Ok for all the guys with overheating trucks that just sit till they can come up with the 4k to fix the problem this is for u. I have a 2000 disco 2 that kept over heating and i would replace the t stat and it would work for a few days till bam it would start overheating again. Replaced it a couple times before i modded it. I had the usual water under the dash sound along with overheating. We checked for exhaust gases in the overflow tank and found just a slight color change. So i assume there is some kind of headgasket issue or lower intake gasket issue. I started to investigate what was causing it to over heat. Well i believe the first issue is the exhasut gases entering the coolant system. Next i had to determine how this was effecting the cooling system. I believe there is a small amount of gas that enters the system and it accumulates at the t stat. This air for some reason doesnt allow the stat to open. I am almost positive that the t stat inside the housing opens towards the pressure that has been already put in the system and the spring inside the t stat isnt strong enough to overcome the pressure that has already built up and wont let it open. The way the system is set up i believe the coolant doesnt enter the radiator until the t stat opens it just runs in a closed loop from the waterpump to the heater core and when it opens this coolant is then directed to the radiator and back into the t connection at the top. If the t stat doesnt open then there is no way it can cool off.
Sorry for the length but this has to be thorough for you guys to understand why i did what i did. The t stat has no bypass holes to allow the trapped air to keep circulating and possibly be bled off at the overflow. I took the stock t stat and basically bent it up on 4 of the sides with a screwdriver. This still keeps the t stat functional without trapping the air. This air causes zero problems when its allowed to circle around unless its a huge headgasket issue then it may. I attacked the t stat from the bottom and if u push up on it with a screwdriver it will slightly open then u just bend it carefully up away from the screwdriver. I no longer have the water under the dash sound at all and havent had it since i did the t stat. This mod to the t stat was not supposed to work and people on here with 10k posts said o no dont even think about doing this or u will have nothing but issues. Obviously these people have more money than they need so they just take it and have someone work on it for about 2k if its just headgaskets or 4500 for a new block. Dont get me wrong there is an issue with the car but it makes no difference after i modded the t stat. Please guys dont let these people who have very little car sense talk u out of trying it. I mean what do you have to lose. If your cars sitting till you can come up with the 4k to do it who cares. I mean most of these trucks now are worth 4-5k in perfect working order so why spend huge money on something u can try yourself. After u do the mod just make sure there is no black pieces from the t stat still in there. Push it open and rinse it out under water to make sure any chunks arent floating around. I didnt even need to bleed the system the proper way now because the coolant could flow right past the t stat so i just warmed it up and got the overflow to the full level and took it for a spin. works perfectly now. Runs alot cooler now and even today it was about 73 and it never got any hotter than it used to when it was perfect.

I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ENGINE DAMAGE U MAY DO IF THIS IS DONE TO YOUR CAR. THIS IS ONLY A POSSIBLE FIX FOR AN OVERHEATING ISSUE. IF YOUR CAR OVERHEATS AFTER THIS MOD THEN PARK IT AND TOW IT HOME IF IT WONT COOL OFF. DO NOT DRIVE THE TRUCK IN AN OVERHEATING CONDITION THIS COULD DAMAGE YOUR MOTOR.

My truck never overheats now and i havent had to add any fluid to the overflow since the mod. You should keep an eye on the level anyway. cheers Kevin

 

I like the way that you did this man. My normal solution if the vehicle is overheating in the summer is to simply pull out the t stat. works most of the time unless there is a bigger problem. Nothin like a good ol farm fix.

 

I like the explanation and its very interesting how you came up with the solution.

Could you perhaps show some pictures of how you completed the task?

 

I hope this post helps people who have been given the usual answer of engine replacement or headgasket replacement. I cam on these forums and got nothing but people saying no to touch the t stat and it won't work. Yet when I asked ifthey tried it not one would fess up that they hadn't. Just a learned response from reading posts from folks with 10k posts on lr forums and couldn't swap a cam if their life depended on it. I found zero posts that someone had even tried it. And google is pretty good at finding this kind of stuff. I hated seeing these people parking their trucks because they are scared to try something. I will get one of my replacements and modify it to show what I did. Cheers guys now I have a driveable truck. Kevin

 

Where did you buy your replacement t-stat?

 

i just bought one to do this to a week back simply because i live in south texas, 100+ degree weather and trust me, as warm as these things run, i just know there is going to be some issues over the summer so thanks for the post man...

FYI, i got my t-stat at

http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/PEM100990.cfm

i got it last week on sale for $17, its only $20 this week, with shipping and everything though, it was less than 25 bucks, cant beat it, especially when ur used to buying Porsche parts!!

good day fellas,

 

I honestly don't know the name of the company that makes it. I had a local shop get them in for me. He owns a shop called Austin imports and does every import u can name and gets his parts from a aftermarket place that he trusts for about everthing. It was not a lr t stat.

 

Non genuine stats will not bleed properly, which is what it sounds like was happening to you. Genuine stats have little holes with plastic ***** in them for bleeding. They are more expensive, but they do what they are supposed to.

 

Guys,

It does sound like a good approach as long as you continue to monitor fluid level. I hate to see these just sitting. Mine sat for a long time due to lack of money for new parts. I am just now getting it back into service after almost two years of very limited usage. Luckily it has always started easily and never had an overheating issue in the three years I have had it.

Hard to beat a good shadetree approach. Sounds like a slight pressure relief bend helped.

Does leaving the t-stat out in hot weather hurt anything?

 

I don't see why it would cause tbl. I really don't take it out. It's a sealed unit that makes it not removable. I just make a way for water and any air to bypass the t stat. I believe the trouble come when small amounts of air and pressure makes the t stat stick in one place because the pressure in the system is more than the spring in the t stat can overcome. This makes it stay shut. I litterally fixed it in 20 minutes including removal of the t stat and replacement after I modified it. I am only bending the sides up so it can flow no matter what. This also relieves the pressure on the stat allowing it to work properly. Just be carefull when bending it so it doesn't distort the main shaft it rides up and down on. The stats I got have those little ***** and holes which I believe also get pressurized and forced into the hole and blocks flow. So they are worthless in this situation. I tried to drill small holes and bent the stat so that's how I ended up doing it this way. I bent it at 12oclock,3,6,9. Just small bends that allowed water to pour straight thru the stat. It won flow any water if u test a normal stat. I tested it with the sink test. Lol. Zero water flowed thru it without the modification.