How much time for a head gaskeet shop day?

I posted for a mechanic recommendation in the Discovery section. But I may be able to squeeze it in myself. How big of a job is the headgasket on a D1 given the following pre-teardown assessment:

- gradual loss of coolant over time (months)
- clear coolant but film on surface in overflow
- clear oil with no signs of coolant

Can this job be a pull-it & replace, or are they typically more involved?

Thanks,

Tom P.

Head gaskets can be done at home and it is something that can be done with tools that most people own. Probobly the most technical tool required is a torque wrench. I have done head gaskets on a V-6 Mitubishi engine in a Dodge Mini-van and that wasn't too bad but I also had time to play with it. It was in my garage for a month for the duration of the surgery.

All accesories (A/C, alt., power steering pump) will have to be taken off the engine, fluids drained, exaust manifolds removed, intake manifold removed, valve covers removed to access head bolts. Heads should be taken to a shop to be checked for warping but can be put right back on if nothing looks bad and you feel very lucky. Scrape off the old gasket, clean everything up and put heads back on. New intake gasket, new exaust manifold gasket.

Lots of stuff to consider and it can go VERY badly. But it can also go swimmingly, it all depends on the particular engine.

If none of this sounded scarry then go for it at home, but if the idea of open heart surgery on your beloved LR and the possibility of not getting the engine back together again scares the crap out of you then bite the bullet and take it to a garage. The cost of having somebody else do it and then having them liable for anything that goes wrong would be peace of mind and still be cheaper than a new car payment.

And, I wouldn't recommend re-using the headbolts; best to order a head gasket set, even though it will include a few bits you won't need; I replace the intake manifold end clamps as well; might as well replace the thermostat while you are in there.
The last one I did was done same day while the customer helped! And it didn't cost extra! Probably didn't take any longer ,either!

X2 on the head gasket kit with new head bolts. Best $140 you can spend.