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Range Rover Classic (Almost) Dead at 190,000 Miles
The well-beloved 1992 Range Rover basically has a blown engine. Here are the details: Bought at 163,000 miles; engine ran basically well. Driving it all the time, it returned 8-10 mpg in the city, about 14-15 on the highway. It required Super Premium. The engine is the ubiquitous Rover V8 aluminum engine which has powered many Land Rovers for 35 years in its various forms. The engine is essentially an evolved design of a 3.5 liter V8 which Buick designed for GM in the 50's; an engine which was actually supposed to improve mpg! In our case, the engine began to consume a lot of oil. It leaked some, too, but never enough to leave a spot on the driveway. It never smoked, not ever. It did stink when it was run. Using a Lucas Oil additive reduced consumption to a quart every 1500 miles, acceptable in the Rover book with the miles. It always started, even in -40 F weather. Always reliable. Then I discovered that there was some extra pressure in the coolant tank when the engine was cold, and although the coolant was a nice green, it smelled like tailpipe emissions. Right now, you can go right out in the drive where it sits and turn the key and it fires right up. You can take it for a short drive. (It doesn't seem to overheat) However, if you take off any coolant hose or the expansion tank cap, even if the rig has sat for a day, there is so much pressure it will soak the engine compartment and you with coolant. There is so much pressure in the system that little drips of coolant are leaking out of virtually every connection in the cooling system. In the upper portions of the engine (like the EGR pipe and flame trap) there is evidence of coolant / oil mixture, although there remains none on the stick. The Rover experts say that engine compression is going into the cooling system causing the pressure, and that not only is the headgasket junk but the cylinder liners have seperated from the aluminum block. There is no rebuild option. So I can put in another engine, a Rover 3.5, 3.9, 4.0, 4.6. etc. V8.
So, its life was 190k. The rest of the rig is entirely original, with nothing rebuilt. The trans is fine, 4x4 system is impeccable, zero rust on the aluminum body, leather seats look new, factory stereo system is far better than almost everything new. The huge 12 guage steel ladder frame and underbody are perfect. The verdict is that we may put an engine in the rig and move it down the road and buy a Discovery or another Range Rover, but it makes you wonder. Is 190k out of an engine acceptable? How about the Mercedes, which runs perfect but needs a $1,000 headgasket repair at 53,000 miles? The window reg is broken and the stereo is awful.
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________________________ 2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon 2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 SE 1999 Audi A8 4.2L quattro |
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This seems like an obvious question but I have to ask: how old is your radiator cap?
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Everything is original...including the rad cap. There is no blockage in the cooling system.
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________________________ 2002 Mercedes-Benz E320 4Matic 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Wagon 2005 Land Rover LR3 V8 SE 1999 Audi A8 4.2L quattro |
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The M104 engine you own may require a headgasket at 53,000 miles, but with care the the bottom end will last a hulluva lot longer than 190K-miles.
Why fix the RR and then sell it? If the rest of it is in perfect shape, then replace the engine and get your money's worth out of the repair.
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John Shellenberg 1998 C230 "Black Betty" 240K http://img31.exs.cx/img31/4050/tophat6.gif |
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Quote:
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dtf 1994 E320 Wagon (Died @ 308,669 miles) 1995 E300 Diesel (228,000) 1999 E300 Turbodiesel ( died @ 255,000) 2006 Toyota Tundra SR5 AC 4X4 (115,000 miles) rusted frame - sold to chop shop 2011 Audi A4 Avant (165,000 miles) Seized engine - donated to Salvation Army BMW 330 xi 6 speed manual (175,034 miles) 2014 E350 4Matic Wagon 128,000 miles 2018 Dodge Ram 21,000 miles |
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