SCV6 overheated and then catastrophe

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portlandlife

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Sorry to hear about this issue! If you lost all your coolant in the span of 30-45 seconds, and you were on the highway with coolant system pressurized, the front or rear coolant pipes are prime suspects. The fact that they were just replaced is odd. If it was a loose clamp, I'd suspect you would have seen or smelled coolant in the months you drove it. Is it possible that the catastrophic leak came from where the front coolant pipe inserts into the top of the motor? I think there are two pipes with o-rings (at least my '10 Range Rover 5.0 did) and perhaps those weren't fully seated? I know when I replaced mine, it was difficult removing those pipes. Or mabye they accidentally left an old o-ring in there when inserting the new one? It's the only location I can think of where the mechanic may not have looked to find the smoking gun since they'd have to do some disassembly. Best of luck!
 

avslash

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Just a quick blurb. Anytime you experience what looks like a "massive coolant leak" where everything is coated under the hood, take a quick look at the o-ring on the plastic bleed screw back near the fuse panel on a left hand drive vehicle. It is a simple fix, but when that thing goes, it creates an "old faithful" style geyser of coolant under the hood.
 

Jakeryan

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Hey everyone, quick update from the shop... I spoke with the technician about what is going on and went over the car with him to visually connect the dots.
Attached is a video of the coolant bubbling out of the overflow bottle while the engine is turning over.
The consensus from the techs are that after further inspection, they all conclude that the HG blew out and pushed the coolant into the crankcase and built excessive pressure to the extent that the oil we see on the sides is coming out from around the spark plugs. I saw the oil pooled in and around that exact area and saw the oil inside the spark plug hole.
So, has anyone ever seen or heard of this before??
The coolant system components that they replaced did look to be intact and I didn’t see any areas of foul play or concern.
There was a clearer picture of the fluids that were displaced once the skid plate was off: the coolant was coming from the overflow bottle and boiling over/blowing out in all directions from that spot and then dripping down to the plate and then the ground.
The oil was coming out of the passenger side spark plug holes at all 3 cylinders and running down the block and onto the plate and then the ground on both sides.

Is everyone of the same thinking that regardless of what/how/who is the culprit, that a new engine is the solution? I’m not wanting to shortcut this only to have issues down the road. Ie, replace the HG only to find out later that the head/block has damage etc..
any recommendations on new/reman engines? I can’t seem to find any good info about them online. Only feedback I get is ‘boy howdy, that’s gonna cost ya!’
Is it even worth it? I have had two people mention that it may cost more than the car is worth. Any thoughts from the group?
Thanks for all the feedback everyone, I really appreciate it!
 

Jakeryan

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From what I can see it looks like both crossovers are on there.

LR122710 Manifold - heater (I believe this is commonly referred to as a rear crossover)
LR090630 Water inlet tube (I think this would be your front crossover?)

At a glance it looks like they have at least listed all of the correct parts. Maybe one of the super charger guys can confirm that. I have a 5.0L and I think my crossovers are different.

From your description of the failure I would put my money on one of the crossovers. Why they can't find the source of the leak, and their lazy description of what might have happened are red flags to me.

I'm assuming the engine is now seized?
The engine is not seized, it will turn over.
 

ktm525

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You are probably looking at full rebuild , used engine or a rebuild engine. Cost? $15k ?
 

Jakeryan

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You are probably looking at full rebuild , used engine or a rebuild engine. Cost? $15k ?
Thanks. I have only been able to get info on the TAPA reman Stage 2 engines out of CA. But no luck actually talking to anyone that has gone that route. They want $12k for the engine, and I am still looking at quotes for labor from a couple shops. For humor I always like to ask the dealer what they say... I only have 2 other shops in town to choose from and one of them is the shop that has done all the work on it so far.

I’m not too interested in buying a used engine and inherit someone else’s issues that are unknown. I’m afraid that a new engine and labor is going to run me more than the car is worth!!
 

ftillier

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I think it comes down to how much you like the car, whether you would replace it with another LR4, or go with something entirely different. Some folks here are pretty passionate about the platform itself, so would "invest" more than what others that just want reliable transportation would.
 

Jakeryan

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I think it comes down to how much you like the car, whether you would replace it with another LR4, or go with something entirely different. Some folks here are pretty passionate about the platform itself, so would "invest" more than what others that just want reliable transportation would.
That’s what makes this hard. Even the guys at the shop said it is the nicest and cleanest example of this car they have ever seen or worked on. It’s in near excellent condition inside and out cosmetically speaking, and up until this major issue, it was running great and everything works as it should.
To look at it and have a conversation with someone that says ‘oh wow, it’s totaled’ because the engine is shot... is hard to get past.
 

jlglr4

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Replacing the heads is a gamble. You’d need to get someone to verify the block is not damaged and is still flat, then spend a lot of money rebuilding the heads (I assume they are warped), then continue to worry if the headbolts are going to hold (I’ve heard they have a tendency to strip). If you could do the heads yourself, might be worth a go. Otherwise, between rebuilding the heads and a new engine, I’d go for the new engine (or rebuilt from a good shop).

As for whether its worth it at all - just depends on whether you want an LR4 or something else. I would sooner replace that engine than buy a used LR4.

I’m just really interested myself in what caused that head gasket to blow. I wonder if you had some overheating when you had that first low coolant warning, leading to the misfire on 4, and then it blew.
 

Jakeryan

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Replacing the heads is a gamble. You’d need to get someone to verify the block is not damaged and is still flat, then spend a lot of money rebuilding the heads (I assume they are warped), then continue to worry if the headbolts are going to hold (I’ve heard they have a tendency to strip). If you could do the heads yourself, might be worth a go. Otherwise, between rebuilding the heads and a new engine, I’d go for the new engine (or rebuilt from a good shop).

As for whether its worth it at all - just depends on whether you want an LR4 or something else. I would sooner replace that engine than buy a used LR4.

I’m just really interested myself in what caused that head gasket to blow. I wonder if you had some overheating when you had that first low coolant warning, leading to the misfire on 4, and then it blew.
That is the million dollar question! WHAT HAPPENED lol.
I don’t have the ability/tools anymore to do any of the rebuild work myself, so that option is out. I’m narrowed down to a complete new engine or a complete remanufactured/rebuilt engine to be swapped in. I really like the car and if it was ragged out I’d not have a hard time tossing the project, but it’s on great shape.
As for the initial coolant leak, I am curious as well if that was the root cause. Just a little overheat from that low coolant experience enough to weaken the HG to the point that it eventually led up to the misfire issues. But, would that be what caused the #4 cyl coil to fail? As that is what was throwing the code. All a mystery. But, at this point it seems more plausible than any of the other scenarios that we have run through.
 

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