It wasn't wasted effort. You found a few issues that were easy to miss. Take care of those. We'll help. Then you'll be fine and better prepared.

Don't forget to check the fuel line from the pump to pump assembly. Any leak will reduce fuel pressure. Be glad LR gave you a nice hatch to easily access the pump. I've seen a lot of trucks that don't

 

Yea it's not earth shattering. I know. Just a hard pill to swallow after all this work. These finicky systems are a bit frustrating. I can see why some guys give up early on. It's sensitivity to any one system and how all the sensors can affect the other...ugh. I get tired of it some times. Love the truck. It would be nice to drive it with out the impending doom clock ticking. It will have to earn that.
The cooling system burp is a problem since my bleed screw is welded shut. I did tilt it up on an angle. Heat full blast. But had to crack open heater core lines under pressure. I'm supposing this didn't work as well as I had initially thought. I'd rather not install another radiator due to air. I guess I need another plan.

One worry I have is that when I first bought the truck it had no thermostat installed. Now that it has a 180 in it, I'm wondering if there is a bigger problem that some one tried to band aid. When I first started driving it then it wasn't very far or hard. But it never got up to these temps. Radiator is clean inside. Flow is good. No chunks on two flushes. Temp differences top to bottom when warm are pretty good. II'm considering pulling the damn stat back out to see if it makes a difference. Typically I've always run a thermostat. I realize the function and why they are there. But if it runs cooler w out one....

I'll pull the damn pump back out and look it over. Hopefully this truck is able to redeem itself. Especially considering I bought it twice.

 

Did PO weld it shut? You've got to get that thing open. I can't image how you're going to burb it otherwise. Being brass it's probably brazed or soldered. I'd either heat it up and try to unthread it, or drill and tap the plug for a smaller plug or bolt (1/4" to 3/8" fine or pipe thread).

I wouldn't remove the stat. It'll always be in the back of your mind unless it's done right.

 

PO JB welded it shut. Forgot the JB part above.

 

Get a tight fitting wrench and crank that thing off. Add heat if needed. JB weld isn't that strong.

Doesn't work? Drill and tap.

Still doesn't work? Used rad or cheap aluminum rad.

 

Not a bad philosophy. Just replace things as soon as they play up, don't delay

 

my disco is my DD, but I don't plan on letting it nickel and dime me either. since i'm driving it every day i can listen and feel to everything it does, and investigate as needed.

OP- don't let the thing bring you down, take a step back if you need and leave the truck alone for a week or so. come back with a fresh mind. my $.02 though, you can't only be putting a few miles on it every week then expect it to go 2.5-3 hours (i googled LV to mt zion) without a hiccup... even if all the parts are brand new. shakedown runs are your new friend, and even the most reliable vehicle is still a machine with parts that can and will break/wear out/fail... but you can't let that sit at the front of your mind and wear you at while you're driving. get AAA, carry spares and just drive it.

 

That radiator plug is troubling. There is really no reason to seal it. Combined with the thermostat removal it is indicative of an attempt to reverse an over-heating issue.

You have done many/all the right things. Don't pull up a few miles short of the finish line.

 

Precisely my thoughts. First thing when I got this truck was to check compression. Did a leak down test. The PO did have the HG done a local indie shop. I inquired at the shop about the job. Since he is one of my accounts for work he was more than happy to share the details.

Still makes me worry. Big time. If I find a failure of that magnitude pending, I'm out. I can't justify the headache and cost involved.

 

Let's just hope the PO overreacted to a leaky plug, and jumped to the JB weld instead of the thread sealant or better plug.