Engine runs rough on cold startup after new spark plugs installed

[SwellSpy]

Hi all, got to the bottom of this and the news is not good. It turns out the thermostat was shot so the coolant level was not being regulated. This, in turn, led to the engine overheating and I blew a head gasket which is why it was running like hell.
Land Rover dealership quoted me $15,800 to fix it and of course, I will not be taking it there, but the incompetent mechanics locally seemed to miss this issue entirely. Hopefully, I can get out from under it after it gets fixed and sell it. This truck has been a bit of a lemon and unfortunately, I'm all out of lemonade.

 

[M32H32IS]

Hi all, got to the bottom of this and the news is not good. It turns out the thermostat was shot so the coolant level was not being regulated. This, in turn, led to the engine overheating and I blew a head gasket which is why it was running like hell.
Land Rover dealership quoted me $15,800 to fix it and of course, I will not be taking it there, but the incompetent mechanics locally seemed to miss this issue entirely. Hopefully, I can get out from under it after it gets fixed and sell it. This truck has been a bit of a lemon and unfortunately, I'm all out of lemonade.

Wow, sorry for the unfortunate news. I’m in the same boat with my LR4 currently undergoing an engine swap.

Question: have you ever replaced the coolant crossovers?

How many miles on your Rover?

 

[ktm525]

It ran ok before you swapped plugs. You swapped plugs and it did not run well. Now the finger is being pointed at a thermostat and overheat? Something seems fishy or info missing.

 

[djkaosone]

Before you believe the mechanic that doesn't have the proper tools to test, I would suggest doing a couple of things to check if it's really your head gasket before dropping $15k on a used motor.

Easiest way is to combustion test it,

. Compression test to somewhat narrow it down.