P38A Head gasket, cracked head or something else

Hi all
I got an issue with my 97 diesel rangie

After a 20 mile ish drive with no overheating or problems whilst driving i noticed that when i parked it up it was ****ing coolant on the ground

I’ve changed the thermostat since and had a new metal impeller water pump on it a few months ago

I have noticed that the rad pipes seem to be pressurising quite a bit

I’ve got no oil in coolant or sludge in the oil cap and like i say no overheating

Anyone have any ideas what could be going on?

Cheers in advance

Bust Headgaskets on the Diesel M51 are Rare.

Cracked heads however are quite common...

First job is find out where the coolant is coming from

If the head was cracked surely there would be air in the system, is your fan working and i mean not just turning but making a roaring sound every now and then, normal test is get it up to temp and try and stop the fan with a rolled up news paper the Sun is only fit for this job, if it shreds it fan is good if it stop new fan time
it could also be the expansion cap they do fail and are cheap
https://www.island-4x4.co.uk/expansion-tank-genuine-pcd000070g-p-8195.html

goreden said:

Hi all
I got an issue with my 97 diesel rangie

After a 20 mile ish drive with no overheating or problems whilst driving i noticed that when i parked it up it was ****ing coolant on the ground

I’ve changed the thermostat since and had a new metal impeller water pump on it a few months ago

I have noticed that the rad pipes seem to be pressurising quite a bit

I’ve got no oil in coolant or sludge in the oil cap and like i say no overheating

Anyone have any ideas what could be going on?

Cheers in advance

Click to expand...

I'm tempted to say refill it, make sure there are no airlocks and then see if it does it again. I swear these cars try to mess with your mind.

Thanks for the replies fellas, viscous is only a few months old and works as it should
Will refill tomorrow and see if it does it again and see where it’s coming from as it was dark when it happened the first time
Is there a specific way to bleed the coolant?

I park with front right corner slightly up hill if possible, good burping, up to temp so stat is open, burp again and top up. Check level at engine cold next day.
11.3 litres on manual. Not sure about auto as rad is different proportion but it’s similar.

If you suspect cracked head or HG maybe worth investing in dye you stick in reacts with combustion gasses in coolant.

goreden said:

Thanks for the replies fellas, viscous is only a few months old and works as it should
Will refill tomorrow and see if it does it again and see where it’s coming from as it was dark when it happened the first time
Is there a specific way to bleed the coolant?

Click to expand...

Have you disturbed the metal heater pipe by the thermostat housing.it's only held in with a 10mm headed bolt and the very expensive o ring can harden and cease to seal if moved. Ask me how I know

goreden said:

Hi all
I got an issue with my 97 diesel rangie

After a 20 mile ish drive with no overheating or problems whilst driving i noticed that when i parked it up it was ****ing coolant on the ground

I’ve changed the thermostat since and had a new metal impeller water pump on it a few months ago

I have noticed that the rad pipes seem to be pressurising quite a bit

I’ve got no oil in coolant or sludge in the oil cap and like i say no overheating

Anyone have any ideas what could be going on?

Cheers in advance

Click to expand...

I had similar problems with my 2.5 DSE (owned for 12 years) twice in five years. Initially it just overheated when towing but was fine with normal driving. Replaced water pump, thermostat, viscous fan and radiator all without any change.
Eventually the head gasket would fail. First head gasket replacement I checked the head to block mating faces carefully with a straight edge and went over the head face with an oilstone as i have done successfully on many engines in the past.
This lasted a couple of years before i had the same problem again. Land Rover / BMW say that the cylinder head should not be resurfaced. I took the head to Dieselcraft at Widnes for pressure testing. They tested the head and found no cracks or other problems but advised letting them skim the head, something that they had done successfully previously. The skimming job was superb, the finish was like glass. Having refitted the head with a quality head gasket I have had no further problems. I have previously dealt with Chris at Dieselcraft (0151 420 4130) and find him extremely knowledgeable and helpful.
A word of caution, not all engine re-conditioners have the have the high quality machinery as used by Dieselcraft.
Skimming a long six cylinder head by fly cutting on a milling machine or worse still one of those crude old machines with a circular grinding wheel set in a horizontal plate is unlikely to produce satisfactory results and could wreck an engine if to much metal is removed.
Hope this helps.

Well after changing the rad hoses and expansion tank cap and giving it a thorough bleeding it seems to be behaving itself
Will keep an eye on it and see if it lasts