Hi folks!

My name is Lee, from Bridgend, South Wales.

Made a random Copart purchase a few weeks ago, been on the look out for an L200 for a little while, happened to see one come up for auction at a decent price, so popped in a bid...and one!

First came celebration, then came trepidation, now regret haha
2005 K74 was delivered today, fairly tidy overall. Didn't start as battery was flat. So just left it outside my house whilst i went back to work.
Popped home lunchtime to put the battery on charge, thought i would give it a closer look over, pulled out the dipstick..........what can only be described as milky tea! Oh ****!

So, it looks like my bargain, isn't a bargain after all!

Need some experienced k74 owners to hit me with possibilities. could it be just a headgasket? or is the head likely to be toast too?

Cheers

Lee (entering L200 ownership with a bang! hah)

Welcome in, Let me switch up our resident greasy wrenchers. @123hotchef @krutly @ronniecabers . I have seen this a few times, up to and including a muppet accidentally pouring coolant in the oil filler.... finger's crossed.

Fingers crossed indeed! hah

Hello there

me, I'd be dropping the oil and water and filling with new stuff
then I'd be putting a new battery on it
then I'd be trying to start it to see how it goes

if it overheats it's probably head gasket
if there's bubbles in the expansion tank it's probably head gasket
if the oil and water are mixing making milky tea again it's probably head gasket

dont be too put off as the head gaskets are the weak points in these trucks and once sorted properly they should be fine
you aren't the first person to buy a truck with head issues and you certainly wont be the last
many people will flog on a truck to the next person for a 'bargain' rather than fix the problem themselves
a lot of people opt for a new head from milners or the like as spending a few hundred quid for a new one if often better than having an old one checked and skimmed
if you are replacing the head and or fitting a new gasket then now would be the ideal time to change all the belts too while it's in bits
a new water pump, thermostat and possibly a bottom pulley should cue any future problems while you're at it
cleaning the radiator inside and out is a good shout as you've gotta take it off to get at the oily bits anyways
getting the timing and fuel pump timing spot on is an artform but there's plenty on here that's give you good advice on that

worth having a good look over the chassis especially the front end crossmember area and likewise the rear crossmember as there is no point spending good money sorting the engine on something that's gonna fail the MOT on terminal rust issues shortly down the line

do have in mind though that no matter how much you spend on one of these trucks there is an upper price that they are worth so spending lots of bucks on a new engine (avoids recons at all costs) wont make it worth any more than other similar trucks for sale out there
my best guess price range wise is a non runner the ball park figure is gonna be 500 quid to a thousand
a truck with no engine issues and a full MOT should be 2 grand most of the time
and a minter is gonna be 3 grand plus (or whatever someone else is willing to pay)
if you're fixing it to sell on then there's probably not much (if any ) money to be made
if you're fixing it to keep then you'll get hooked on these trucks and be doing modifications to it in no time as they are addictive

out of interest, what have you got ?
is it a double cab ? extra cab ? single cab ?
is it a 4work ? 4life ? warrior ? animal ?
what's the bodywork and interior like ?
how many miles has it got ? any service history ?

Quote: krutly wrote in post #4

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Hello there

me, I'd be dropping the oil and water and filling with new stuff
then I'd be putting a new battery on it
then I'd be trying to start it to see how it goes

if it overheats it's probably head gasket
if there's bubbles in the expansion tank it's probably head gasket
if the oil and water are mixing making milky tea again it's probably head gasket

dont be too put off as the head gaskets are the weak points in these trucks and once sorted properly they should be fine
you aren't the first person to buy a truck with head issues and you certainly wont be the last
many people will flog on a truck to the next person for a 'bargain' rather than fix the problem themselves
a lot of people opt for a new head from milners or the like as spending a few hundred quid for a new one if often better than having an old one checked and skimmed
if you are replacing the head and or fitting a new gasket then now would be the ideal time to change all the belts too while it's in bits
a new water pump, thermostat and possibly a bottom pulley should cue any future problems while you're at it
cleaning the radiator inside and out is a good shout as you've gotta take it off to get at the oily bits anyways
getting the timing and fuel pump timing spot on is an artform but there's plenty on here that's give you good advice on that

