Hey everyone,

Truck seems to be running a little on the hot side.
The electric fan comes on when the vehicle is running but is not staying on [like it used to] when at "operating temp" when the vehicle is turned off....

I could barely touch the upper hoses but reached down and grabbed the lower hose [below the thermostat housing] and it was cool to the touch.

I'm thinking the thermostat might be shot but the main question is,

Should the lower Rad hose below the thermostat be hot like the rest of the Rad hoses?

Previous owner had the head gasket replaced before Christmas last year, fluid replacement, etc,etc,etc at the LR dealer. But the thermostat housing is orange - meaning the thermostat is the original.

Thanks again.

 

The t/stats are usually always white.
I would start by installing a soft spring t/stat from Lucky8.
What color is the coolant?
Yes the lower hose is somewhat cooler then the top but not by alot.

 

There was quite a temperature difference between the upper and lower hose. When I squeezed the lower hose I did hear fluid in the upper hose, so it seems it was open.

The fluid is pink -

 

I KNOW I KNOW - CHANGE IT TO GREEN!!!!!!

I'll be changing it when I change the thermostat.
What coolant should I buy?

 

Change it to peak 50/50

 

If you have an infrared thermometer, before you do all of this, which needs to be done, along with a good reverse direction flush.... check temps after running, top and bottom rows of fins. Should be maybe 10F apart. A lot further apart indicates that radiator has sludge inside and water is not circulating in all the radiator spaces. Check again after you make repairs. New radiator is about $208. If you are seeing gauge above 50% point, overheating has begun. Can be read in accurate digital form with an OBDII scanner or Ultra Gauge.

 

Make sure your serpentine belt is on correctly.
It may not be.
And, the water pump is going the wrong way.

After a drive of a few miles - the bottom hose should be about equal to the top hose.

You may want to bleed your system if you have the water fall sound.
the electric fan coming on after you have run it from dead cold - from 5 minutes of idling may mean you have air in your system.

And, the electric fan coming on may mean you still have air in your system when you stop after a few miles.

The electric fan is a last stop protection from an over temp event when everything else is not cooling you down.

 

Thanks for the tips.

I started the truck from cold last night and waited to see how it warmed up.

All of the upper rad hoses got warm then hot and the lower hose just under the t-stat never got warm.

I'll pull out the old t-stat and flush the system then put in some Peak 50/50.

We just finished 2 camping trips towing our trailer up and down through Washington State and it never went above half. Now with nothing in tow it's getting hot - weird.

 

Finished swapping the t/stat.
Flushed the system and put in Peak 50/50.....

Once I started it and it started to warm up the bleeder screw was spitting coolant from the middle where there is no hole!

I shut the truck off, elevated the coolant overflow tank and with the bleeder screw off I filled the reservoir until coolant came out of the t and then I put back in the bleeder screw, started the truck again and it was still leaking.

I tightened it 1/4 of a turn and - crap - the screw broke into 2 parts.

I am now finding that this is all too common - so I'm of to the BMW Dealership in the morning to try and find a replacement (or 10) and if there is no luck there Home Depot for a nylon solution?

 

Went down to BMW (as the Rover Dealership parts dep't is closed on Saturdays) and got 2 bleeder screws for $12.00.

No more leaking from the bleeder screw, after looking at the old one, the o-ring was half the size of the new one.

Lower Rad hose is still cool compared to the upper hoses and t-stat housing.

I flushed the rad and water flowed through all hoses and ends of the rad- top and bottom - no blockages that I could recognize.

here's to hopin'