shrink - do you have a working electric cooling fan set? Very important for low speed cooling, just like a good fan clutch.

 

Yes, one of the electric fans turns on when I hit about 212 degrees, the other turns on with the AC. I've gotten used to listening for them as this cooling issue happened... ( I assume that is correct operation of the electric fans? I have the exact set sitting in my house for spares that I found on a used Disco here that was being parted out )

I think the slightly higher temps I can deal with by using some of your other suggestions like water wetter. As part of my testing I did pull the thermostat which I'd like to put back in this weekend though.

 

You have a problem. When one electric fan comes on, the other one should as well. They are wired in parallel to the same contact point, at least in the factory drawings. On my 97 both come on at same time.

If I turn on ignition, but don't crank, and then turn on AC; the electric fans both come on. If AC is off, and I crank truck cold, there is enough air flow from main fan to spin the blades of the electric fans slowly. One day one of them stopped spinning. With power on, I could tap it and get it to spin at a modest rate, but it would soon stop again. Did not blow fuse.

If you replace fans, it is easier to unbolt the tranny "towel bar" cooler (don't un[plumb) to allow fan to slide up and out. Be sure when hooked up that fans suck a paper towel toward grille.

note: why do I preach this "fans suck a paper towel toward grille" ? Because when I got my 97 from the small used car dealer, the fan belt was routed wrong, the fan clutch was blown, and the electric fans had been replaced and wired to run backwards. At idle, with AC on, the main rad fan would just about come to a stop. Finally jafir got me on the path to cool living.

 

Ok, I was mistaken here and going purely by sound. Both fans are turning on at the same time when I inspect visually.

If I turn on ignition, but don't crank, and then turn on AC; the electric fans both come on. If AC is off, and I crank truck cold, there is enough air flow from main fan to spin the blades of the electric fans slowly. One day one of them stopped spinning. With power on, I could tap it and get it to spin at a modest rate, but it would soon stop again. Did not blow fuse.

If you replace fans, it is easier to unbolt the tranny "towel bar" cooler (don't un[plumb) to allow fan to slide up and out. Be sure when hooked up that fans suck a paper towel toward grille.

Thanks for all your valuable feedback on this issue and the other guys in the forum. I realized that my radiator had been cleaned up but not rodded since I didn't see any sides of new welding on one side. So I took it to another radiator shop ( here rodding is less than $20 US) and made sure they did the rodding. I get even cooler temps, hard to get it to pass 210 now even under extreme circumstances.

 

Now you can "chill out" in the Rover.

 

Yes! Thanks again. Just as I began to chill out in it yesterday the passenger window decides to not to go up. Saw your $10 repair post on it so waiting for the outside temp to drop a bit today and gonna head out to the yard to see what's inside the door panel.

Ahh. The life of a Rover owner who decides to make it a daily driver, heck it's the only car I own.

Shrink