timing case somewhere, can anyone help with a diagram showing location of all the core plugs?
Is there more than 1 on the front?
 
Is there a core plug behind the timing case?
I don't want to strip all the timing gear off again!! :(
 
Was the P gasket a fibre/paper one or a metal one? Did you RTV seal it when you did it? They are fairly common to go again...

There is a core plug in the head which you can't get to without removing the timing chest, it could be that? How about the thermostat housing, is that OK?
 
I used a metal gasket for the p-bracket with sealant, shall check the thermostat housing but looks to be coming from below that as I couldnt see the leak when looking top down
 
gR@HaM said:
Massively pi55ed off!!!!!
I seem to be spending every weekend on the disco, every time thinking 'if I sort this that will be it for at least 6months'
This weekend it was the swivel oil seals, week before that crank and cam shaft oil seals, week before that the heater matrix.
Went out in my lunch break to sort a leaking oil cooler pipe thinking the disco would then finally be ready for winter. .. no its leaking coolant everywhere!!

It doesn't seem to be coming from any of the hoses, I did the p-bracket and 2 of the core plugs only a year ago.
Looks to be coming from behind the timing case somewhere, can anyone help with a diagram showing location of all the core plugs?
Is there more than 1 on the front?
Click to expand...

The core plugs hide here:
Core Plug - ERC4996 | Land Rover and Range Rover parts
 
Thanks, so there's just 1 on the front of the block (not including cylinder head plug) and 2 on passenger side?
 
Anyone? I'm about to brave the cold and start stripping it down AGAIN grrr (walks of muttering)..
 
Progress.. The front core plug has corroded through




but what I don't understand is that I had the same problem exactly 1 year ago, replacing the same plug for a new one (ordered from rimmer bros). The engine had been running on coolant since then, surely it shouldn't corrode that quick????
 
Antifreeze is an anti-corrosive so you shouldn't get any rust in an engine (or at least not very much) if the correct concentration is maintained, and the correct level of coolant is also maintained. But if the coolant level has dropped leaving metal exposed to air then you will get this, even with the right balance of water and antifreeze.

Do you lose water at all? Do you have to top it up?
 
Not really, may be over the period of 6 weeks or so before I realised the heater matrix had sprung a leak, and then a further 3 weeks whilst the dash was out and I had drained the coolant.
Good point though, it just seems strange that out of all the plugs the newest one went.
That said I'm getting a bit nervous about the one on the back of the engine now
 
Yeah, the one on the back is a bugger, and it's usually that one that goes. Engine out is the only option for that one.

However, if you are worried then maybe it's worth doing it anyway, better to be safe than sorry?
 
Hi Graham, no it shouldn't have corroded through in just a year. Points to a poor quality part to me. Get one directly from LR this time?

Does give you an opportunity to flush out the block though doesn't it?

Keep your chin up mate,

Dave
 
Cheers mate, all sorted now. Not much fun working out on the road by torch light at 11 oclock at night mind!!!
Fitted a new PAS pump whilst I was at it :D

Regarding that rear plug, I currently have nowhere to work to pull the engine (boat project is in the way out the back of the house!) so wouldnt be able to look at that until next summer.
Am toying with the idea of bunging anti-corrosive additive or even pure coolant, no water. Any suggestions? Not sure whether coolant only would affect engine getting up to temperature?
Thanks
 
Don't put pure coolant in, it doesn't work that way. If you don't mix the coolant with water then it doesn't have the same cooling effect and you could damage your engine. 50/50 is what most people use and you can go a little more coolant on that if you want, but don't go 'full coolant'.
 
tetsu0san said:
Don't put pure coolant in, it doesn't work that way. If you don't mix the coolant with water then it doesn't have the same cooling effect and you could damage your engine. 50/50 is what most people use and you can go a little more coolant on that if you want, but don't go 'full coolant'.
Click to expand...

Sorry but don't agree with that at all. If you have flushed the engine block/head/heater rad and normal rad; there will be a residue of clean pure water left within the coolant circuit. If you then put in ready-mixed coolant the residue will further dilute the coolant so you end up with a weak mixture.

The only way to ensure a proper 50/50 mix is to first put the non-diluted anti-freeze for example: for a cooling system with a total capacity of 11ltrs, put in 5.5ltrs of concentrate then top up with pure (ideally distilled) water. This will achieve a proper 50/50 mix.

There is no other way.

Dave
 
thebiglad said:
Sorry but don't agree with that at all. If you have flushed the engine block/head/heater rad and normal rad; there will be a residue of clean pure water left within the coolant circuit. If you then put in ready-mixed coolant the residue will further dilute the coolant so you end up with a weak mixture.

The only way to ensure a proper 50/50 mix is to first put the non-diluted anti-freeze for example: for a cooling system with a total capacity of 11ltrs, put in 5.5ltrs of concentrate then top up with pure (ideally distilled) water. This will achieve a proper 50/50 mix.

There is no other way.

Dave
Click to expand...

So what part do you not agree with? Putting pure coolant in is not a good idea, it needs to be mixed with water, which you actually concur with. How you get to 50/50 is entirely up to the person putting in the coolant. I was saying that you shouldn't put pure coolant into an engine, because although it is an anti-corrosive it only works at cooling the engine when mixed with water.
 
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