Hi new to the forum and hoping for some help.

I was running locally in my 2000 TD5 Disco the the temp gauge moved slightly above the mid position about the thickness of the needle when I shut off the engine I noticed the electric cooling fan running, I checked the coolant and the header tank was empty, I topped this up now since this happened the car is using/losing water, but intermittently some days it doesn't lose any other days it losses perhaps a quarter of an inch from the header tank.

I can't find any obvious leaks, but have noticed that the radiator seems to be stone cold except for the tanks at either end that seem to be hot, the hoses are soft not pressurised so not certain its a head gasket issue. (the car had a replacement head about 3000 miles ago).

I had a leak from my 2001 Td5 which was very difficult to track down - eventually found it was from the radiator.
It was a small leak from the top corner and only visible when the cowling was removed .
I also ran low in coolant a few times and could have done damage but was lucky.
Have a close look at all hose clips - I have found that the spring type clips can leak slightly , especially after they have been disturbed With a practically new cylinder head you need to find the leak sooner rather than later . Sometimes it helps if you can get under the Disco - some leaks are not visible at all from above .
Your rad could be blocked up if it seems to be heating up only at the ends.Someone may have added one of the various sealers available to cure a previous leak - and these sealers often cause more problems than they solve .
Intermittent loss can be very har to track down - maybe you could have the system pressure tested .Any sign of dampness inside - heater matrixes can develop a leak

Disco-user said:

Hi new to the forum and hoping for some help.

I was running locally in my 2000 TD5 Disco the the temp gauge moved slightly above the mid position about the thickness of the needle when I shut off the engine I noticed the electric cooling fan running, I checked the coolant and the header tank was empty, I topped this up now since this happened the car is using/losing water, but intermittently some days it doesn't lose any other days it losses perhaps a quarter of an inch from the header tank.

I can't find any obvious leaks, but have noticed that the radiator seems to be stone cold except for the tanks at either end that seem to be hot, the hoses are soft not pressurised so not certain its a head gasket issue. (the car had a replacement head about 3000 miles ago).

Click to expand...

very soft or slightly soft?

If very soft I'm gonna guess that yer expansion cap is fubar'd

Another one to check:

www.discovery2.co.uk - Leaking Fuel Cooler Fix