Thanks Gilbert, doesn't look like many of them apply to me then. I think the metal gasket might actually fit the pipe on the front of the inlet manifold, but I don't know whether I should leave it alone since it wasn't leaking, or do it. I know which is the safer option.

Is it worth doing the throttle body heater gasket too, or am I better leaving that alone too?

If it looks like it's been leaking, then you might as well do it. But, if it all looks OK, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Not broke, won't fix it ;)

Parcel day, woo.

Got my replacement rocker cover bolts to do away with the stupid splined ones. Couple of 22mm to 16mm pipe reducers for the LPG set up. Replacement fan cowling as mine was broken on one edge. And waiting on the Island 4x4 drop later today with what should be the remainder of the bits to get it running again (various vacuum/coolant hoses etc).

Yay delivery!

Exhaust nuts and studs, o-rings for the injectors (ordered these before checking what was in the head gasket kit, so got a load of spares now), replacement nuts for wiper arms, three breather pipes and two coolant lines (the rad to reservoir one and the throttle body to reservoir one).

Not quite a grom, though. But then I have no original head unit, so that wouldn't get me very far.

It's still like a mini Christmas , unpacking those boxes of nice clean shiny goodies. Shame your wiper arm nuts are going to be hidden forever under the plastic caps though.

I'll know they're tidy, though.. ;)

Besides, it's a Rangey, forever is about 2 weeks.

Yep- that's about how long before the ball joints wear out on the linkage and you have to take them off to replace.
Actually, the ball joints seem to last quite well. On the '95 with 130k miles they're original with no slack. On the 02 with 287k they were knackered.

Well, it lives. That's the good news.

Some blue smoke under full throttle in sport, although that may have been clearing up as time went on. Got dark though so couldn't see as well.

More immediately though, the main issue is the coolant. I'm not sure if it just needs more bleeding, but every time the throttle is blipped, you can hear bubbles in the pipes from the heater matrix. Also, the big top hose is pressurising.

Hoping that it isn't something up with the head gaskets. :(

Cheered up slightly by the lovely noise it makes whilst giving it a leaden foot. :)

If you can hear bubbles, there's air in there. Air will definitely cause it to pressurise too. There's pressurising and there's getting hard due to thermal expansion, the top hose will get harder, just not rock hard. Make sure you have no hoses higher than the reservoir so any air makes it's way back there.

Aye, me and Gordon had at it for a fair while but either couldn't get all the air, or more is getting in somewhere.

Unrelated, anyone know what size socket is needed for the knock sensor? Turns out that's also been previously bodged by someone on the right hand bank.

Gems is 26mm, Bosch has a stud with 13mm nut. For Gems you need a ring or open end spanner thoug, a socket won't fit over the blue part.

Thanks ferryman, reckon a deep 26 would go on? I ask because its supposed to be torqued up on fitting.

Right getting a bit narked with this coolant issue now. Nothing I do seems to make the blindest bit of difference.

Deep 26mm should do the job nicely. As for the air locks, as the block has been completely drained down, it can be a real bitch to bleed all the air out. I take off the top hose and start by filling through the stub on the inlet manifold. Once that is full, fit the top hose and disconnect the bleed hose from the top of the radiator. Fill the expansion tank until coolant flows out of the bleed nipple on the radiator then fit the hose. Top up the expansion tank and give the top hose a squeeze, you should see a jet of water from the bleed hose just inside the expansion tank neck. Then start the final bleeding by squeezing the top hose, put your finger over the hole where the jet of coolant came out and release the hose. Keep doing that until no more air is coming out of the bleed hose or bubbling into the expansion tank from the return hose. If you give the top hose a few more quick squeezes, you'll be able to hear if there is any air still in there. If there is, run the engine for a few minutes to circulate the coolant and then give it another squeeze, plug, release session.

Check that the bleed hose is clear and that the hole into the expansion tank is clear too. If there's a blockage there you'll never get all the air out.

The connection between the radiator and the bleed hose isn't ideal, due to a previous owners bodge. That joint ends up with fluid spraying out after driving it. Could that also be allowing air back in, or air locking the bleed hose?

The hose itself has been blown through with an air line, and the jet is as clear as I can achieve. There is some flow through it, but not as much as on Gordon's.

mace wrote:

There is some flow through it, but not as much as on Gordon's.

Poke a bit of wire through it. It needs to be completely clear. If the hose isn't good, replace it with a bit of 8mm ID fuel hose for the time being.

The hose isn't the issue. I replaced it with a land rover original so have two hoses now both of which are fine.

The issue is that the bleed pipe outlet on the rad was previously snapped off, and someone has put a piece of copper pipe in the hole, threaded on the one end so it screws in. The copper pipe is ever so slightly narrower than either hose. I even tried sticking a bit of fuel hose on there which was a much tighter fit, and it still ends up spraying out under pressure.

I could change the rad, but it was working in this configuration before, so it really should still work. And I have no confidence that changing it will make any difference.

There's the LPG reducer, I could remove that. But its always roasting hot once engine is warm, so doubt its the problem.

Also, the hevac is pretty steadfastly refusing to put out any heat, blend motors are working fine but temperature at vents doesn't change. Pipes into and out of the heater are hot. Inlet is roasting, outlet slightly less so. Hevac temperature sender agrees with dash and agrees with my hand when pipe is touched.

Half tempted to buy one of the vacuum filler things, but they are expensive and, again, my confidence is low.

Sigh.

If the vapouriser is getting hot it must be flowing through the heater matrix! Have you tried just taking the blend motors off and pulling the levers all the way forwards to see what happens?

Maybe driving the driver's side up on a ramp so the tank is the highest point would help.