Cooling system probs - 90 2.5TD

I could do with some urgent assistance to diagnose the cooling fault which has just developed on my 90 2.5TD, since the 406 is off at the menders again for a week, so the LR is the only transport I have for the moment and it's just let me down.

The vehicle is on its original engine (156000 miles) with, (so far as I can tell since I've only had it about a year) no major services or repairs. It uses almost no oil, which given what I have heard about this engine at this milage I find pretty surprising.

Normally it's used for tootling round the Peak District - rarely more than 15 miles from home - but last weekend (New Year's day) I did a run from near Buxton down to Ross on Wye and back to collect a dumper. It behaved pretty well, but seemed to get quite hot when towing the loaded trailer (upper end of the white section on the dial - never into the red while the engine was running although it would sneak up when the engine was turned off).

Tonight, I have just set out on a short journey and after about three miles, the heater went cold (it's never been very hot, but it actually went from warm to cold this time) and the temperature gauge rushed up to the red region. I stopped and took a look under the bonnet and while the cooling system cap blew steam at me when I (carefully, and with gloves on!) loosened it, the fan drive was loose (ie.e the viscous coupling was not hot) and the engine block was still cold enough to be able to touch with a hand.

I've let the thing cool for twenty minutes (easily long enough - it's well below zero on Tideswell Moor tonight! ) and then driven it home. On the way home, the needle went up to the red, then came down and then went back up again.

My inclination is to think that the thermostat is buggered, and I'll go and take it off in a minute and see what happens without it, but if anyone can confirm this, or give me any other ideas (or, more significantly, tell me if they think this is a pre-cursor to something more serious, such as water pump failure), I'd be grateful.

TIA

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Williams
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When was the last time you replaced the coolant? My guess is that it was filled with slush and chunks of ice due to the coolant losing its anti-freeze properties.

If you're not sure, take a little coolant out and put it in a non-food container. Place the container in the deep freeze overnight. If it freezes or slushes then you need to drain and replace the coolant.

Reply to
PDannyD

I had the exact same symptom on a Disco 300TDi, it ended up being a head gasket failure which was preceded by pressure build up and it blew the water pump gasket, I would get it checked ASAP.

A.

Reply to
Andrew Cooke

sounds like water is not reaching the heater

did you notice if the coolant level was lower than normal?

Well - it does sound like you're losing cooolant fluid. As for how serious that is will depend on what you find when digging around.

Reply to
William Tasso

On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 09:35:38 +0000, William Tasso wrote (in article ):

I took the thermostat out (managing to shear off two of the bolts in the process - those new stud removers I got for Christmas were a blessing!). Put it all back together without ithe thermostat but had to put an extra gallon of coolant in! It now runs, cold as expected.

So, as you say, it's loosing coolant, and I guess (from Andrew's comment) that it's probably the head gasket which has gone. There's no sign of water in the engine oil, so presumably this means the water is escaping into a pot and out of the exhaust.

What are the risks from running this for a short while (on short runs) without attempting to fix it ? - stripping the head off was really not in the list of things to do this weekend. Also, apart from a new gasket, what other bits are going to be required (assuming I do not find any other horror stories once it's in pieces)?

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Williams

Before whipping the head off, have a look at the back (i.e. inside the engine bay) of the radiator - are the fins in good order? If not this can lead to over heating when working harder than normal, and possibly your trip dumped the water - certainly the heater stopping working is a classic loss of coolant indicator.

If the rad is in good knick, then sadly the head gasket is suspect - run the engine with the raditor cap off - does water get pumped out?

Richard

Reply to
beamendsltd

Well, that's what I thought with my V8 (an opinion bolstered by replies in here[1]) but a quick look by a local knowledgeable one identified the water pump as the problem - play on the shaft that drives the fan letting water escape. Obvious when you know, but meaningless if you don't.

I'd recommend getting help from a pro with the diagnosis even if you're up to tackling the tasks yourself - no point in needless work.

or a leak hose/joint perhaps (if you're lucky) - not enough info to tell.

Well - you know what the book answer is. The application of common sense is up to you. I guess it depends on the rate of fluid loss. For my part I limited journeys to gathering tools/materials required for the task.

In any event, good luck.

[1] news:alt.fan.landrover
Reply to
William Tasso

On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 12:30:22 +0000, beamendsltd wrote (in article ):

Thanks, Richard.

A thought though: could water in the cylinder be the cause of the misfire when starting from cold which I posted about before Christmas?

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Williams

It's certainly a possibility, but could also be a red herring!

Richard

Reply to
beamendsltd

In article , beamendsltd writes

Nah. It'd never get through a split that size...

... I'll get me coat.

Simonm.

Reply to
SpamTrapSeeSig

On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 16:08:38 +0000, SpamTrapSeeSig wrote (in article ):

We know where you live.....

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Williams

Perhaps I'll repaint the Landy this week-end rather than in the summer...

Regards,

Simonm.

Reply to
SpamTrapSeeSig

On Fri, 6 Jan 2006 15:17:17 +0000, beamendsltd wrote (in article ):

Put a new thermostat in this morning and it's behaving as normal again. No obvious signs of leaks, but it's a cold and claggy morning here and it's difficult to distinguish spillage from the removal of the thermostat housing, splashes from water off the road from anything newly leaked from the cooling system.

More significantly (I hope!) there is no sign of any pressurisation of the cooling system from the cylinders, either when cold or hot. I take this to be a good sign with regard to the head gasket.

I'm going to keep a close eye on it for a while, and hopefully it will keep going until the weather is a bit more conducive to working outside. The timing belt needs doing shortly, so this will provide a good opportunity for close inspection of the radiator and water pump etc, and I will have my other wheels back by then.

Nick.

Reply to
Nick Williams

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