help

[ESSEXBULLDOG]

hello any body give me some advice
last saturday i hitched the caravan on back of my 300 tdi disco
the day before i checked the fluids and topped up the expansion bottle up .
i got 40 miles on the m11  and then came to a stop battery light came on and i lost all power .
i then lifted bonnt up and water every where i think from bottle i might of over filled it a bit .
waited on m11 for rac and he came and said u poped head gasket straight away .
after 3 and half hours on hard shoulder i got taken home on back of tow truck and caravan on tow .
i borrowed my mates dawoo musso 2.9 td to carry on with my weeks holiday to mablethorpe .got home on saturday i dont think its the head gasket but she wont start i have charged battery up and jump started her
seems that battery fully charged but it sounds like it flat .
my mate said it might be timming belt snapped.
any ideas
thanks

[mickelson]

Out of both of your concerns, i would prefer a head gasket failure to a timing belt failure. alot more damage can occur through belt failure. if it wont start, does it actually crank over and if so, does it seem relatively quicker than normal? the head gasket failing may also produce some emulsified oil in the oil filler cap. have a check there too. the only real way to fully test is to get it cranking over and carry out a compression test. if you havent got the gear then it is probably better you dont attempt it as it is a mechanics job really. this will confirm what is faulty. you could also remove the rocker cover and turn the engine over by hand and make sure that the valves are all operating, this will confirm if your belt is still attached. probably the quickest test!!!

[ESSEXBULLDOG]

thanks for the reply
no white stuft  in oil
it trys to turn over then dies out like a flat battery  noise.
will have another look 2 morrow
thanks

[Jas278]

Timing belt failure is not so bad on a 300 , usually a new belt ,push rods and maybe a rocker, Try turning the engine over with a bar and socket (front pulley) to make sure you have nt overheated ,and seized the engine..

[Lyndsey731]

Pop the oil cap off and get someone to turn it over (any damage will already be done by now), if nothing moves inside the belt has gone, I broke the belt on my old 200, had a Landrover mechanic with me at the time and thats how he checked it, luckily the only damage was four push rods.

Good luck

Gav

[ESSEXBULLDOG]

had a few people look at my disco and we stuck another battery on her and she fired up and drove normal but loads of bubbling in expansion bottle so we all think its the head gasket , i have a bloke coming on tuesday as he is busy till tuesday  he does land rover repairs he said he does loads of them and he charges £200 and thats all in  .
so got to wait till tuesday ....................


just hope its all running for Peterborough  fest.

thanks for the help .................

[Range Rover Blues]

£200 is damn good, I've spent a bomb on Julies after the rad let go on the motorway, £100 on the rad, £32 on the head bolts that fit, £23.50 on the bolts that didn't, £48 on a head gasket set (again much of it is wrong), £15 on antifreeze, £20 on getting the head skimmed, £14 on new valve springs ands £20 on degreaser.  Add in all the other consumables and it's getting expensive.

[mickelson]

best of luck. let us know the outcome mate

[ESSEXBULLDOG]

thanks for all the advice .
 i will let you know how it all goes .
thanks

i did get a quote from a local garage £546.00 the vat added and head skimmed

[Ja1983]

300Tdi`s are prone to head failure, or moreso the headgasket fails, and as a result the head gets scored by pressursed water... possible that water has seeped into the cylinder, hence it woudnt turn over so well..

make sure you get the oil flushed and changed, the water flushed and changed, and the head skimmed...


....and make sure you get the right hed gasket (see the other thread!  :lol: )