worth having a good look over the chassis especially the front end crossmember area and likewise the rear crossmember as there is no point spending good money sorting the engine on something that's gonna fail the MOT on terminal rust issues shortly down the line

do have in mind though that no matter how much you spend on one of these trucks there is an upper price that they are worth so spending lots of bucks on a new engine (avoids recons at all costs) wont make it worth any more than other similar trucks for sale out there
my best guess price range wise is a non runner the ball park figure is gonna be 500 quid to a thousand
a truck with no engine issues and a full MOT should be 2 grand most of the time
and a minter is gonna be 3 grand plus (or whatever someone else is willing to pay)
if you're fixing it to sell on then there's probably not much (if any ) money to be made
if you're fixing it to keep then you'll get hooked on these trucks and be doing modifications to it in no time as they are addictive

out of interest, what have you got ?
is it a double cab ? extra cab ? single cab ?
is it a 4work ? 4life ? warrior ? animal ?
what's the bodywork and interior like ?
how many miles has it got ? any service history ?

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Ok, I think Krutly has that well and truly covered lol,. I might forego the battery though, just see if it charges first

@krutly Thank you for your response/suggestions, they are very much appreciated!

I'm not put off at all, just nice to have the view/opinion of more experienced owners.

My initial plan was, as mentioned, drop all fluids and renew, test and take it from there. I have already purchased a full gasket kit from Milners, due to be delivered tomorrow.

Should have mentioned that haha, its a 2005 Warrior double cab, body work is very clean for the age, no dents etc. leather is in decent condition and no rust at all

sounds like it's worth repairing then

might be worth pointing out a few other things like the egr valve and cooler that may have issues
the coolers have been known on rare occasions to go porous and allow hot gasses into the cooling system
the egr valves can stick and cause running issues
there is a kit you can get off ebay or the like for around a tenner to remove these issues
however
there are now new stricter rules in place for emissions controls for the MOT and removal of all the cooler and valve may cause a failure
it's been fine for the last ten years or so as has the removal of the catalytic converters but there may be many owners running foul of these new stricter regulations
I'm sure the same effect can be achieved by just blanking off the egr system rather than removing it altogether
@123hotchef or maybe someone else may be able to confirm if this is possible

ideally before you replace the head gasket , it would be nice to know what caused it to fail in the first place so as to avoid the new gasket failing due to a previous fault
a blocked rad ? a thermostat not working ? faulty egr ? poorly done previous repair ? running it low on oil and water ? airlock in the coolant system ? faulty radoator cap ? water leak ?
only time my temp gauge went above exactly half way was when (unbeknown to me) I had a pipe leaking and I got low on coolant
I pulled over immediately and topped up with water
found the leaking pipe and replaced it
never had an issue ever again and my truck is still running sweet for it's new owner many years later

yeh just blank the egr to rule it out but may as well remove the lot why u r at it.

dont forget the drain plug in the side of the block when u flush the coolant out

Yes, will definitely investigate all the mentioned possible causes

The previous owner has already done the EGR delete.

Rad is empty, expansion tank also

Plug from the rad fan is disconnected at the bulk head

Sump is (estimated) 1-2 litres over the fill marker with the "milky tea"

Quote: krutly wrote in post #4

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Hello there


you aren't the first person to buy a truck with head issues and you certainly wont be the last

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Reckon Tek's comment applies way more to the owners than the trucks... Personally I'd want to have a good look at the rest of the truck before spending shed loads on the engine.

Totally agree, i have had a good look around the truck, seems to be in pretty decent shape, bodywork is straight, just needs a clean. Undercarriage seems tidy, just a few spots of surface rust.

Here's a few pics

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looks like a nice one

Put your vehicle reg into the online MOT checker, you'll be able to get some history of your vehicle, problems, and where it was MOT'd www(dot)check-mot.service(dot)gov(dot)uk