Disco 300 Tdi getting hot under load.

As subject says, Discovery 300Tdi '96/97 3 door manual, just had head gasket replaced. Runs great solo, around town etc until we either load it fully with five people and luggage, or tow, or try to maintain motorway speeds.

Solo, above 65 mph the engine starts to get hot, if we go to 70 the gauge will creep up to the red mark, but then I slowed down ... When towing the caravan, or when loaded fully we have to keep to 50 or less and any incline makes the gauge creep up. I took the caravan, with wife and kids, to Skegness this weekend and came back solo.

Previous to the head gasket blowing and being replaced I could tow at any speed, any weight, loaded, unloaded etc with the temp gauge never rising above horizontal. It's as though the cooling system is blocked, or struggling to cool at higher engine loads.

Anyone a clue as to what I ought to do to solve this?

I'm not too good on diesel (or petrol for that matter unless they're 2 stroke m/cycle Trials bikes) engines but am learning fast ... ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx
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Re-do the head gasket job, and this time do it properly.

Reply to
EMB

I didb't do it, but IKWYM.

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Have a look at the back of the radiator (take the cowl out . The front can look absolutely fine, but the back can have almost all the small vanes missing. In that state it will give exactly the symptoms you desribe.

Richard

Reply to
beamendsltd

eckon you need to look at your fan - are the bearings knackerd?

Change the viscous fan - I am sure this sounds liek a fan problem.

Andy

Reply to
Andrew Renshaw

Hi Paul, if you had a head gasket replaced, and I'm guessing this caused the head to overheat, I would suggest that you remove the radiator and get it to a radiator shop to dismantle and flush out.

When the head gets overheated, it dumps a lot of rubbish into the radiator. I have just been through this process, and we found the radiator was 36% blocked.

Cheers

Phillip

Reply to
Phillip Simpson

On or around Wed, 16 Aug 2006 17:28:33 +1000, Phillip Simpson enlightened us thusly:

that or replace the rad.

now that's a good tip, though. might be how the disco here ended up doing it's head gasket again. I'll definitely investigate, when I get to repairing it. The disco TDi rad is already smaller than a V8 one so as to make room for the intercooler, and so if it's partly blocked, it could easily not provide enough cooling for hard work or hot weather.

Reply to
Austin Shackles

beamendsltd came up with the following;:

Cheers for that, but no, all looks fine on t'outside.

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Phillip Simpson came up with the following;:

Cheers, I hadn't thought of that and will give it a try when I get the vehicle back and a tuit. I guess a lot depends on what it's like when I get it back, though I guess I'll do it myself this time.

Currently the vehicle is at RCV in Doncaster (they who did the head first time round) with the head off apparently being pressure tested. It seems they didn't do this first time round as "...it was obvious where the gasket had gone, though there looked to be no other damage..."

Need it back by tomorrow too as wife and kids are still in Skegness and I need (well, need might be too strong a word) to get them and the caravan home ... ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Austin Shackles came up with the following;:

That's what I was thinking, but I hadn't thought of the gasket blowing putting any more 'bits' into the system, but it's pretty obvious when it's mentioned ... ;) I'm waiting for a call to tell me mine's ready (again) and will immediately give it a thrash up the motorway to check it ... ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

On Wed, 16 Aug 2006 11:14:22 +0100, "Paul - xxx" scribbled the following nonsense:

if you are stuck tomorrow, mail me off list, just ROT 13 the addy. Smegness is only 3/4 hour away.

Reply to
Simon Isaacs

Simon Isaacs came up with the following;:

Cheers for that, much appreciated. I think we'll be OK though as she's decided she and the kids can stay until at least Saturday evening now and we won't need to get her home until Sunday, maybe even Monday/Tuesday if the weather is [1] anything like reasonable as it's the school holidays so there's no pressing reason to come home .... I'm not sure I can standpeace & quiet in the house for much longer though ... ;)

[1] I'm fervently praying for high pressure and a heatwave ... ;)
Reply to
Paul - xxx

|| Need it back by tomorrow too as wife and kids are still in Skegness || and I need (well, need might be too strong a word) to get them and ^^^^ || the caravan home ... ;)

Ought?

Reply to
Richard Brookman

beamendsltd came up with the following;:

Bang on, Richard. I'd looked down and could only see the bottom third of the rad which looked fine. When we took the cowling off 2/3rds of the rad vanes were missing, new rad fitted and all's hunky dory.

It's gotta be said .... I owe you one Richard, thanks, much appreciated.

I called Richard Monday evening, he could get a radiator for us quickly and indeed it was delivered today and fitted, despite my best efforts to screw with Richards systems. I'd given him the wrong credit card number and not even asked him to courier it to us. Despite that it's now all sorted, and within 20 ,inutes of being fitted the rad (and the Disco) pulled the caravan up the M18 from J4 to J1, which if anyone knows it is a long uphill slog, at between 60 and 70 4th and 5th gear with absolutely no movement of the temperature gauge at all.

Result.

Off to Telford tomorrow with full Disco and full caravan ... ;)

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Paul - xxx uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Excellent work!

Give us a wave if you pass us on the M6 South, Ace Jubilee Globe trotter pushing a 101 Ambi ;-)

Lee D

Reply to
Lee_D

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