Question about slipped liners/Head gaskets, confused.com!

Right guys really need your advice.

Been reading on here and the various other forums about slipped liners and head gasket problems but have found a lot of conflicting advice on the subject and my head is spinning!

My rangie is a 95 4.0 with a nats hair under 70k on the clock.

Just recently I went out in her and not long after leaving the house the red light came on the dash to warn of it running hot. well before I could pull over it went off again after about 10 seconds and the needle returned to the half way point. I stopped and checked the coolant and it was very low indeed!

Its been using about 2+ ltrs of coolant a week for the past month and it only does shorts runs (about 6 miles a day)

The only sign of a leak is from the overflow on the expansion bottle which lead me to believe it was over pressurising and hence where my coolant was going. I checked the top rad hose when cold and it was nice and soft, started the car and its stays pretty much the same all the way up to normal running temp and stays that way no matter how long its left to idle on the drive. After its been for a run though that hose is solid! After its cooled down again the hose goes nice and soft again.

Now I've read that if its a possible gasket then the hose would stay firm even when cold and inflate quickly when she's started? and if I had a slipped liner it would overheat in a heartbeat but it doesn't?! it'll sit on the drive and idle away happy as larry. it does tap slightly from the drivers side head but only when cold so I'm guessing thats just a tappet.

I'm not sure where to start, it's already had the heater matrix o rings done, a new rad, waterpump and half the cooling hoses changed. Do i get it sniff tested or just rip the heads off and change the gaskets and look for slipped liners or is there something I'm missing?

The only other problem its ever had is the poor cold starting which it still has where it cranks and cranks when cold and smells very rich but not sure if this is connected with any of this.

I'm at my wits end! I'm getting really paranoid about this now, my head tells me its the head gasket, my heart fears its a slipped liner but I've read this hose behaviour is normal and the lack of overheating is, fingers crossed a good sign... or am I just kidding myself?!

Can anyone help?

when they bored 3.5 block to 3.9 which is the same as 4 or 4.6 200 thou was taken out of aluminum bore holding liner ,if over heated or stressed block cracks holding liner as is an interferance fit ,symptoms are as head gasket,

Start with the simple things,not pressurizing can be simple as a duff expansion tank cap,take it from there,if it doesn't work check the water pump,tstat,hoses,then go further with the h/g and block,eventualy the block will crack and the liners will slip it is a matter of time,just save money for it,sooner or later it will be changed.

Found something interesting guys when hunting around, any reason this little test wouldn't work on the V8? Sounds like simple genius to me!

I`ve got a FREE method of checking for combustion gas leaks into the water jacket all you need is a spark plug socket and a watering can.

1. remove all 6 spark plugs/disable ignition system

2. fill expansion tank/radiator right up to the brim

3. crank engine and coolant level should stay put (you can take of the fanbelt if it drives the water pump, but I never bother)

4. install a plug into a cylinder (one at a time, and always leave the other 5 cylinders open) then crank and watch coolant level if it stays put Cylinder is OK, if there is a leak the gas will force the water to overflow.

I have found this method works even when the chemical block test/4 gas test fails because the exhaust gas bubbles are trapped. The cool bit is that you know which pot is leaking and you can home in on that one when/if you strip the head. It`s the same principle that some Greek bloke used when farting in the bath or something

Going to try it tonight and see what results I get and report back

If you have a liner moving then you will hear a metallic tapping at piston speed that will start as the engine warms up, or reaches running temp depending on how loose the liner is. Not to be confused with tappet noise which will be heard from cold & at valve gear speed.

i have recently had a few niggles with an errant 4.0 95 rangie which overheated and had starting issues, the cure was as follows..check the rad for cold spots(ours was cold in the middle) remove the rad and check externally(ours was blocked solid with crap on the bottom half)it would also crank over and over for ages before it would fire, the cure? we checked continuity from the temp sensor to the ecu,it was fine. we then removed the ecu and opened it up,inside was a burnt out track, we solder'd a wire to bridge it and lo and behold perfect starting.

