ronnie_rotten Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Now I think I know what the answer is here, but before I resign myself to driving a 'car' for months and squirreling away pennies for a an AMC...... Td5 2003 Discovery. 15p engine. Bubbles in the header tank. Loads of em. To the point of 'foaming' out of the top. Engine runs smoothly as ever. Radiator seems to remain icy cold down by the thermostat. No sign of oil in water, water in oil or dielel in sump. Heater only blows hot at higher revs, not idle. Loads of pressure in top hose and seemingly endless bubbles when the bleeder I'd opened. So, apart from what you are thinking, is the ANYTHING worth checking out before I face the inevitable. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwhacker Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 Hi. I'm no expert but a head job could be on the cards. I hope I'm wrong. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted April 23, 2016 Share Posted April 23, 2016 My bet is that the head gasket has failed between a cylinder and a waterway, causing the bubbles in the coolant, which have vapour locked the heater matrix. I hope it's not the head itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie_rotten Posted April 23, 2016 Author Share Posted April 23, 2016 My suspicion is that the head has been welded before I bought it and it's just given way spectacularly. The engine bay is clean, which was one of the things that attracted me to the thing. In hindsight, too clean maybe... I've not seen a td5 with a blown gasket before but the sheer amount of foam makes me think it's most likely the head. Which is a bit of a kick in the goolies really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted April 24, 2016 Share Posted April 24, 2016 Sorry to hear that. There must be plenty about, and finding one from a Defender that hasn't been chipped would be best as they run lower boost pressures so won't have been as stressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronnie_rotten Posted April 24, 2016 Author Share Posted April 24, 2016 It's a setback, but there are bigger problems in the world, so no use crying about it. My missus (she's an odd one) is of the opinion that rather than fit a used or reconditioned unit we'd be better buying a brand new one from Turner's and knowing it's going to be right from the start. It does mean waiting to get it back on the road, but I have a car to see me through until then. And peace of mind when it does get done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted April 25, 2016 Share Posted April 25, 2016 You should be able to get an immediate delivery from Turner, with the courier taking away the old head in exchange - with luck it might be repairable and get you your surcharge back, but if not, you've lost little. You won't get better quality than theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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