Yup, was using dexcool... Can certainly change to the green stuff. This being said is there any reason why the thermostat should not open? The hot coolant is making it's way to it. I will try to run water through the radiator to see if it is clogged, at this point anything is possible.

This being said, when I disconnect the thermostat today to put it in the boiling water the coolant drained out the bottom of the radiator at a consistent rate and would therefore doubt that it is clogged.

I am starting to think that something could be wrong with the thermostat even thought it opens up in hot water.

Also I noticed that the small electric fan was not starting up, what's up with that?

I will check the water pump tomorrow using your method.

Thanks, certainly aprechiate all the help.

 

The electric fan only comes on during certain conditions; they're listed in the RAVE.

The only reasons I can think that thermo wouldn't open is that it's defective or there's not enough hot water getting to it to make it open. You tested the thermo and it seems functional, so that means either a clogged radiator, or non-working water pump, or I guess possibly some kind of blockage in the block.

One way to test radiator flow is to use an infrared thermometer to measure the temps from top to bottom. If it's 10* cooler at the bottom than the top, it's clogged. That's probly a smarter test than the water hose now that I think about it.

 

Don't mess around.
Get a new Soft Spring 180 T-Stat from AB or similar.
If you are boiling thermostats in a pot - time to toss out that T-stat - period.
I would replace the radiator too.
not worth saving $400 fooling with stuff just to over heat your engine.

new 180 degree t-stat $70. (Do not get motorad).
New Nissens Radiator from Rock Auto - about $250.

Put that stuff in.
Bleed it.
be happy.

 

A. did you put a thermometer in the pot WITH the thermostat to verify what temperature it opens? A thermostat can open at 400 degrees, but it isn't good.




B. I ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS, park the front of my rover on a steep incline when I bleed it. I always turn the heat on its highest temp and the fan on high. I do the rave procedure, but I also squeeze hoses and whatever else that I feel like doing.


C. I read somewhere that dexcool and the green coolant don't mix. I also read that oxygen will solidify dexcool. If your swapping types of coolants, I would drain out the dexcool, fill with water, run it, and then see what the water looks like. Drain that water out and fill with coolant. When I did my swap, I drained the dex, filled with water and a bottle of super flush, drained, filled with water, drained because it was still orange, filled with water again, drained. At this point I took a motor scope and looked into every crevice that I could find. I seen no evidence of dexcool so I filled with green.


D. Does your electric fan work? My fan comes on around 208-210 religiously as per the ultra gauge. I'll somehow verify this.


E. Does your fan clutch work?

 

Thank you everyone so far for your advice. Sorry for not replying in a few days just have had my hands tied and have not been able to spend time on the rover. Thursday is my day off and I will be un hooking the radiator And using a garden hose to check, rinse and verify the flow of the radiator. Once that is confirmed to be ok I am going to borrow the coolant flush machine from work (nissan dealer) and flush my coolant system of all the dexcool and replace with the green. The mechanics claim that if I use te machine in a few cycles I should be able to have a perfect coolant bleed and completely purge the dexcool. If my thermostat still does not open after that I will return it to AB for a refund and order the factory 180'deg. I will keep you all posted of my results on Thursday.

 

Cool.
Then bleed it.
I have had success raising the coolant tank.
unclip it and raise it way up.
Don't take out the bleeder screw on the T pipe ever.

Raise the coolant tank
Take the cap off without burning yourself.

Run the engine at 1,500 RPM keeping an eye on the coolant.
If the coolant does not fly out - and it should not,
after about 5 to 8 minutes all the air bubbles will just float to the coolant tank
and out the top as the lid is off.

Then put the lid back on.
Shut down the engine.
Clip the coolant tank back on.

Then next morning fill it up to the line in the coolant tank.
and you are all set.

This is how a Discovery I bleeds itself as it runs down the highway as the coolant tank
is the highest point.
Not so in Discovery II.

But the coolant tank is made to unclip.

And this works.
I have done it about three times on my ex D2.

 

Good day fine people,

So back to square one. I have decided to toss out the new soft spring thermostat from AB, it came in a britpart box only to realize it was a motorad inside. Anyhow I will call them to see if they will take it back as I cant get it to open for the life of me and seems to be a recurring problem with this brand. To be honest I am disappointed in AB this time around for selling Motorad without disclosing it.

I just ordered a Genuine soft spring (grey one) from RN, hopefully it wont take long to come in.

As soon as the new thermostat is in I will update.

 

Good job!
The grey Land Rover thermostat 180 degree is "Top shelf" stuff.

 

I've had good luck with bleeding the system by putting the front of the truck up a steep driveway, then raising the coolant bottle up as high as it can go. Tie it up to the hood then pour coolant in till you get a solid stream of coolant out of the bleeder. Best to pull the bleeder clear out to do that.
Also, like everyone says, flush the Dexcool and replace with green collant, and get the gray colored TD5 genuine Land Rover t-stat. On my truck with that t-stat I don't ever see over 195 even with ambient at 95+.

 

I think its important to get the front of the truck up. I also like to squeeze the hoses just to push any air out.

Run the heater on high etc.