Blown head gasket

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morrisdl

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Agreed, but no one is buying heavy, expensive, and durable. Except old defender owners ;-)
 

gsxr

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The used engine prices above seem about right from what I can tell, but who wants a used engine from salvo when it's likely blown as well. I've been told $14-16k for a solid replacement.
I'm not sure why you think engines from salvaged vehicles are "likely blown". A low-mileage engine from a wrecked vehicle may be in perfect condition. Good yards will do compression and/or leakdown tests, and offer a warranty. $15k for a replacement engine is insane unless that's a rebuilt motor with a multi-year warranty.

Aluminum and plastic are not the antichrist, either. Mercedes has been building aluminum-block V8 engines since the mid 1980's and using plastic cooling system parts as well. The engines can last hundreds of thousands of miles. The plastic stuff may need replacement every 10-15 years but it's not a big deal, just add it to the cooling system service if the previous owner(s) never did it.
 

avslash

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I understand the frustration, but AL and plastic is ubiquitous across the board for all manufactures. Cheap and light seem to be opposites of durable.

This.

You want to see plastic in a cooling system, look at my 911TT.

3 radiators in the front, engine in the rear, plastic pipe galore...
 

Cthehentz

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I’m curious about head replacement, can’t you just take them to a machine shop and have the milled like older aluminum heads?
 

avslash

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I’m curious about head replacement, can’t you just take them to a machine shop and have the milled like older aluminum heads?

It's been a long time, but didn't you generally replace pistons to account for higher compression after milling heads and decking the block?

I seriously doubt there are alternative pistons for the JLR block.

I'm going Beck at least 30 years since I was around that level of hot rodding, though, so memory could be failing me.
 

djmalachi

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According to my guy, by the time the head gasket has issues, lots of other areas "disintegrate" making machining/resurfacing/redrilling/etc particularly fun.

head.jpg
 

BeemerNut

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It's been a long time, but didn't you generally replace pistons to account for higher compression after milling heads and decking the block?

I seriously doubt there are alternative pistons for the JLR block.

I'm going Beck at least 30 years since I was around that level of hot rodding, though, so memory could be failing me.

"that level of hot rodding", that would be a basic blueprint engine building even for a bone stock low compression and horsepower engine like a 1960's 170 cu/in Falcon engine.

Swapping rods and pistons around to get equal piston deck height (piston crown to deck of block the same as rod center line to center line (big end to small end) do not usually measure out the same. Add production errors or lack of quality control (LR) even wrist pin center line to top of piston (piston compression height) can have different measurements.
Longest rod with shortest piston compression height will hopefully cancel out deck height errors. Hell within 0.010" (0.254 mm) milling down the piston top 0.010" then making all pistons weigh the same then you will have an engine with equal compression ratios all cylinders as well equal quench area. Must add all combustion chambers cc checked and made equal volume which production engines are not unless machined chambers. Cast production chambers, LR and other manufactures as example are "close enough". Basic engine rebuilding also know as "blue printing".

Milling a warped head for a flat surface to block, what happens to the warped head's cam journals now not running straight and true with the straight (hopefully) cam shaft now secured into the warped head? Boom comes to mind, big $$$$.
Depending on how much material is removed or "skimmed" to regain flat heads and block shouldn't increase compression that much besides these engines already have anti-detonation sensors retarding timing until detonation is no longer detected.
Worse yet now the cam journals to crank shaft journals are now closer together after "skimming" or required more material removed off the block deck and heads hence the timing chain slippers have to extend themselves out farther to compensate for the extra slack in the timing chains. Is there enough allowance by the take up with the slipper's piston tension ******? Second problem now forcing the slippers to maintain a larger deflection arc in added degrees, thinking now added and accelerated wear on the already crappy failing slippers?
BTW I helped a friend with his LR4, located a pair of good used replacement heads, total cost including gaskets, head bolts plus fluids under $800 up and running again. That or give it a "mystery electrical fire" burn down.
I posted that adventure about a year ago, used donor heads off a clean running engine with light tan carbon deposits all eight combustion chambers. It was a smacked in the rear totaled donor vehicle. Shop around Pick-N-Pull yards, worked for us.
Open deck blocks a added reason why head gaskets fail in general vs any closed deck block what i've noticed over the past 50+ years wrenching on engines......~~=o&o>........
 
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Rover Runner

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Been there, done that. THE 2006 LR-3 has got to be Gods revenge on us for leaving the Commonwealth. LOL. The temperature gauge is part of the overflow containment system. So when that leaks, you get no indication that there is NO WATER. Bam-Sizzle-Pop, blown head gasket. To make a long story short, a good used engine here in California costs $4,000 installed. To replace the head gaskets and mill the heads is $2,500-$3,000. I have 220,000 miles on my rig. I'll fix it again because I know what "won't" go wrong in the next year. It's like family.
 

BeemerNut

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Been there, done that. THE 2006 LR-3 has got to be Gods revenge on us for leaving the Commonwealth. LOL. The temperature gauge is part of the overflow containment system. So when that leaks, you get no indication that there is NO WATER. Bam-Sizzle-Pop, blown head gasket. To make a long story short, a good used engine here in California costs $4,000 installed. To replace the head gaskets and mill the heads is $2,500-$3,000. I have 220,000 miles on my rig. I'll fix it again because I know what "won't" go wrong in the next year. It's like family.

These things (LR3 & LR4) should have their temp gauge sensors relocated ASAP from day one ownership. Another what where they (LR) not thinking of or was it another "Bean Counter's Decision" with other poorly designed and using the cheapest materials? Relocate temp sensor, add an oil pressure and oil temp gauge you want puppy to live. Remove every POS plastic part in the cooling system replacing by fabricating out of aluminum period. Dumb LR with the radiator "burp plug" made of plastic as was on the 95 D1 when older RR's had a brass plug. Radiator another POS now a 100% made of brass plus thicker (more rows) custom radiator. Pre-oiler no more dry start rattling rods, bearings will live a lot longer.
Rubber rear diff "U" joint when a real steel "U" joint which has been around a 100 years without failures vs rubber causing driveshaft vibration problems. I was ripping them apart. Leather seats of paper thin leather splitting as well stitching tearing out of the leather, 5 years from new not 25. Basic items that QC improvements would of prevented. Reliability and quality LR has failed for years but maintained their overly expensive sticker price.
Don't get me wrong I like the 95 D1 (5 spd 4.6) of 20+ years ownership proving others wrong about LR's reputation now no oil or coolant leaks plus dependable. That's saying a lot vs what I started with building it up to a higher fun factor vehicle. I followed and owned these engines going back to the 1960's era. Simple by choice less to go wrong OB1 with a durable push rod engine.
BTW, ever looked into totaled out by insurance LR's, strip it down keeping what you need then sell off the rest? MY insurance agent also a collector car owner of several show winning 428 SCJ Mustangs has been mentioning insurance totals for needed parts.....~~=o&o>.......
 

Asilver

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The prices for engines seems outrageous to me. What’s driving these costs versus the lr3 v8s and the majority of other v8 engines that can be found for significantly less, used?
 

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