Okay guys, my Land Rover started getting hot going up a hill. Probably a 30 degree climb for maybe a quarter mile. Engine temps according to UltraGauge started at 176 and by the top of the hill steadily climbed to 215. As soon as it leveled out, temps started going down slightly. Parked the Rover, turned it off. After we completed started up and went back down, temp never got higher than 176.



Here’s what I’ve done to the cooling system. Brand new water pump, new Motorad (I’ve heard to get rid of this one) thermostat, new lower radiator hose and new coolant reservoir. New coolant and I tried to fill the coolant properly. After I filled, I had no heat. Burped the system some more and more I have great heat. I just did one of those block testers with the blue fluid in the tube and there is no indication that I have a head gasket issue.



I will be taking this Rover up hills very similar a lot more and I don’t want it to get as hot. Do I need to drain the coolant and redo it? I still need to download the RAVE manual. Or could it be the fan clutch and should I get the Imperial Severe Duty clutch I’ve been hearing about?



The Land Rover temps are very stable, usually reaching 185, then stabilized at 176 and I can drive long distances and never have a change in temp. Also, at what temp does the Land Rover overheat? 220? 240? Thanks guys!!!

 

1. the stock t-stat is 88 celcius / 190 F. I use a 180F t-stat just to get the flow going quicker.
2. I presume you already have an OBD reader with live temp since you've quoted such precise figures. This is excellent.
3. Fan clutch could be the culprit
4. Semi-clogged radiator (internal and/or external) could also be an issue

It is an aluminum engine and heads so they expand and contract more than an iron block. That puts stress on the heads which will warp more easily. With poor fitting heads the head gasket is compromised.


My bottom line, an occasional trip to 210-215 is OK if it is a short duration. I wouldn't want to do that regularly or for extended periods of time.

 

The Motorad is a 180 temp thermo. I’m going to install the severe duty fan clutch. If it still warms up I’ll redo the coolant and check the radiator.

 

Don't install that severe duty clutch. They are good for putting dents in hoods and destroying transmission lines.

I've got one I'm having trouble keeping cool. Turns out the PO loved block seal and tap water. I put one of these on it last week https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-390166 and I was having to clean it out about every 30 miles. I flushed everything and loaded some bluedevil cleaner in there and its been completely clogging at around 10 miles now. Don't do this unless your schedule lets you pull over immediately and wait for it to cool and clean. You'll also need to watch the scantool temp gauge like a hawk as it will spike from running temp to 215 in a second once it clogs. The filter sight glass is also useful to verify that the waterpump and thermostat are working. I had it on one of my other discoveries and it showed the newish AC Delco waterpump wasn't doing anything at idle.