2005 Head gasket blown.

[JBay]

Unfortunately my 2005 Range Rover HSE head gasket is shot and needs to be replaced. It has 73k miles on it.

My local mechanic (family friend) cant fix it because it requires tools he doesnt have so I have to take it to the dealership . My mechanic said to be careful at the dealership because they can run up other costs on ya and the car will never be the same.

In Washington State (Seattle area) I cant seem to find anyone besides the dealership.

Any advice out there for me?


Crappy situation....

[RRToadHall]

The dealership is never a requirement.

http://www.rangerovers.net/service/washington.html

[ldollar]

Anyone have any ideas on how this would happen? 73k seems like pretty low miles for this to happen. I'd be curious to know what the labor costs will be for this job. Sorry you have to go through this--sucks. Good luck and hope you find a good shop if you bypass the dealership. I've had good experience with PDX Rovers up in Portland, but that's still a lengthy tow from Seattle.

[brad s1]

Check the condition of your PCV hoses and valve, if that fails it can cause pressure to build pushing out oil and blowing gaskets.

[03rangiemark]

Check the condition of your PCV hoses and valve, if that fails it can cause pressure to build pushing out oil and blowing gaskets.

Good info, Brad.
Does this apply to the '06+ models too? Or only the BMW powered model years?

[brad s1]

I'm only familiar with the BMW engine, haven't read any posts about the jags having this issue.

[linuxfreakus]

Generally I wouldn't expect PCV issues to cause a blown head gasket, the valve covers are not uncommon though. Blown head gasket is usually caused by overheating. If the coolant temp never triggered any alarms perhaps it was something more catastrophic, such as detonation/preignition which will cause excessive pressure in the combustion chamber... I would think a number of other serious symptoms would be present too if that happened though. I suppose too much high pressure, like aggressive driving with frequent sprints above 5k RPM might not be good either. I dunno. Usually the M62 is not known for such problems.

[linuxfreakus]

If you get it repaired, make sure they check to see if the head was warped. If so, and it is not corrected, you'll blow the next gasket in a short time. Be sure you check the cylinders too, make sure there is no damage... you might be very unhappy if you pay $$$ to replace the gasket only to find that you still have internal engine problems.

[BMWRover]

+1 on likely unrecognized overheat as culprit. The m62 is not known for headgasket failures except for overheat.

For good measure and while you are in there replacing the headgasket, go ahead and replace the water pump, coolant hoses (including the o-rings for the tubes on the top of the engine), valley pan and gasket, have the timing chain guides examined and/or replaced (I would go ahead and replace them), and have the radiator pressure checked. Agree on having the head checked for warpage.

[Gorf]

Hey JBay, you need to call either:

Lamorna Garage (206) 361-7002 in Ballard
or
Biggs Automotive (425) 688-0080 in Bellevue

They are both Land Rover specialty shops. I've had both shops do work on my L322 and both are highly reputable, know our Rangies very well, and have really good shop rates. Lamorna is a total hoot to go to.

[JBay]

Correct, it was a unrecognized overheat...Land Rover looked at it and pressure tested it and they dont think a head gasket is blown, but Im weary of that service shop so now I have it at the Lamorna Garage.

+1 on likely unrecognized overheat as culprit. The m62 is not known for headgasket failures except for overheat.

For good measure and while you are in there replacing the headgasket, go ahead and replace the water pump, coolant hoses (including the o-rings for the tubes on the top of the engine), valley pan and gasket, have the timing chain guides examined and/or replaced (I would go ahead and replace them), and have the radiator pressure checked. Agree on having the head checked for warpage.

[RRToadHall]

Gord'n is a great guy to work with and really knows his mechanics and theory. It's nice to see him venturing into MarkIII territory.

[Gorf]

Gord'n is a great guy to work with and really knows his mechanics and theory. It's nice to see him venturing into MarkIII territory.

Wish it wasn't so friggin hard to get to. I would take more business to him. Oh well, Biggs in Bellevue seems to treat me right...

[RRToadHall]

For ages Gord'n wouldn't touch a P38 or newer rig. I was there when he opened up his first P38 for an ORing job. I've always stuck with Jim for newer rigs. Jim and I go back to his days at the old Seattle Cadillac dealership when I had my ill fated Sterling with impossible to balance tyres and never functioning speedo.