Engine temps got too high when towing a small trailer last week. It was only a 5x8 enclosed and well under the max tow weight. Speed was kept around 65 on the highway and at 0 miles into the trip and my highest reading was 205. Too high for me so we turned back and redid our load plan.

I am thinking of going to the inline thermostat mod and run a conventional 160 degree thermostat and retry What I'm looking for in this thread is a comprehensive bill of materials for doing the mod. I've read a bunch of threads and seen several pictures but there really hasn't been a step by step using which part.

For the housing I'm looking at using either the Jegs Housing (p/n 53260)or the Meziere Inline housing (p/n WN0072) . What I am missing are good part numbers for the hoses and the routing of the hoses down below where the old T/S will be removed.

I know most all are custom builds so I'm sure there'll be some trial and error. I just don't want to waste money buying an cutting hoses that don't fit

 

For the top you can use the stock hose and just cut an inch and a half section out so you can fit the thermostat housing. Closer to the engine is better.

I would recommend a new radiator at the same time if yours has not been replaced.

I would recommend against a 160 thermostat. I would not go lower than a 180. The ECU will constantly be making the engine run rich at 160 because it will think it is still during the warm up cycle. A 160 thermostat will also not bring down your peak temp any more than a 180 will.

I have used both the Mez housing and the Keys housing. I like the look of the Mez housing, but I like using the Jegs housing better. I'd go Jegs.

Here is a link to the cooling system I did. Unfortunately it is very difficult to retain AC with this method. I removed it on all three I have done. You would, again, be best served with a new factory rad if you want to retain your AC. Most do. What you can gain from this is the lower hose routing. You will need a hose that I listed and an aluminum tee.

https://landroverforums.com/forum/discovery-ii-18/ultimate-cooling-system%3B-complete-system-upgrade-87611/

 

Why go through the trouble of getting materials. We currently have a member that is selling this kit

 

Who' s that?

 

Extinct is the one who has put together a kit. Works really well.

 

Kit uses all factory hoses, so nothing custom. You can use any thermostat you want, 99-02 will throw a code if you use one less than 170, 03-04 with throw a code if you use less than 180. Send me your email and I can send you complete instructions in a PDF. Even if you don't use my kit, I still highly recommend the inline thermostat mod.

 

I currently have excellent temps with the OE 180 thermostat, but I can see how the inline would flow better and makes it way easier if you have a need to replace a thermostat in a pinch.

@Extinct , does the inline mod drop temps significantly over the OEM 180 if everything else is working properly in the cooling system? From what I have read it seems like the coolant is able to flow better with the inline mod. Also you can use an off the shelf thermostat. Are there any other benefits I am missing?

Max temp I ever see is 197, runs 185-194 99% of the time. I am not interested in a kit right now, but when I eventually need to service the cooling system again I would like to more heavily consider the inline modification.

 

I have the LR grey thermostat and see the same temps as you do in my 03. When I replaced the white one the plastic body was failing. I'm thinking inline mod is next to get an other piece of plastic out of the loop.

 

It does seem to hold the temperatures more consistently around 185 with less variation, my daily with a safari grill runs 188 on the highway with ambient at 90 degrees. The other advantage is you can run different temp thermostats, I run 170's in my older trucks. You can actually run a 170 in the 03-04's in the summer without throwing a code if you live in the south, as even though it technically with throw a code if it does not see enough temperature, in the summer that situation never occurs. I actually leave the house in the morning with my AC on here in VA. You can change the thermostat without losing more than a cup of coolant, and if needed for testing you can easily run without a thermostat installed.

 

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