P38 diesel Burst Radiator

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parranger

Member
Posts
59
Location
Near Durham, UK
On a short journey which involved climbing a steep long bank I had to pull over as steam was coming from the bonnet. At this point the temerature was still showing normal ie 11.00 O'clock. Lifting the lid... water everywhere and a big hole in the felt lining! The radiator had split along the top seam (new last December). The car was recovered to the Land Rover garage where a radiator was fitted. Running the car up to temperature a 'sniff' test showed no gas in the water system and no pressure leak.

Anyone got any idea as to the possible cause
 
parranger said:
On a short journey which involved climbing a steep long bank I had to pull over as steam was coming from the bonnet. At this point the temerature was still showing normal ie 11.00 O'clock. Lifting the lid... water everywhere and a big hole in the felt lining! The radiator had split along the top seam (new last December). The car was recovered to the Land Rover garage where a radiator was fitted. Running the car up to temperature a 'sniff' test showed no gas in the water system and no pressure leak.

Anyone got any idea as to the possible cause
Click to expand...

Sounds like the ubiquitous crap radiator problem. I need to replace mine, but all the replacements seem to be prone to splitting so I've not done it yet.

If it's that new, you ought to be able to get it replaced under warranty (except that you've already had to replace it).

Guy
 
When I replaced mine one dealer refused to offer a guarantee at all saying they all go sooner or later. Does your confidence no good. I tried to get a metal one but they are about £350.
Island 4x4 offer a full 1 year guarantee against a faulty rad but I reckon they too would wriggle and try to blame the car or fitter. One member on here had the plastic replaced with aluminium by an aircraft engineer and reckoned it cost about the same as a new rad! Now there's an idea.
 
enery8 said:
When I replaced mine one dealer refused to offer a guarantee at all saying they all go sooner or later. Does your confidence no good. I tried to get a metal one but they are about £350.
Island 4x4 offer a full 1 year guarantee against a faulty rad but I reckon they too would wriggle and try to blame the car or fitter. One member on here had the plastic replaced with aluminium by an aircraft engineer and reckoned it cost about the same as a new rad! Now there's an idea.
Click to expand...

There's someone on rr.net selling all aluminium rads, but the postage from the US would probably make it prohibitive.

I only need to replace mine because the stupid plastic pipe at the top of the stupid plastic tank has snapped off (not by me) and it's getting tedious having to top it up every week now the goop that was used to try and mend it has failed.
 
Why does everyone seem to have cooling problems with there land rovers? I read my radiator did this or that. I've got radiator in my vehicles that have plastic tanks and aluminum fins no problem one with 300k miles one with 175k miles and one with 87k miles. It scares me as to why LR has cooling problems. Are the defenders the only one's that don't have radiator problems, as the other models have?
 
kooky_guy said:
There's someone on rr.net selling all aluminium rads, but the postage from the US would probably make it prohibitive.

I only need to replace mine because the stupid plastic pipe at the top of the stupid plastic tank has snapped off (not by me) and it's getting tedious having to top it up every week now the goop that was used to try and mend it has failed.
Click to expand...
Do you have radiator repair shops in the UK?
 
john winsemius said:
Why does everyone seem to have cooling problems with there land rovers? I read my radiator did this or that. I've got radiator in my vehicles that have plastic tanks and aluminum fins no problem one with 300k miles one with 175k miles and one with 87k miles. It scares me as to why LR has cooling problems. Are the defenders the only one's that don't have radiator problems, as the other models have?
Click to expand...

On the diesel P38 it's partly due to the stupid design with both pipes going into the top of the rad. Then of course you have the renowned poor quality of LR products.:mad:
 
Thanks for all the responses. I am inclined to think that the problem is with the radiator design as it defies logic to understand how an engineering designer could even think of locating the inlet and outlet at the top!! I have replaced the headertank cap as a precaution.

The radiator was replaced last year as it was thought to have have been blocked causing overheating. The problem turned out to be a failed cylinderhead and gasket (yes both). Will keep a close watch on the water as I am not confident that the problem has been solved with a new radiator.
 
A further comment on the 'stupid plastic pipe ' breaking off this is a problem that the local LR garage has experienced is due to the way the suppliers pack the radiators and is a common occurrence!!
 
Seems to me that a plastic top is just asking for trouble too.

So can anyone recommend a supplier of radiators that last more than a couple of months?

Island's seem suspiciously cheap, but happy to go with them if others recommend them.
 
john winsemius said:
Is this just this model of P38 or is this common on the other land rover cars?
Click to expand...

Its mainly the design of the radiator that the problem the diesels have the coolant input and output flows in the top header tank. The coolant has to travel down, across and up to exit the rad. So one side of the header tank is hot and the other is cooler/cold, the plastic doesn't like different tempertures and splits.

Where the petrols have the standard layout of input flow at the top and output flow at the bottom.
 
Last edited:
john winsemius said:
Is this just this model of P38 or is this common on the other land rover cars?
Click to expand...

John it is the diesel P38 that suffers this. Normally hot water enters top of rad and cooled water is drawn from bottom. On the diesel hot water comes in the top goes down one side of rad and back up other side and is taken out of top at opposite side. There is a baffle in the middle of the top tank to make this happen. If the baffle fails water just flows across the top of the rad, does not get cooled and after a time the plastic top fails through heat fatigue.
 
zzr1200 said:
Its mainly the design of the radiator that the problem the diesels have the coolant input and output flows in the top header tank. The coolant has to travel down, across and up to exit the rad.

Where the petrols have the standard layout of input flow at the top and output flow at the bottom.
Click to expand...

But the petrols also seem to suffer from split tanks.
 
wammers said:
John it is the diesel P38 that suffers this. Normally hot water enters top of rad and cooled water is drawn from bottom. On the diesel hot water comes in the top goes down one side of rad and back up other side and is taken out of top at opposite side. There is a baffle in the middle of the top tank to make this happen. If the baffle fails water just flows across the top of the rad, does not get cooled and after a time the plastic top fails through heat fatigue.
Click to expand...
Finally a straight answer and good explanation of how it work and fails. thanks
 
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