Hot LR 90 (literally)

I've heard good reports from adding a wetting agent to the mix but don't add more than the recommended antifreeze it works the other way in making it run hotter after a point is reached. Go the other way and try to reduce the underbonnet temperature I've been very happy with the heat insulating tape I wrapped the manifold with and the bonus is if you do touch it while the engine is still hot you dont end up crispy. Derek

if you find a radiator specialist they should be able to make you one with a bigger core in. Got one made for my 101 and it is great!

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The 101 Forward Control Club and Register

On or around Thu, 28 Jun 2007 19:11:50 +0300, "Geo" enlightened us thusly:

An electric fan in addition to the engine fan would blow harder at low engine/road speeds.

Make sure you get a V8 rad. especially if it's not a factory V8 - if it is then the existing rad should be a V8 one, if not, then the diesel rads are a lower capaicty. When I got a new V8 rad for the 110 after I got fed up with it overheating, I noted that it was bigger than the outgoing one.

If you don't need antifreeze, get rid of it or dilute more - it doesn't improve cooling.

Might be worth putting some engine flush stuff in it and running it for a bit, then drain and refill; although my experience of partly-blocked rads is that the only real solution is a re-core or replacement. Still, flushing the engine out won't hurt; crud in the engine won't improve the heat transfer either.

You can get "water wetter" that you use to replace anti-freeze, some brands make a big thing of their supposed ability to make water fit better around hot components by reducing surface tension, but when they supplied graphs it was very plain that 95% of the effect was entirely due to it having a higher heat absorbtion capability than antifreeze. The best coolant is water alone, but water wetter is like anti-corrosion stuff without the antifreeze and is almost as good at absorbing heat as the water is. Water alone has no anti-corrosion stuff so best steer clear of that.

When you mentioned underbonnet temeperature reduction, you initally made me think of cheesy air scoops... The insulating tape idea sounds interesting, won't that have any side effects however, seen as the manifolds will be unable to expel the heat properly?

The good news is that the heat wave's slowly waning, so I can relax a bit until the next one (probably in a month or so).

Geo

"Austin Shackles" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

That's a decent alternative to an electric-onyl solution, even though I'd rather avoid electric fans. I've witnessed a couple of stealthy failures on a couple of friends' cars (the temp sensor was to blame in both cases apparently) and don't like them ever since.

Radiator's original V8, as that's what the 90 came with from the factory. I'm a bit surprised that Land Rover doesn't seem to have different specification radiators for hotter climates. Not that mine wasn't coping when it was in better condition, but then again Greece is definitely not the hottest place to spot a Land Rover.

As for the antifreeze, isn't it imperative to have an adequate quantity working as a corrosion inhibitor, due to the engine being made of aluminium?

I just got the oil changed (90 just came back from servicing), so I'm not very willing to use an engine flush right now :-) . And from what I gathered, radiator flushes aren't much good allegedly.

Geo

Geo Hi,

reducing the underbonnet temperature is a good thing to do and this will also have a positive effect on the fried undersoles of your shoes when driving the 90 during Greek heatwaves.

Wrapping the exhaust with the heat insulating tape is one of the things to do so. The other one is drilling three round holes of about 3 to 4 cm diameter each at the side of the back of the bonnet (close to the bulkhead and base of the windshield). It is a pretty elegant way to allow heat trapped onto the bonnet to escape and reduce the temperature around your carburators and engine. This will also help your coil since it too does not like high temperatures. And of course will allow the hot air expelled from your radiator to leave the engine bay and not just stay there.

The good thing with this setup (three round holes on each bonnet side) is that it does not look cheesy with grilles, ram air intakes etc. And during winter you can close them with a piece of curved aluminium plating.

It is also not doing any harm when wading through deep water since those holes are away from the spark plugs and the distributor.

IF you need some help on how to do it give me a call. I am also based in Greece so this will not cost you an arm and a leg.

Take care Pantelis

Not so far as I'm aware, its good in our climate (uk) in so far as the heat gets further down the exhaust more quickly allowing condensed water to be evapourated and expelled more quickly rather than remaining inside the system on shorter trips.Should help the exhaust last a bit longer . Back in the day when I ran a hot Mini GT I put a heater matrix plumbed in as an extra cooler worked very nicely until I pulled off the head and radiused the water ways and gaskets to improve flow rates. Try

for details of wraps and fittings tho' they are a lot cheaper on fleabay.Derek

In message , Austin Shackles writes

My 4.0 V8 has one fitted as standard - and it comes in hot weather.

On or around Fri, 29 Jun 2007 14:38:21 +0300, "Geo" enlightened us thusly:

They're built to cope with the hottest places when in proper order. On my

110, in the summer here, it kept overheating 'til I bought a new rad (twas about 80 quid, ISTR) and thereafter it sat nicely down the gauge under any conditions.

It's a good idea to have some, but you don't need as much as for anti-freezing. I only run 25% antifreeze in the UK these days, even in winter.

flushing the cooling system shouldn't affect the oil... I was advocating bunging radflush stuff in the rad, running it for a bit and then drain-and-refill the coolant - it'll not make much difference, but it should help clean out the inside of the water passages in the engine. My experience of trying to flush blocked rads is that it doesn't solve the problem, mainly 'cos once the little tubes are blocked there's no flow in that tube. If you could supply enough water to get a decent pressure gradient down *all* the tubes, then it would probably work (or explode the rad) but you can't do that by any normal means.