Radiator leak and damaged condenser - confused.....

This site contains affiliate links for which LandyZone may be compensated if you make a purchase.
JamesBB

JamesBB

Well-Known Member
Posts
787
Location
Sandwich. Kent.
Hi All

I posted a thread on a leaking rad before, but I decided to split out my latest request for advice in this new thread, mainly as I am confused.

It is a 4.6 V8, and seems to have had a bump in the front before I owned it.

Looking at the condenser it is physically bent at the bottom, definite arc there. Looking behind that (from underneath) I can see the main rad has been pushed back about a quarter inch or so, enough to snap off the plastic locating posts at the bottom of the rad. I can see coolant around here where it has been leaking out slowly.

My aim was to replace both rad and condenser. But this has raised a few queries after reading the forum and Rave.

Is the oil cooler sitting between the rad and condenser?

Rave suggests I need to take the bumper off, really?

What about the oil cooler? Obviously if it is damaged it will need replacing, but if it is undamaged is it easy or necessary to take this out to remove the other two?

Thanks in advance. This is getting a little worrying. Happy to do a lot of work like this myself, but the job seems to be getting bigger.......

Cheers
James
 
no need to remove bumper will all come out bit tight, just need some long extensions to get to the lower bolts of the ac condenser so you can reach threw the lower grill of the front bumper the rest is easy to access with the grill and slam panel off.
the oil cooler on a diesel is in between the condenser and rad not sure about the v8 but it is all easy stuff!
 
Two oil coolers between rad and condensor. Upper one is engine oil cooler, lower one gearbox oil cooler. If it's an auto.
 
Thanks guys. It is an auto.

Looks like I need to get the ac condenser out first and assess the damage (if any) to the oil coolers.

Do the oil coolers come out to change these 2? Assess the potential damage first I guess.

More costs......... geeeeeeeeeez.
After this i need 4 new airbags and tyres.
Non stop.
 
Given that you reckon the front has had a Prang it may worth pulling the bumper off just so you can see any other possible damage. Removing the bumper is a quick and simple task. 2 bolts at the front and a clip at each side. disconnect the wires and breathers to the fogs and just lift it off. Takes about 30 mins including stopping for tea.:D
 
In that case you are right, I will take it off.

Sounds easier than the rear bumper, that looks a pain.

Thanks for the advice, will keep you posted.
 
Update:
Bumper off - nice and easy, thanks. Slight bend in the bumper in fact, but the impact cans are in good condition as in straight. Front of chassis looks fine too, no signs of damage.
Electric fans removed.
Removed the condenser bolts, not unplumbed the unit yet though.
Condenser is seriously bent, but the good news is the oil coolers are not damaged at all. :cool: Nothing visible anyway.
The plastic cowling (for want of a better description) that sits under the condenser is broken, probably from the impact. It is only the front edge of this that is snapped, so is it important to replace it? It looks unimportant to me. Also, it looks like the impact had pushed the plastic couling back so far it snapped the engine cooling rad off of its lower guide pegs/posts which also have snapped. The rad drain plug must have hit the powered steering pipes, there is a slight bend in one but not really bad. All has been ok since I have had it anyway.

So, all in all it looks like the bill is:
AC Condenser (O rings too? unless they come with new one)
Main cooling radiator
Plastic cowling (maybe not needed).
Water, coolant and time.

If it get warm this summer (not expecting it by the looks of this great Easter weather), then a £50 recharge on the AC.

Ordering parts in the next 36 hours, probably going to use Island 4x4 unless anybody advises otherwise...........

Cheers all.
 
Last edited:
Update:
Cleaned everything up, a bit of rust stabiliser on some minor spots around the front, primed and sprayed with satin black matt, all looking new again.
Went to put the rad in, all ok until I try to get the top plastic clips into the brackets.
They do not want to go in. Looks like the profile on the clips is a little narrower than the bracket.

So, wondering what to do........... adjust the brackets somehow or modify the plastic on the rad. These are the T shaped end pieces either end. Maybe trim the edges off the T so that it still slides into the slot? It should hold in position still I think.......... Once it is in I can see if the bolt holes line up, fingers crossed.

Cheers
 
JamesBB said:
So, all in all it looks like the bill is:
AC Condenser (O rings too? unless they come with new one)
Main cooling radiator
Plastic cowling (maybe not needed).
Water, coolant and time.

If it get warm this summer (not expecting it by the looks of this great Easter weather), then a £50 recharge on the AC.
Click to expand...

You should also replace the dryer for the air con. The old one will be shot with having been exposed to the air. Also running the air con system with no gas is not advisable as the gas contains the lubricant for the pump.
 
Thanks for that advice on the air con dryer. It is rusty for sure.

The rad is in now, took an hour of fiddling and fettling etc. Coolant topped up, hoses burped and so far........... no leaks.

