Oh no! It wasn't the turbo, its the head gasket!

Well, Nick Kerner 4 Wheel Drive have just reported back to me; it wasn't the turbo as the RAC man said, it is the head gasket! (see the 'oh no!' post for a better description).

Now, they told me that it could be one of 3 scenarios; a simple head gasket replacement costing around £500, a new head costing minimum £1000 or a replacement engine.

I'm no mechanic, so I have to rely on his opinion. However, what are the likely outcomes? When a head gasket goes on a 300 tdi, is it normally a cheap gasket replacement, or does it generally mean a new head or new engine?

I would like to believe that it will be a simple head gasket replacement, but if the head is warped or cracked, he won't skim it, and then the replacement costs start to soar. If it needs a replacement engine, he said I would be forking out about £3,000 to £4,000!

The car only cost £2,750! I'm not happy, as I have a dilemma before he even starts the repair. I'd be hard put to afford £1,000 or more on this.

Any advice? If it were driveable, I'd consider driving it to a remote area and set fire to it! I've only been a Disco owner for a month!

Didn't think it was the turbo... white smoke from a turbo! heh. So it was water.

You could take the head off yourself have a look, if its a gasket then great, get one ordered and put it back together... if its more then look on ebay for parts, engines etc... you could get the parts from.

I'm not skilled enough and don't have the time to do this myself. I'll let Matt over at Cane End near Reading do it, he charges fairly, and seems to know his stuff. I saw a brand new, still boxed TDi 300 head for £349 'buy it now', which to me sounds a good price, so I'll keep that in mind when Matt comes back with his prognosis on Monday.

What do you think made the engine 'runaway' for 4 seconds, then shut itself off?

Diesels can run on their own oil so if the gasket blow has allowed oil into the chamber then it will run off this.

James said:

Diesels can run on their own oil so if the gasket blow has allowed oil into the chamber then it will run off this.

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How would that allow the engine to run at max revs for the 4 seconds? I don't doubt you, I was just wondering about the mechanics of it all......

The oil being heavier than fuel, probaly choked the leaks, much like putting oil in a cylinder to test the piston rings.

Do you think the turbo is knackered then? I've always let the car idle for a few seconds before shutting the engine down, but this time that didn't happen.............

I'm REALLY hoping that Matt4x4 doesn't find anything else other than a faulty head gasket......

Nah I reckon the oil came from the gasket leaks, the turbo will be fine, the fact it reved to full then died is not good for the turbo bearing obviously, but it will be ok I am sure.

but a head gasket set is only £65 for a P38 rangie, how come its £500 for a disco??

where did you get these quotes from, a LR main dealer?

Bigstoo said:

but a head gasket set is only £65 for a P38 rangie, how come its £500 for a disco??

where did you get these quotes from, a LR main dealer?

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i think its got something to do with having the gasket fitted stu

Yep, that quote includes the gasket fit.

I'm gearing myself up for the worst; I've sourced a replacement engine, guaranteed for 3 months, from CWS 4x4, at £1204. They'll fit it for £350 too if needed, which is a lot better than the original quote I got from Nick Kerner's. I guess the engine Nick was quoting must be new!

If it is only the head gasket, I am wondering whether it might be a good idea to buy the new head at £349 and have that fitted. Is there much difference in labour/parts costs between a head gasket replacement and a head replacement?

Try k-seal have a look at my site http://www.ksealit.com see the testimonials we have had reports of it fixing this and with 100 000 bottles sold in UK it has got to work more often than not.
Even landrover world mag used it and rated it said all claims proved to be justified!!!

any one got a virtual gun fot this **** ksealit??

Your the one getting offensive, Was just offering relevant info, I have viewed this forum for ages and found it very usefull, i say usefull, as a range rover and discovery owner. There is no need for this it is not like I have just spammed and disappeared. If you do not have anything good to say, say nothing at all. Also if anyone is in the worcestershire area and you do not want to use k-seal I know a very experienced landy mechanic that will do head gaskets at fantastic prices be happy to put you in touch.

another gem from kbodgeit's website

MPG CAPS, SAVE ON FUEL!
MPG-Cap is an engine conditioner that simultaneously improves fuel economy and power by creating a micro-thin coating on the combustion chamber in your engine allowing your fuel to burn more efficiently. Now you can combat the high price of FUEL with a simple caplet you add to your tank when you fill up. ONE PACK TREATS UPTO 800 LITRES OF ANY FUEL!
£14.75

anyone else think he has a couple of 50galleon drums full of snakeoil and a few hundred different style bottles..
he'll be sat in his garden shed, no offence grunt, him and his son. wiff a **** load of labels with everything from coolants leak fix right through the range to vcu fix and autobox restorer on them.. whatevery you ask for you get the same **** with a different label on it.

www.ksealit.com said:

Try k-seal have a look at my site http://www.ksealit.com see the testimonials we have had reports of it fixing this and with 100 000 bottles sold in UK it has got to work more often than not.
Even landrover world mag used it and rated it said all claims proved to be justified!!!

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Thanks for the thought, but it proved to be the gasket in the end, so Matt replaced it with an OEM part, replaced a couple of other seals, replaced the downpipe (had a 'cokecan' type repair), AND fitted the dash repair kit, all for only £695 all in! Well impressed.

TBH, I would have had it repaired properly anyway, as my family and I will be doing long trips in the car abroad, and I don't want anything to go wrong.

FYI, I think I started another thread on this somewhere.