D1 Head gasket repair

[hansonian]

In my search for a Disco to call my own I've found one within a hour of home with a blown head gasket. I'm a fairly mechanically inclined individual and have good selection of tools. Now with that being said the vehicle in question is advertised with a blown head gasket, the seller told me their was no water in the oil and that a new gasket would solve the issue. When putting a new gasket on is there anything else that should be done, thermostat or having the radiator looked at?

Thanks

[LtFuzz]

You have to machine the heads flat -- you can usually take the head to a machine shop

[fishEH]

IF that's all that's wrong with it. A cracked block or a slipped liner will mean a new engine.

[naughtyboy]

get head pressure tested for cracks.
weve had 3 in workshop in last few months where heads were cracked/porous.

[dcarr1971]

FWIW, if it tests out as just being the HG and you decide to take a shot at this, there is actually a DVD available that includes a walk through on doing a D1 head gasket...http://www.insearchoftheexperience.com/ordernow.htm...the director/producer is a guy named Elias Christeas who is a member over on D-Web and a pretty decent guy. If you haven't done one before, you may find some value in watching it...

[TexasTJ]

DO watch the “In search of the Experience” video its really helpfull. I watch it 5 or 6 times while I was doing my head gasket back in March. It was a life saver on stress.

[jeffzx9]

While you're down to the block, consider replacing the water pump if it's 150K miles or more on the clock. Much easier to access.

[timmy!!!!!!!]

And the camshaft.

[Red90]

And the camshaft.

Timing chain and sprockets at least. The chains always stretch, killing power.

[oryxexpeditions]

For a complete job:

new gaskets
new bolts
Rebuild the heads (valves cut in, everything inspected)
new camshaft and lifters (the camshafts wear quickly in these)
new timing chain/gear set
new water pump
Check drive belt and tensioner condition
Check fan clutch
new radiator hoses
new thermostat
Have radiator boiled out (this makes a huge difference on these old beasts)
Install aux. water temp gauge with numbers if you don't have one already

Doing all this at one time will be much less labor intensive and make the truck much more reliable.

David

[transientmechanic]

Make sure you accurately diagnose it first. A lot of people jump to the conclusion that the headgaskets are bad when in fact there is a different problem entirely. And remember, if cylinders 3,5,4, or 6 are getting coolant into them you are looking at a bad block. There are no coolant passages near those cylinders to leak coolant into them from a bad headgasket.

For what it's worth the "In Search of the Experience" video is okay but could be better. I am a little more detail oriented than those guys and use a few other tricks to ensure a good repair.

My number one favorite "trick" to do on these is remove the rubber motor mounts. Dropping the engine down another 4" without the mounts in provides a lot more room to work around the back of the engine. It is more beneficial on D2's but it really helps provide better access to the back headbolts on the drivers side! Whatever you do, don't round the bolt heads off.

Also, the parts "kit" that you can buy from Atlantic British isn't really the best. If you see the parts side by side Genuine parts are much higher quality. There are a lot of extra parts that come in that kit that you don't really need, like injector o-rings.

[Antichrist]

A bit more info on the Disco would be helpful. Mileage & year for starters.