Max Coolant Temp 220?
 

I just intalled an oil pressure and coolant temp gauge in my 04 Disco since Landrover was so nice to give us an oil pressure indication at 4psi just before you blow the engine and a temp gauge that by the time your in the red you've destroyed your engine. This was brought on my worry about losing an oil pump which seems to be a common worry with these beasts.

My question is does any one know what the Max coolant temp would be before you start warping and seizing things would be?

The gauges I installed have a audio/visual indication that can be set for Max temp and I was thinking 220 would be it.

Rave doesn't indicate this or at least I can't find it.

Well, I don't know what these guys will tell you, but here's some food for thought.

In April 2010 I put a new Atlantic British 4.6 Block in my '04, at a cost of $7,500.

In June, my fan clutch went bad, only I didn't know it had gone bad. When it would idle, the temp gauge would sometimes start rising slowly. It never rose much more than a millimeter above the "safe" half way point, but the fact that it rose alerted me to the problem.

The shop was closed until Monday, so I drove down to AutoZone and bought a ScanGauge II. I wanted to see what the actual temperature was. I hooked it up, drove home. Alternated between 198 and 216 all the way home with the needle in the middle- normal operating temperature.

I let it idle for a few minutes, and the temp was 210. I went inside for a couple minutes, came out- needle was climbing slowly. I looked at the ScanGauge:

242 degrees. The needle was barely over half way.

I panicked. Shut it down. Fixed clutch on Monday, problem solved. No damage to the engine that I can see.

Since then, I've used the scan gauge daily as it's mounted on my steering column. The highest I've seen is 232, but that was just once on a VERY hot day, stuck in a black top parking lot in bumper to bumper traffic. All other times, 216 is the peak, with it sometimes reading 220 after I shut it down for 5 minutes then come back out, on a warm day.

Hope this helps.

If you are over heating and not throwing coolant, you never shut the engine down, you turn the heater to full hot and let it idle down.
You will be lucky if you did not do any long term damage having gotten to that temp and then shutting it down which just causes the engine to get even hotter before finally cooling off.
T/sta starts to open at 180, fully open at 192 and normal operating temp should never get above 210 or so or you will have problems.

I've heard that before about 210, which is why I said "I don't know what everyone else will tell you".

All I know is that with a brand new block and fresh coolant, etc, mine runs up to 216, sometimes 220 and even 224.

Seems to be running good. That's all I know!

Pat

I would set the alarm at 221F. The highest I have seen my truck in the summer is 220F. I doubt the needle starts moving until 240F.

Thank you all for your input.

my truck has not gotten hotter than 214. she is one cool chick.

I have a ScanGuageII too and my temp range is 188-195. Maybe 205 in the summer.
Highest I have seen is 209F when my AC/ condensor fan was not working. I would set your alarm at 210 or 215. If all is working well it will not usually go over 205 in my Discovery.

Caterpillar truck engines run 217-220 normally. However they are cast iron. Not aluminum like out engines.

Just curious, did you replace your radiator or have it flushed when you replaced the engine?

Eric