Heh guys!
i just came back from a Rovin Rovers in Redmond, WA. He (jahn Leonard) has a cad design finished to add a thermostat housing to the block like on the Range Rover Classics. I've committed to running one in my 04 once he gets the part built in the next few weeks and will report back on how it compares to the inline mod.

 

Keep us in the loop. Take lots of pictures.

 

A well designed/constructed adapter should be doable and would be much more practical than individually modding the intake manifold or doing the typical inline mod if produced/sold at a good price point.
......

 

Fully aware. Which is why I said keep us in the loop. I would like to see this thing operational.

 

Do the inline, add an oil cooler, and forget about it. Those 2 mods, and Rotella T6 in my 03 and it hums along very happy.

 

+1 on all of the above.

However, I think it's worth exploring a Thermostat housing next to the sender like on a 200 TDI. I'm interested to see what he comes up with an will report back.

 

The best thing you can do is to go through the entire cooling system and double-check anything that's at-risk for failure. I'd say replace all your hoses first, rad and heater core, even the small ones to/from the tstat housing etc.

Next just replace with the motorrad unit.

I've been through different setups with all the temp readings and I've recorded a ton of info. I've also done research on the original LR unit and design.

YOU CAN NOT JUST SLAP AN INLINE TSTAT INTO A FACTORY LR DII SETUP!

People get so carried away with mods, cutting/hacking, electronics, tuners etc it's totally ridiculous to me. LR engineers spend millions in R&D to develop these basic core designs, and people thing a couple google searches will net a better result.

Anyone who is competent enough to totally redesign the core functionality of their rovers cooling system is surely diligent enough to have at least read the entire service manual and such right? Lolz apparently not.

There's a specific section which outlines the desc. / operation and explains why the bypass system has a pressure-operated spring.

When the vehicle is cold (ie. tstat closed) and engine speed (ie. waterpump flow rate) is over a certain RPM, I believe 1800 - the pressure generated through the heater core loops is too great, which overcomes the spring and allows pressure to dump through the main radiator loop.

So what do you do? Rip out the entire bypass system and run it "like a regular old car" except it ISN'T! You're missing that bypass feed and just shoving the entire flow through the heater core!!!

I mean LR does the bypass to protect a vehicle in STOCK NEW config. You all are skipping this entirely on 15 year old vehicles with old components and ZERO pressure bypass.

Sure it should work fine in theory, till you blow a heater core and your car smells like coolant for the next few years.

Why not just figure out the actual problem and resolve it? The OE bypass design relies on a series of four sensing holes in the tstat housing which allow a constant flow of "actual engine temp" coolant to hit the tstat element. That flow is the only way the tstat knows what temp the engine is at, unlike most vehicles where the tstat is near the head/intake manifold.

If one hole is blocked, it reduces the flow by 25% and the tstat opens at a proportionally-later rate. I've removed multiple OE tstats with blocked sensing ports. Two cuts flow by 50%. This is further exaggerated by the fact that the flow must travel through the radiator, and in a static or nearly-static state, the water can become ICE COLD by the time it hits the tstat - which will just close it further. THIS IS WHY the LR manual specifically warns that vehicles in arctic / siberian contentions may experience engine coolant temperatures up to 20+ degrees above normal!

Yeah totally the opposite of what you'd think right? But it makes sense if you understand how the bypass loop works. Colder temps actually increase engine coolant temps - if your sensing ports are blocked.

I've been using the cooler motorrad unit with TWO larger ports instead of four smaller ones, and I've never had another issue. Previously my electric fan would turn on when it was 25 degrees out and I was in park! Explain that? Oh wait, my tstat was shut off completely because flow was so reduced that it was ice cold by the time it registered - but my engine was at ~220+ degrees! The fan sensor is in the intake manifold / normal spot sensing actual temps, triggering fan.

The ENTIRE SYSTEM doesn't need to be re-engineered, why not just address the actual issues?

Besides, you then retain the almost-immediate heat in the winter, quicker engine warmup times, AND no risk of heater core damage / rupture.

 

What kind of gauge is this in your pictures? Did you have to configure it?

Thanks

 

Ultragauge. Got it.

 

Hey Robert,

Did anything ever come of this new housing?

Per your advice, I've assembled a parts list to convert, but I'm wondering if I should wait.