I'm super stoked today!!! My Disco officially has no engine codes and the coolant temp only reached 199 degrees while stationary with the bonnet closed. Mind you, I only left it running for 15 minutes but it's definitely an improvement. She seems to be idling fine and no hesitation when accelerating. Now let me tell you guys what I did. I checked the #4 cylinder fuel injector wire and it appeared to be partially disconnected because I pushed on the injector tab and I heard a "click". I'm assuming the injector wire wasn't pushed in all the way. I'm still going to do the coolant flush and 180 t-stat.

Caution attempt at your own risk!!! This guideline might not be approved by many but it has always worked for me on gasoline engines. Yesterday, I got a gallon of distilled water and sprayed 15 seconds worth of WD-40 inside the jug. (Shake it well) I drilled two holes in the cap and inserted a small irrigation hose inside the jug. Once up to operating temp I then placed the other end of the hose inside the PCV line that connects to the intake manifold of the Rover. I then pulled the throttle linkage to raise the rpms and would slowly insert and pull the hose out depending on how much the engine was hesitating (make sure not to put too much water in the intake because you will hydro-lock your engine) until all the water was gone. Took about 30 minutes to complete.

I really believe this works better than Seafoam and Gumout. I used Gumout the day after I bought my Disco with no noticeable improvement. I didn't even have to take out my ICV. The water/WD-40 mix steam cleans the pistons and the WD-40 acts as a lubricant. To make this work more efficiently I would add a mister nozzle to the irrigation hose so the water atomizes better. Now my BG fuel injector cleaner just arrived in the mail so tomorrow it's going straight in the gas tank.


Let me know if anyone is as crazy as me and would like more info on this decarbonization method to try it out. On a serious note, I've done this on several cars and I do believe it works. But you do need to know when to stop.

 

Hey guys I need some advice. I installed the new Stant 180 degree thermostat but I haven't refilled the coolant. Before I top off the coolant I want to see if you guys think I should take out the radiator and do a complete cooling system flush? The coolant looks very clean (bright green). I unbolted the radiator bolt but I only saw a little bit of black soot inside the radiator, I don't know if this is something to be worried about. The old thermostat was a 190 degree model (made in the USA apparently), I'm guessing it's been changed before because the gasket was different than the oem one I purchased for the Disco. I tested the old 190 degree thermosatt in boiling water and it opened up. I don't have a gauge to see how hot the water was boiling at but it did open all the way.

Should I do a complete coolant flush or should I just top off the coolant and test it for now? Coolant is expensive that's why I ask.

Thanks

 

top it off, bleed air from system, see what occurs. Worst case is you drain flush and re-fill afterwards.

Plenty of 'bleed cooling system' threads. It is vital and sometimes a bit tricky.

 

Awesome, thanks!

 

I topped off the coolant system yesterday until a stream came out of the radiator bolt and today I noticed the coolant reservoir was low about a 2 cups, I then filled the reservoir again. She was idling fine with the hood open at 188 degrees but as soon a sI start driving her the temps start spiking to 210 then to 220. Also, now when she warms up I hear a distinct ticking noise coming from the driver side of the engine. Oh man, what now?

 

Sounds like a head gasket to me........ Check the first and last spark plugs on the drivers side, if its insulator is white your steam cleaning it. The middle two cylinders don't have cooling ports through the head only the front and back do. Water boils at 212* F....... with antifreeze 220* F is way too high for just putting a load on the engine. The best method of testing a head gasket leak is with a compression test.

 

I will check the spark plugs this weekend to see if they're clean. How hard should the viscous fan be when the engine is hot (resistance wise)? I wrapped my hand in an old shirt and I stopped the fan as it was running. I stopped it pretty easily. Also when I held it to avoid it from spinning it did not give much resistance at all. Is this normal or should the viscous fan be able to tear your hand off if you stop it? Also while the engine was warm an turned off I spun the fan it and it stopped about a quarter turn later, is this normal? Please inform me also if stopping the viscous fan while running is a barbaric act and If I should have my truck taken away from me for doing so. I've only ever really dealt with electric fans.

 

Yes and yes. There are a bunch of posts on how to check with the engine off...... both hot and cold. With engine hot and OFF all you have to do is try to spin it, if it turns a full revolution or more it's toast. Normal is half a turn. The fan only fully engages under 40 mph or less depending on who's the manufacturer. So if you driving slow and it hits 220*F then it's kinda telling.....

I've never heard of anybody trying to stop a running digit reducer.......

 

Man, I feel dumb for doing that. From what you've stated ihscouts I think my fan is good. It was just spinning at what I though to be a "slow" speed, but I guess not. I'll check the plugs this weekend. Might just buy an Lq4 and turn this into a five year project (I wish I had the funds, lol!). I honestly like the Rover engine and feel that it has plenty of power for what this vehicle is, I just need to get this engine problem sorted.

 

yeah don't stick your hand in the viscous fan but you can use a rolled up stiff newspaper or something similar. If the fan stops it could very well be that not engageing enough and now cooling enough. If it's your head gasket you would always see grayish smoke from the tail pipe depending on the severity of the leak.