I am intrigued by the spark plug/coolant tank method you quote there Frosty....my guess is it *could* indicate HG problems aslong as the fault is between the cylinder and the water ways....

But as for slipped liner issues...I am not so sure, as I would assume a slipped liner doesn't necessarily pressurise the coolant system - or does it...not sure...answers on postcard anyone??

My thoughts exactly Saint.V8, will a slipped liner give the exact same symptoms of a failed head gasket or is there a difference?

My thoughts were if its a cracked block which has caused the liner to slip then the water level would still overflow as the exhaust gases pass in the water jacket through the crack or am I barking up the wrong tree?

watched MYTHBUSTERS last night , yes , you can polish a turd or poop as they call it !!
oh well that's most of my jap crap joke's out the window then !! lol

elsie said:

watched MYTHBUSTERS last night , yes , you can polish a turd or poop as they call it !!
oh well that's most of my jap crap joke's out the window then !! lol

Click to expand...

:hysterically_laughi
Saw that as well, so its true... you really can polish a turd! There's hope for us all!

Saint.V8 said:

But as for slipped liner issues...I am not so sure, as I would assume a slipped liner doesn't necessarily pressurise the coolant system - or does it...not sure...answers on postcard anyone??

Click to expand...

Correct, it does'nt. The 3.9 I had years ago drove for hundreds of miles without any serious coolant loss or any overheating, even at motorway speeds. I finally had a new short engine fitted because people kept asking me if the car was a diesel! No more 94mm bore lumps for me.

lol- I hear that norseman, me either- its just not worth the hassle

OP, how hard does the top hose get after a run?

fett said:

lol- I hear that norseman, me either- its just not worth the hassle

OP, how hard does the top hose get after a run?

Click to expand...

You can't compress it at all by hand, its brick hard and bulging the hose! but it the same temp over its length so I'm deducing there's no air in there. Weather has been horrific today but hopefully get out tomorrow and try this gas test thing I posted early. If it comes back as exhaust gases in the cooling system I can at least tear the head off and see what the story is.

Away to do some more reserch into slipped liners!! Just so I know one when its staring me in the face!

yeah its fooked, either hgf or the liners , but check the pressure cap is releasing the correct pressure too as it might be holding too much- eith masking or exacerbating the real problem.

it happened to me

The cap is releasing as far as i can tell as theres signs of water all down the inner wing but i've not tested it, wasn't aware you could? but saying that, I'll replace it anyway to be safe I think.

Checked the hose again last night as part of my daily little routine to moniter its water usage... its used barely used a litre since wednesday night and the hose was firm but you could compress it with a stong squeeze... if this dam thing would be consistant it would help! :frusty:

Thinking the same as you Fett, I'm getting pretty sure it something internal now even without testing it so going to order a head gasket set from island 4x4, its only £25 so it would be rude not to and pray to the gods of landrover thats its not slipped the liner.
:amen:

make sure you get OEM spec gaskets at least! cheapy ones are ****e.

I hope it works out for you mate

As Fett says DO NOT fit cheap head gaskets. Get PAYEN gaskets if you can.

Cheers guys, I'll i'll have to go hunting and see who stocks them.

Right, tried the test I found today. Pulled all the plugs topped up the water till it was brimmed, Turned the overflow so it was pointing up so I could get the level right to the top and see it from the drivers door as I was by myself.

Started with No1 cylinder and worked my way round turning it over and looking for it bubbling over, well guess what happened...

absolutly knob all! :scratching_chin:

Now either, its not the head gasket, this test is just a load of guff or I've not done something right. I'll let you guys decide.

All the plugs looked fine, no steam cleaning on any of them... Think I need to find someone to sniff test this thing. :confused2:

Had the same problem last week but unfortunatley I went on a long run and the engine packed in, in the middle of no where! Aswell as the steam escaping from the header tank ther was oil seeping out from around the bottom rocker cover. thinking about having a compression test tomorrow, worth it? The engine now just turns over but does not catch. There are also no "typical" signs of the head gasket blowing i.e oil in water and vice versa. Think it's time for a new engine?
Chears!

Depend how badly it packed in I suppose, did it overheat or just conk out on you?