I have a 97 Rover Disco, V8 automatic, 240K miles. Recently, the temp gauge kept going up in stop n go traffic but stays level on the expressway and in cooler weather (mornings, nights). I got a new water pump, thermostat, upper hose and fan motor. The temp gauge was still going up so my mechanic checked the rad...said it was getting warm/hot up top but still cold at the bottom. So I ordered a new rad and the cooler lines don't fit the adapter fittings which are attached to the radiator. The rad fittings are slightly larger than the cooler line fittings so my mechanic thinks the rad and cooler lines in my vehicle aren't the original Rover parts.

Is it possible to use hoses to connect the rad to the cooler lines? I'm thinking the transmission may not be the original Rover transmission and that's why the lines don't fit.

Any suggestions?

 

You have no choice but to use a Rover trans, nothing else will fit.
What radiator did you order?

 

Keep in mind, that if you do attempt so workaround with hoses or whatnot and it leaks, you could lose your tranny and or engine, so I agree with Spike, what radiator did you get and where did you get it from?

There i8s info on other threads on here about a plastic bodied rad that is less than $250, the original one is much more.

The original rad from your Disco can be unsoldered and rodded out by any radiator shop that knows what they are doing such as a heavy equipment or farm place.

Did your mechanic order the rad? Tell him to send it back and get the right one or take yours to a radiator shop as I stated above.

 

alot of the aftermaket radiators for that car have different cooler ends. They sell fitting adapters but they leak

 

it is a Nissens rad and it is the correct one for the 97 Rover Disco. I've attached a pic. I can't find female to male fittings like the ones in the pic and none came with the rad. I've spoken with several local Rover parts people and they all seem to think my truck may have been modified before i purchased it since i have the right rad but the fittings don't fit the cooler lines.

i think i'm going to return this rad and try having mine rodded out. Although I've been told this can cause more damage but i guess i'll have to take my chances at this point because i need my vehicle to go back and forth to work.

 

You can build yourself a new set of hoses...but the ends and the hoses will cost a pretty penny..

 

i was thinking of trying to find a hose that would only be used to connect the rad to the cooler line hoses, but i don't want to mess up my trans and engine. does anyone know of a male to female fitting I could use? if not, i'm going to return it. i purchased the rad online from autopartsnetwork.com.

at first everyone kept trying to sell me a male to male fitting (see 1st pic) but that won't work because the fittings on my rad are male so i need a female to male fitting (2nd pic). any ideas what size the female to male fitting would need to be?

my mechanic works on all types of vehicles and said he's never ran across this issue before. he's even called a lot of the local Rover repair and parts shops and they've all said my vehicle must not have the original Disco rad in it which is why the cooler line fittings don't work with the new rad which is a 97 Rover Disco radiator.

your thought? thanks for all the feedback so far! i really need and appreciate it.

 

A lot of AFTERMARKET JUNK is made to be "equivalent" to a multitude of different vehicles, which in plain english means "IT IS NOT REALLY MADE TO FIT OUR SPECIFIC LANDROVERS"

IF YOU "NEED AN ADAPTER" TO MAKE IT FIT, THEN IT DON'T FFING FIT!

Why are you buying aftermarket junk? Get the right one and it will fit, get the "Made to fit most" and it will not correctly fit our specific vehicles. Like I said, when it springs a leak, you are risking tranny and engine.

Any old fashioned radiator shop that knows what they are doing can unsolder it and boil it out, rod it and put it back together unless it is too far gone.

If it did not have the correct radiator in it, I doubt that the existing stock lines from the tranny and engine would fit the old one, obviously they do.

Take pics of your old radiator. When you take your Rover to a mechanic who works on all types of vehicles, you need to ask how many Rovers has he worked on?

Personally I would rather do as much as possible myself than depend on someone who is not well versed with my specific vehicle. I hat to pay lots of money to anyone else just to screw up my Rover. The more you learn about your Rover, the better off you will be.

How much is he into you so far on this fiasco?

 

If they do have different ends, they are NOT THE CORRECT ONE!

GET THE RIGHT ONE, YOU WILL NOT NEED AN ADAPTER!

 

Out of curisity I went to that site and put in the data for a 97 LR Discovery and this is what they say:

1. ESR 1262 (Female to Male Cooler Fittings) May be Required for Proper InstallationESR 1262 (Female to Male Cooler Fittings) May be Required for Proper Installation.
   
   If the Radiator has Been Replaced Before, or has Removable Fittings, Suggested Fittings May Not be Required.
2. with Oil Cooler- Most radiators have 4 female fittings. 2 each - left & right side of tank. Discovery models may require 2 or 4 of # ESR 1262 - female to male adapter fittings. If the radiator has been replaced before - or has removable fittings -suggested fittings may not be required .with Oil Cooler- Most radiators have 4 female fittings. 2 each - left & right side of tank. Discovery models may require 2 or 4 of # ESR 1262 - female to male adapter fittings. If the radiator has been replaced before - or has removable fittings -suggested fittings may not be required .

This tells me it is a generic radiator and not specific for the 97 LR Discovery or any other Discovery as far as I am concerned. They also showed a list price of over a thousand bucks but their price was "only" $672.00 or something of that nature.

You got ripped totally on that one my friend.

They also show all available parts they carry for our 97 Disco's including radiator drain plug, which NO LR DISCOVERY even comes with. They also had cooler hoses listed and they say it may need two or four of the adapters. That does not make sense either because they are all identical.

Send that sucker back!