Disco 2 TD5 Overheating Issue.

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Joe101

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21
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Coniston
Hi, new to the forum and my disco 2 facelift. I’ve been having issues with the cooling system since I got the car. So far I’ve replaced the head gasket, thermostat, rad cap and flushed the heater matrix all was good. Drove around 150 miles and bled the system again got a little air out. Then today going uphill I lost power and it began to overheat. No loss of coolant. Seemed highly pressurized? Left it to cool and opened the cap got a fair bit of air out still no loss of coolant though. Normal? Carried on home all was good for 20 miles then it began to overheat again. Any ideas on the cause. Any help would be greatly appreciated. This is my first landy and the cooling system seems randomly complex. Had no heat from the blowers all day today but have had some since hg replacement. Thanks
 
Hi, yes I replaced the dowels they were metal ones but I got some with the kit so thought best. I didn't have the head tested no. Why do you ask? are you thinking its Cracked?
 
Hi, yes I replaced the dowels they were metal ones but I got some with the kit so thought best. I didn't have the head tested no. Why do you ask? are you thinking its Cracked?
Can you do a sniffer test to see if there is any trace of exhaust gas in the coolant? If it is pressurising it could be a crack in the head. Was there any early warnings from the heaters, running very hot/blowing cold?
 
Can you do a sniffer test to see if there is any trace of exhaust gas in the coolant? If it is pressurising it could be a crack in the head. Was there any early warnings from the heaters, running very hot/blowing cold?
I can look at that yeah not sure what to do but ill research. The Heaters always blew cold before HGR then i got a little heat after for a while. Now Blowing cold constantly,
 
Try a sniff test and check the top hose when warm. If it is rock hard then the system is probably being pressurised, meaning the HG is cracked. A cold heater usually means an air lock somewhere, as the hot coolant is unable to get to the heater matrix, and getting all the air out can sometimes be a problem. Be careful though. You say it began to overheat. The standard dashboard temperature gauge is as good as useless, and only starts to move up once it virtually has overheated. Dependent upon how severe your overheating was this may have blown the HG again...., although I hope for your sake this is not the case....Sniff test first and check top hose....

Tony
 
So far I’ve replaced the head gasket, thermostat, rad cap and flushed the heater matrix all was good.
What rad cap? did you tighten to maximum allowed the tank's cap? that's important, also try to stop the viscous fan with a rolled up newspaper when the radiator is hot...if you can it's fubar and doesnt cool anymore... i second the sniff test even though on diesels it's not always certain unless it is positive then you know, negative is not 100%
 
I don't want to upset you but I had similar issues recently. I replaced everything before accepting that the block was the only thing it could be.

I took the block to the shop and they machined a few thou off the deck, I can't remember how much exactly.
It definitely had low spots because they needed a few passes before it was all shiny.
I could actually see brown staining from the coolant going between cylinders but refused to accept it initially.
If you do this, don't forget to measure your piston protrusion after and fit the correct gasket.
 
I don't want to upset you but I had similar issues recently. I replaced everything before accepting that the block was the only thing it coexpense

I took the block to the shop and they machined a few thou off the deck, I can't remember how much exactly.
It definitely had low spots because they needed a few passes before it was all shiny.
I could actually see brown staining from the coolant going between cylinders but refused to accept it initially.
If you do this, don't forget to measure your piston protrusion after and fit the correct gasket.
Never heard of a Td5 needing decked before :eek:

Last time I did that was on a 3.9 as it was meant to be a forever car but alas, a divorce put paid to that idea. I had the heads and block skimmed, new liners an cam journals fitted & linebored/honed with a crank grind set me back about £1400 in early 2000s.

Trouble is today, unless you really want to keep a motor long term, then all the machine shop stuff is just a massive expense cuz you still gotta spend more on top which ends up exceeding the cost of the vehicle should it be running an then you're in a catch 22 of cut your losses or keep spending.......
 
Trouble is today, unless you really want to keep a motor long term, then all the machine shop stuff is just a massive expense cuz you still gotta spend more on top which ends up exceeding the cost of the vehicle should it be running an then you're in a catch 22 of cut your losses or keep spending.......

That depends whether you do the stripdown and rebuild yourself or not. The machining doesn't have to be that expensive. Well, that depends how bad your engine is, I suppose. If you start getting in to re-cutting valve seats as well as skimming, pressure testing etc then it does add up.
 
Update: so I decided to check the water pump, start with the easy stuff. This is what I found.
54AE2403-C2C6-4296-B4FE-1C4E3AD16AF7.jpeg
Needless to say I treated her to a new one. This seemed to fix the issues I’d had! Success well short lived I did around 300 miles over the weekend in the lakes and it overheated on Monday eve on my way to buy more coolant after being recovered. I’ve decided to strip it down again!! This time I’ll get the head tested and skimmed if needed before rebuilding. Lots of late nights I fear for me in the next week or so. Any advice or ideas welcomed I am a keen novice. I was hoping to be eased into Land Rover life but hey ho. Maybe this is being eased in
 
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