greetings.
So my 96 D1 / 120k miles which I got at 90kmiles had only overheated once when one of the hoses cracked.
I had the shop fix an A/C not cooling enough - and they replaced the wiring harnesses wc had rotted out due to
sunroof leaks and recharged the freon.
Took it out for a two-hour drive before the heat wave - and horror, the temp guage was at full red, and my DashCommand app was showing 240 coolant temp.
Pulled over for an hour - coolant never bubbled over but was steaming. Drove for another hour without A/C - seemed to stabilize, but on the drive back, the problem remained. Seems to happen only after 30 min driving or under heavy load...

Checked with the shop - fans work, AC compressor okay, serpentine belt ok, did not lose any fluids. Water pump, fuel pump had been replaced a while back.
T-stat they had installed a while back turned ou stuck at full open. Replaced that.They didn't think air bubbles would have caused all that, but I insisted, and they gave it a burp.
Running fine now thru the heat wave - except its running from 190 to 220, whereas before I was below 190 in city/hway driveway and with AC.

- Could this be the radiator showing its age? Should I consider replacing for the future, at this stage?
- there's stock radiators lifted from 190k D1 on ebay for $104. Or I could go for a Nissen aluminum at $200-300?
-Kinda freakin out whether I damaged my head gaskets...I understand there's a chemical test kit from Autozone?
Any thoughts? Thanks a lot.

 

If you have a good old radiator shop locally I would have it checked and do everything I could to make the orig rad last - The brand new Nissen seeps - at least that's been mine and a few others experiences. and the all aluminum ones on ebay are garbage - Ive have/had both, and I was quoted $650 USD to recore the original b/c its all copper.
I would check the fan clutch. - does it spin easily when the engine is hot? it should have sounded like a jet taking off when fully engaged with temp at 240

My personal rule in my rover - everytime I check my speed I check my engine temp!

 

Thanks - yes, the fan clutch was replaced same time as the water pump, so it's good.
henc, kinda leaves the radiator as the only suspect.
I get the jet roar for a good while after shutting off.
Yes, might be worth investigating a rad shop doing everything short of a re-core.

 

Jet roar should be present when accelerating from a stop and is the main engine fan pulling air through the radiator. Since you replaced the fan clutch you should hear this.

The fans you hear after shut down are the e--fans in front of the A/C condenser. They turn on when the A/C is running or if your coolant temp rises above 212 deg F.

 

Update: So after the burp, I took off on a 3hr roundtrip, w/o AC two days ago. High 80s daytime.
Accdg to DashCommand, I was running 187-210 coolant temp, and the car's temp gauge at 8:30 normal.
Half hour stopover - then it started getting hot. 232 on the scan and the linear temp gauge went up to 10 o'clock.
Seemed to hold steady, fluctuating slightly downward to 9 )'clock and 225 degrees. in the 5 miles before I made it to a rest stop.

What could this mean, this heating up after an hour's drive?
Oil dipstick's normal, no white smoke out of exhaust, no loss of fluids - could this point to a clogged radiator?
At 120k miles, might be time to refresh or replace the rad anyway...
I don't even dare think of a cracked block. Def killing my summer. So frustrated.
PS: hey Walt - e-fans do work with AC on. Weird though, if I run AC for 1/2hr daytime, they keep roaring after shutdown.
Last night, they ran, but stayed quiet after shutdown. It wasn't that cool a night.

 

I replaced all coolant hoses, installed a 180 degree thermostat, replaced the fan clutch, replaced the water pump, and flushed the radiator three times. With creeping coolant temps into the 200+ range when it got above 70 degrees, I finally replaced the radiator with a Nissens. Bingo! I now run at 179.8 at 75 mph on the highway in mid to upper 90 degree temps and it only creeps into the 190 range when I'm in major stop and go traffic, which is VERY common in the Denver area. Once I start moving again, the fan clutch kicks in with the jet roar and back to 180 it goes. That radiator saved my Disco!

 

That's very good news, and quite encouraging.
Will have my radiator worked on at a rad shop tomorrow.
Ordered a Stant 45878 Superstat 180 and a new OEM ETC8496 temp sensor.
Everything else already replaced recently.

That, and maybe a Nissens (likely worth the extra $100 over the rest of the aluminum herd).
Likely due anyway at 120k for my forever car.
Which model Nissens did you get, btw?
happy trails.

 

If the rad is already at the shop, ask what it would cost to re-core it with a 3 row core. That is the best way to go, IMO.

 

At the tiny 40yr old rad shop that's serviced antique cars and more than a few D1s:
Charlie (crusty ol Italian) - whaddyoucrazy!! it'll cost more than buyin a new one. fuhgeddaboutit.
I didn't press the issue.

 

The Nissens radiator is model# 64029. I purchased mine through RockAuto for $330 shipped. They also have great pricing on thermostats, gaskets, etc. I purchased an extra Stant Superstat thermostat, Fel-Pro thermostat gasket, Fel-Pro water pump gasket, Fel-Pro valley pan gasket, Fel-Pro valve cover gaskets, valve cover bolts , and Fel-Pro plenum gasket for future wrenching.

The thermostat was less than $3 and the Fel-Pro thermo gasket was less than a $1, It only made sense to add the maintenance items to my cart since they were so cost effective.

The valley pan gasket and end seals I received had been used previously. The end seals had gasket sealant on them and the valley pan gasket was oily and slightly bent. I notified them and they shipped a brand new one free of charge and told me to keep the old one. Great customer service in my opinion.