I have not started it up, mainly as I took note of the Rave in the workshop manual for the air con condenser, which says:
"10. Disconnect 2 pipes from condenser. Remove ’O’ rings and discard."

They have been as good as discarded, can not find them and presumed that new ones would be in the new condenser. They were not. Bugger. I do not want to start it up yet as the electric fans are not in situ and the air con pipes are disconnected.

So now I do not even have an old one to go by with a view to a match, I will pop past the local LR dealer tomorrow and see if they can sell me a couple.

Need to order a new dryer then, at which point I can do a re-charge of the air con.

Cheers
 
would this the same as a diesel auto then? i thought my auto gearbox cooler was just in front of the N/S front wheel? or is that for something else....

sorry for thread hijack,just threw me there reading that for a moment
 
scoobypete said:
would this the same as a diesel auto then? i thought my auto gearbox cooler was just in front of the N/S front wheel? or is that for something else....

sorry for thread hijack,just threw me there reading that for a moment
Click to expand...


It is V8 has Box and engine oil coolers between condensor and radiator. Diesel manual has gearbox cooler in radiator and auto has seperate one behind N/S fog lamp grille. Diesel engine oil cooler is fitted between condensor and rad below intercooler.
 
JamesBB said:
Brill, found the LR part number for the O rings posted by Irishrover on another thread.

STC3110
Click to expand...

Aaaaaaaaggggggggggggghhhhhhh, wrong part number.

STC3110 is the part number for the 17mm O ring, no idea where that is fitted, being that size I would guess at the compressor only.

The LR parts guy kindly checked the other options on MicroCat and it did not show where they go on the diagram, it did list the other O rings, but again did not show where they go within the system.
Going by guess work I estimated that the O rings I need are the smallest ones, so being unsure I ordered 2 of the smallest 7mm and 2 or the next up 9mm.

Part numbers:
LJUU100220L - 7mm
LJUU100230L - 9mm
LSTC3110 - 17mm

Anybody interested may want to order some now as LR are not replacing stock and they are running out of them.

Cheers
 
Hi have a box of O rings that I bought a few years back. It must have 20 different sizes. Every time I have swapped a condenser or heater matrix O rings I have just used some from box. I don't think there is anything special about them - just standard parts.
 
New O rings fitted, waiting on the new aircon air dryer before I can do a recharge.

Started the engine and all seems ok, ran it for 20 minutes giving it a gentle rev 1500-2000 but idling most of the time. Temp came up to top of blue area that is all, but no leaks.

Until this morning, when I found a slight wet patch and signs of dripping down the side of the left bracket. :suspicious: Not sure if it was from yesterday when I was bleeding the air out as I waited until the coolant squirted out of the bleed hole on top left of rad. I dried everything up and will keep an eye on it, but the coolant level in the expansion tank had gone down another quarter inch or so. Could be air still coming up I suppose.

If the new rad is leaking then Island 4x4 can have it back and give me another..... Fingers crossed.
 
Went for a short run today, all was ok. Temp did not move out out blue/cool area after 20 mins.
Once stopped there was a hot plasticy smell in the air around the engine bay. No leaks, no drips anyway and all looks fine. After an hour I drove home and all ok. But again after stopping no increase in temp and no drips, but very hot plastic smell.

I checked all over, nothing obvious, except the top hose was hot and the rad was warm. Lower hose warm too. Is the thermostat behaving? The top hose was very firm, not hard, just hot and very firm. Opening the expansion tank lid reduces the pressure, top hose normal again.

Is this an air lock?

Cheers in advance..........
 
Sounds like your theromstat is shot. Temp guage should rise to around the halfway point. The theromstat on a 4.6 is a big thing with 4 pipes attached - maybe one of these is leaking. They fail open so will prevent the engine reaching normal operating temp. Also rember the cooling system is pressurised so the pipes will feel hardish. The resovior cap is rated to 15psi so the cooling system will operate close to that.
 
Odd, it was ok before the rad change.

Also, if they fail open, surely the rad would be pretty hot? As hot as the top hose I would have thought........ But it is not. Confused again.

Still no leaks though, so all in all good. The pipework around the thermostat is drip free.
Not sure on the hot plastic smell either. Smells like a polythene bag wrapped around the exhaust....

:-S
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

bluedog333
200tdi overheating
Replies
17
Views
799
Hicap phill
H
Tony Monsantoe
Series petrol Ignition issues possible bad condenser
Replies
13
Views
3K
Tony Monsantoe
Tony Monsantoe
B
Autobox overheating
Replies
3
Views
477
Billando1
B
R
P38A P38 2.5 Coolant leak
Replies
4
Views
245
dubbleRR
dubbleRR
A
Disco 200tdi engine oil cooler pipes
Replies
19
Views
1K
Anaconda
A
Back
Top