I have never had any problem bleeding Redrover's cooling system following the instructions in the RAVE Workshop Manual. I've done this six or seven times.

I will note, however, that the last time I flushed, refilled and bled the cooling system the temp spiked up to ~220° on the post-op test drive. It stayed there for just maybe 30 seconds before settling back down to 188.6°. Not sure what caused that, but while 220° is higher than wanted it's not dangerous for the engine, especially for a short time. All has been well since.

My truck has the genuine Land Rover, gray, 180° thermostat.

 

Thank you all so much for your comments. I really appreciate it. So after trying some of your suggestions, I got the temperature to stay around 203-210 at its highest when I’m idling for a long time. Though this is still higher than what I have before, I’m not completely satisfied. I did just receive a new thermostat in the mail which is the dark colored one so I think the next step is to replace the light colored one with dark colored one, and I’m going to use the pink coolant this time as well to see if that helps. I am shocked that the old thermostat worked better because when I took it out, it looked like it have been beaten to hell and there was rust on the inside as well. I will update when job is done. Also side note is running at that temperature bad for the engine? I’m not sure I’m just happy it’s not getting any higher at this point but I’m curious. Thanks again.

 

Forgot to ask another question if the level at the top of the bleed screw is always lower than the tank when you guys are cracking open doesn’t that always introduce air into the system or is every time you guys crack the bleeder valve you are also elevating the expansion tank beforehand?

 

From where did you buy this dark colored thermostat? Can you share a link to it online?

There are some very vocal participants on this forum who would be panicking with those temps. I am not among them. While I prefer temps under 200°, I'll note that the auxiliary fan (w/ A/C turned off) doesn't kick in until 212°.

What are the temps while driving and not idling?

What coolant is in the truck now? I recommend sticking with it for now. I generally recommend changing only one component at a time so as to not have confusing data about what helped (or did not help) address a condition.

The color coolant has no material effect on cooling, unless you make the mistake of mixing coolant types which can in some cases lead to chemical reactions that can cause radiator clogs.

 

Yes, you need to elevate the expansion tank before loosening the bleed screw.

 

So I got the original thermostat from Atlantic British, but this gray colored one they sent it out to me from Atlantic British as well after I told them that the original one was not performing as expected not sure why there is a difference in color, but I’m hearing that the darker color one is Better. Also, the current coolant is standard prestone The new coolant I bought is the prestone specific to Jaguars, which I believe is the pink colored one.

 

The thermostat part number is PEL500110:

1) There are two temp versions - the standard 194deg-F version and the 180deg-F version (also known as the "warm weather" or "Sahara" version). You will want the latter.

2) Atlantic British sells an aftermarket version or the genuine version. You will see a "G" (representing "Genuine") in the part number suffix. That is, look for "PEL500110G" instead of "PEL500110". This genuine version is typically the dark gray housing version:
https://www.roverparts.com/engine-co...ts/PEL500110G/

AB seems to be out of stock. It appears Lucky8 has them in stock:
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/114413888002

When bleeding air out of the system, you will want to make sure the coolant expansion tank sits higher than the T-junction bleed valve.

Regarding coolant.... it is hard to simply go with color as different manufacturers use their own colors. My advice is to make sure the coolant you pick specifies it is compatible for aluminum engines.

I know you are already down the road with replacing the original factory thermostat. I recommend that you save future headaches and go with Extinct Motorsports inline thermostat mod. It does not take too much time to modify, even for a lay person.