I think this may be the third time my external temp gauge saved my engine.

I had been working in the engine bay the day before and did not get a hose clamp back on very well. Next day while driving I noticed the temps rising. Stopped, opened the hood to see coolant everywhere and the bad connection.

Some form of real time temps for the engine are a must with these engines.

 

Good stuff!

 

Yep 9 month old BRAND NEW Nissens Radiator failed in my XD 2.0 last friday. Ultragauge was set with an Alarm at 215F it went off, I pulled over to find the Nissens with a 5inch crack in the upper left of the left tank (same exact spot of several online I've seen fail within the past 2 months....). I no longer support or recommend Nissens for anything. Their quality control has tanked! Rock Auto no longer sells them and neither does WorldPac! Any kind of actual temp read out is a must on our old Landies.

 

@Best4x4 what do you suggest for a rad then?

 

Honestly I'm not sure at this point. Definitely not a Nissens product. Seems anything 1-2 years old from them = pure junk. It's so bad I'd honestly run a Chinese Aluminum radiator vs that crap by Nissens. On my D1 I am seriously looking into a Ron Davis Radiator or Allisport.

 

I replaced my Nissens after busting one of the plastic tanks on a trail last year in CO. Went with the pricey option from Atlantic British. Along with a Flowkooler H20 pump, HD fan clutch, 185° t-stat she runs cool but I still see 204° on trails sometimes after a long incline.
Runs 177-183° most of the time.

 

Run the system unpressurized and you will not crack another tank.

 

That is likely low airflow due to low engine and low vehicle speed. We recently did our annual event at Wintergreen Resort and there was noticeable temperature differences between my truck with the dual electrics and my buddies on the same trail with engine driven fans. Mine basically stayed in the 180-190 range running on full high speed with the manual override.

 

Sorry, let me clarify. I busted the internal oil cooler in the plastic tank of the Nissens rad. Slammed down hard on a boulder and had oil in the coolant.

 

Oh well that is a different kettle of fish, unpressurized not gonna help in that situation.