I used to cover the radiator grill of my old 4 cyl petrol '90 during the very cold weather to help the engine warm up quicker - it worked well.
I'm wondering if there are any risks doing this with my current 300tdi '90, considering the intercooler and small radiator mounted next to the main radiator. I know the really cold snap appears to have ended, but during the coldest days the engine would not reach normal temperature(the viscous fan is working properly), until I covered the grill completely. This made a world of difference and allowed for normal temperature(and effective heater) on short and longer trips alike.
I had the same issue with my 300tdi 110, which also meant that the heater was rubbish.
I ended up replacing the thermostat and upgrading the heater matrix to the later type. My heater now works perfectly (I have to turn it down) and the temperature guage runs around 25% higher. I did the thermostat upgrade during the (soon to return) cold weather and the difference was immidiate!
The new thermostat was under £4, and fitting involves removing two bolts, taking out the old and putting in the new. Under 5 mins.......
If you choose to cover the radiator - just cover the main radiator and leave the intercooler/oil cooler open.
If its owt like the rest of the Landrover fleet they have summer and winter stats.. or no doubt refered to as stats for warmer climates and those for the baltic ones.
It may be as simple as the old stat in knackerd. Or the Rad furred up. My
110 TD is toasty, but then I don't do much dual carriageway and motorway which would really cool a diesel down pdq.
The upgrade was the heater unit rather than the thermostat which was simply a standard 300TDi thermostat from the 4x4 store in Exeter (Bearmach suppliers). When I ran the engine with the old thermostat for around 15 mins to warm it up, the temperature guage hadn't moved off minimum, but I noticed that the top hose to the radiator was starting to warm up. I also noticed that the temperature guage when I parked up (running the engine) dropped a long way during the cold period with the engine at tick over - OR when I drove fast on the motorway. It used to have a sweet point at which the engine was working hard but I wasn't moving fast (low ratio off roading for example) when the heater did work well and the tempertaure sat at a good level.
The engine is a 300 TDi but the vehicle is an 1989 110 (so originally had a
2.5 Turbo). It has a viscous fan.
With the old thermostat, the tempertaure guage ran at wround 1/3 - it now runs just over 1/2 and doesn't go up or down.
The upgrade was the heater. I read somewhere that Land Rover introduced a new heater in the mid 1990's - it could be recognosed by the pipes coming from it - on the older heater they come out and point DOWNWARDS - on the new heater they come out at the top and point out horizontally.
Examples on Ebay - early type -
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Later type -
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The later type heater is a direct replacement for the earlier one (bolt holes in same place etc) but seems to be much more efficient. I bought a heater unit as I don't think the new type radiator fits the old type unit. Fitting took around an hour and the heater unit (box/Fan/Matrix etc) cost around £60.
Was it worth it? YES!! This is my second Land Rover (I had a SIII 88 before) and it is the first time i have bene able to use one in the depths of winter and be warm (maybe even hot) inside!
I'll probably change the stat when it's convenient, although the engine's normal warm-up rate hasn't noticeably changed in nearly ten years. I'd just put it down to the very cold air cooling the block directly, but you never know! Your input is valued.
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