Coolant leak

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T

tcosson

Guest
99 Disco II 4 litre USA model has coolant leak somewhere toward the back of the engine drips down from the upper area of the transmission. The dealer says its probably the lower intake gasket?? Does that sound right? Are there any freeze plugs in that area that could've pushed loose or rusted?
Is there a particular gasket kit I should get that will contain everything I need to change the intakes and rocker covers and whatever else this would involve?
 
D

discomike

Guest
The dealer is correct, the rear of the intake manifold gaskets will leak coolant out the backside and on to the transmission. Don't worry about freeze plugs.
Are you planning on doing this your self??
MIke J.
 
T

tcosson

Guest
I'd like to do it myself, I've purchased the rave cd and have rebuilt older non fuel injected motors in the distant past.. The dealer wants to replace the heads if they do it and that seems comepletey uneeded. And if I did that I'd want them ported and such....The head gaskets have some minor oil leaks which would be nice to fix but most of the oil is coming from the valve covers.
 
D

discomike

Guest
So lets start this process, How many miles are on the truck, and what sort of maintance has been done?? There will be other things you will probably want or need to do while your going into this.
As for the gasket set, look at Atlantic British for starters. Get back to me with the mileage. By the way, I have nearly 20 years with the dealers so you know where I am coming from, I have been there done that, so to speak.
Mike J.
Mike J.
 
T

tcosson

Guest
It has 127,000 miles on it, while it was under warranty my wife brought it in for all the scheduled services...and has had all the recall work, idler pulley, gas pedal cable, etc... I could swear when I was out of country my wife had this same exact leak fixed by the dealer before, but she doesn't remember, and I can't find the paperwork..
The only maintenance I've done is regular oil/filter changes and plugs, and the accessory belt
 
D

discomike

Guest
That is why I was asking, now I have a better idea of what you are up against. Does the truck seem to run OK, any unusual noises or weird problems to indicate that you need to explore the heads at this time.
If I had the time, and if I was keeping the truck for awhile, I would probably pull the heads and inspect and at least have them checked for cracks and install new headgaskets assuming both the head and engine surfaces are not pitted.
That being said, if all you are going to need to deal with are the leaks, I would suggest the following:
Remove the complete intake
Cleanout the sludge and crap from the engine
Replace all the vaccum lines you can
Take the manifold apart and clean out everything, all the vac lines, the throttle body
Clean out the top of each head, the rocker area, with carb cleaner so it is bare clean again
Replace any and all hoses that are questionable
Put it back together, start and warm up then do both a coolant change and a engine oil flush and change.
It's a 99 so replave the old plug wires while it is apart, I would suggest 8mm blue Magencor wires.
Replace the spark plugs with Bosh Platiumn Plus 4's
Drive it for awhile, make sure all is fine anf then after you have recovered from thqat expense, replace the O2 sensors for at your mileage they are crap and cutting your power.
Then go to another 127,000 miles and enjoy the truck.
Good luck,
Mike J.
 
T

tcosson

Guest
Those mirror my thoughts.... I'll probably do the o2 and MAF while I'm at it the Service engine lights was on when I took it to the dealer and he said it was due to the MAF. maybe, maybe not but with the miles I might as well... It runs fine and as far as I can tell there is really nothing wrong other than the leaks and the light. Occasionally there will be a tapping noise like a lifter is loose or something so I might get pushrods too, but time will be a problem since I'm leaving in Jan for a few months.. I could finish when I get back but I'm prone to memory loss after that amount of time... ;)
 
T

tcosson

Guest
Sure...
I'm in South Carolina... Bring a torque wrench...

Really, thanks though.. I'll be asking more questions I'm sure
 
T

tcosson

Guest
I'm looking at a head gasket set STC4082 for $119, is that going to have everything I need gasket and o-ring wise?
 

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