Maverik

Head now back, skimmed by 5-6thou apparently. I spoke to the chap at the workshop and he reckoned that's all it would take for a gasket to leak, I've had a good think and I reckon I have a theory as to why it failed. The head since last skimming has been removed twice, each time before reinstall I cleaned the guff and carbon off it using some superfine scotchbright pads. I distinctly remember having to work a bit harder in the areas where it appeared to have failed because you get the corrosion build up in the blank water hole areas, so the cleaning in those areas was enough to push the gap tolerance over. Anyhow, head now reinstall with manifolds and rocker gear in, will work on the rest in the week, got some coolant wash to run through the system before the new blue coolant goes in. Also found my injector studs had necked - I suspected this last injector change, but now confirmed.

If I remeber rightly you chop 10mm off the standard one, I'm sure when I installed mine I used info that was on here, I shortened mine and its been done for the past 10yrs. And here is the link:

I stand slightly corrected - there is a similar civi spec... Source: Lrcat

So after reviewing verious sources, my own opinion is here: Engine mounts ANR3548 and ANR3548 are identical to ANR2868 and NTC9415. Yes ANR2818 and ANR2820 are specific to military vehicles (I assume). - I dont think there are any real benefits from the military approach - I think its probably something born out of how the military like redundancy in chassis parts/repair for in service use etc and they ended up with a more serviciable alternative to welded brackets - them being bolted as below. - so I guess its down to how accurate you want your truck looking. A slight aside - ironically I built my own bolt on mounts a few years ago not indifferent to those, reading betwen the lines - if you can;t find them to buy its they shouldn't be too dificult to fabricate some mount to the below spec.

Total military vehicle novice - but I would find it odd that the military use different transmission mounts to similar civilian spec vehicles? what part number/components are you looking at here?

Thanks... this is only half the story this week... Off Topic but this is the photo the VW garage sent me of my front drive shaft on my van... apparently the prvious VW garage I went to didnt re-assemble my van with due care and attention...

So some news from Park Engineering. Head passed pressure test, but it needed a skim. So its ready for me to pick up. Hopefully this was the issue. Watch this space.

They said they'd been on that site for 25years, and the chap I spoke to said he's been doing it 50 years. Great place he let me have a wander around the workshop, serious old but gold machinery, he's got 2x 12ft long 18"+ swing lathes and upteen other bit of really cool machinery. I wont be forgetting them in a rush.

Previous engine I used a no hole gasket, just because thats what was in from my ownership, the refurbished block that came from turners was a 2 hole'er, I just wonder if the thiner gaskets are a bit less robust, so gone for a 3 hole Reinz for a bit of choice.

I've order up a the one size thicker Reinz gasket too. I used a reinz one when I first got the head "done" by turners must be 5 years ago, I remeber it been subtle different to the elring one, will pick the best of the two when I get them next to each other. I do remeber when the engine got built up in November, I fitted the headgasket and I remeber locating it on the dowels and thinking I've seen better fitting gaskets, but just got on with it, as Elring is I think recognised as one of the better manufacturers.

I've used OAT red coolant in this truck since I first emptied the muddy water out of it 10 years ago, and the couple of times I've had the head off I've always been surprised at the corrosion I've seen. About time for a change I think.

Took these of the gasket earlier. After 2 months it was already quite heavily corroding some of the steel parts of the gasket. This was using an advised coolant mix with deionised water too. Really really suprised at that.

After what I've seen after 2 months using OAT antifreeze, pretty unimpressed with what I've seen, going to fully flush once back together and use the blue stuff next time.

I was pretty suprised to find the gasket had collapsed/crumbled on the edges of those triangles.

There appears to be two areas I'd say, between 2 and 1 (the wee traingle) then 3 to 4 wee triangle.

Heads off... I reckon its gone between cylinders 2&3 out to the wee stupid redundant gasket holes... question is why. Heads away to Park engineering in Malton for pressure testing and measuring to see if its warped any. Next question, to re-use the old head bolts...? they where new last November when I did the block.

I confiscated the mountain rescue hi lift after I found the pins pretty sticky after lack of maintenance and some folk quite obviously didn't have the slightest clue on the dangers of its use. Great tool, but it needs respect!

No this is for the square bar type steering shaft, found in discovery 1's and td5 era defenders onwards. One end isn't splined as it slides on the square bar. https://www.devon4x4.com/qme500031-shaft-steering-367833.html

Yeah that's been one of the big pointers. No not my original block it was service exchange I sent them my spare disco block and they kept it and sent me one they had just finished.

Turner engineering short refurbished block. It's odd as it's only just appeared, I've put 40 running hours on the engine since rebuild, would have thought it would have washed out pretty much as soon as I'd run it in.

Anyone else notice the ZF power steering reservoir being the same as a standard Defender, that must be done on purpose!

Picture of the thermostat, the film of gunk on it.

This is good, I like definitive answers, will get the head off tomorrow.

So I've just pulled off all the pipework in readyness for the serius bits, but I'm just pausing (for the weather) and to double check. I've not had a headgasket go before so just double checking myself. I'm pretty confident there aren't any blockages in the coolant, happy the water pump is ok - thermostat could be a question mark, but would a dodgy thermostate cause such a build up of gas in the coolant? - I've had stuck thermostats before and its pretty obvious as the engine overheats usually within a few minutes of a drive - last night it was fine then the temp suddenly started to rise and shot above 100, I bled off the top rad hose and it then kept temp at 90 degrees, but by the time I got to my destination the header tank was full and has been leaking from the cap and the top of the radiator was full of air again. To me this suggests I've got a combustion leak into the coolant and it fills the top radiator and top hose creating an air lock over the thermostat, so it doesnt work properly... Is that sound rational?

really? The gasket did come from turners.