v8 coolant on inlet manifold gasket???

Hi

I'm not the most clued up of Diy-ers but here goes.

P38 - 4.6 - LPG converted.

Just changed the head gaskets as Cylinder 5 had a gaping hole in it.

New gaskets put on heads torqued down in sequence etc etc.

Engine runs sweet as now but am loosing loads of water from rear engine (drivers side), even just topping up causes water to come out without engine running - so no pressure!

Further investigation shows that the inlet manifold gasket at rear has a pool of water in it.

Problem I have is my car is LPG and I don't want to touch the LPG so I can;t take it all off to have a look, I haven't replaced the manifold gasket as it looks fine so my questions are.....

1) whats wrong?
2) does the inlet manifold gasket seal water?
3) bearing in mind I couldn't detach the inet manifold could I have damaged or knocked something to cause this?
4) anyone got some pics of this lot detached I could reference - tried RAVE to no avail.

Thanks in advance!

you have connected all the pipes, theres 2 on the plenum itself to heat the fuel/air. the valley gasket does seal water

look at this ebay ad, notice 6 holes each side on the V gasket: RANGE ROVER P38 V8 4.0 4.6 HEAD GASKET SET INCL. BOLTS on eBay (end time 05-Dec-09 08:09:32 GMT)

the water flows at each end but i think 1 either side is blanked but cant remember which

also the V gasket is coated with a sealing substance that degrades once squashed.

yes the two small pipes are on the plenum and tight.

i take it you mean the 6 square holes either side of the valley gasket? - I thought these were for fuel? but then as I said I'm no mechanic.

I've seen glues and things used on gaskets before but I would be really supprised if the seal on the gasket had degraded that much to give me a constant trickle of water - the thing being there was no water loss at all before I had the heads off.

I'm just miffed at the thought I might have broken something n I can't see in there which annoys me even more.

Whats under the valley gasket does anyone have a photo??

Thanks for your help so far gavbriggs.

chrish22 said:

yes the two small pipes are on the plenum and tight.

i take it you mean the 6 square holes either side of the valley gasket? - I thought these were for fuel? but then as I said I'm no mechanic.

its an 8 cyl engine, thus needs 4 intakes, the other two are water related

I've seen glues and things used on gaskets before but I would be really supprised if the seal on the gasket had degraded that much to give me a constant trickle of water - the thing being there was no water loss at all before I had the heads off.

the valley gasket is a use once item!!! trust me its not worth the hassle of refitting

I'm just miffed at the thought I might have broken something n I can't see in there which annoys me even more.

Whats under the valley gasket does anyone have a photo??

a valley!! loads of welsh fellas shagging sheep and yodelling!! oh and hydraulic lifters and engine gubbins, if water has gone down there you will need to drain the oil and renew filter!!

Thanks for your help so far gavbriggs. no problem

Click to expand...

ok

How have you managed to change the head gaskets without taking all the LPG gubbins and inlet manifold off. Please say if I'm being stupid. Inlet manifold gasket, as has been said, is a use once item. Should've been replaced when putting it all back together after changing head gaskets.

New gasket also needs a seal of Hylomar or similar round the water passages. You may also need to renew coolant pipes. I've found in the past taking an old one off and putting it back on it'll never seal. You'll have to get the inlet manifold off again and re-seal and replace stuff as you go. Using the step by step in the LR manual makes jobs like this much easier...

Ok - so now I just need to know which of the twelve holes are water ones?

blackvoguebeauty - The manifold bolts were taken out which allowed enough room to wiggle the heads out (once the alternator and bracket etc were off as well). I don't like gas - can't see it - don't touch it!

Hylomar is on its way from ebay...

Thanks

Chris

chrish22 said:

Ok - so now I just need to know which of the twelve holes are water ones?

blackvoguebeauty - The manifold bolts were taken out which allowed enough room to wiggle the heads out (once the alternator and bracket etc were off as well). I don't like gas - can't see it - don't touch it!

Hylomar is on its way from ebay...

Thanks

Chris

Click to expand...

Hi Chris

I hate to say it mate but you'll really have to take the manifold off to do it properly, it'll never work otherwise.

The fact you managed to wiggle out the heads without moving the manifold is very impressive, verging on magic in fact!

The gas has a safety valve on the tank so you can't blow yourself up! There's no gas coming through when it's not in use. Just take pictures as you take it apart and you'll be fine!

You'll have to do it mate. You really do need a new gasket as well and it all needs sealing properly as you do it.

Good luck...

Also download the LR manual for it. IIRC the illustrations in that tell you which holes to put the Hylomar round, i.e which ones are the water holes.

Just thought to finish the post off I would report that refitting a new manifold gasket has resolved my water leak issue.

And to further increase my miracleness it was done without disconnecting the LPG - just a whole lot of wiggling!

Cheers.

i'd be impressed if you did it without opening the bonnet!

Well done Chris. Glad you sorted it.

I'm off outside now to swap the axles without taking the wheels off...