I am a new owner of a 2004 Disco with 150k miles. I've had it about a month and am really enjoying it. I just picked it up from the mechanic yesterday to correct 2 issues.

1. Leaking coolant (found that the water pump was missing a bolt and coolant was leaking from the gasket. New bolt and pressure tested held for over an hour)

2. Oil drain plug hole was stripped and leaking oil. Not much, but enough to be of concern. He said he fitted a new plug to re-thread, but we are still dripping oil, ever so slightly.

After fixing the coolant leak, my temps are still in the 215F range when driving around town. I have the Warm climate soft spring tstat on order and will be swapping that in the next week or so.

Question: Could a pinched coolant hose cause issues with delivering coolant and therefore make the engine run hotter? The hose that is part of the lower radiator hose assembly, that goes under the reservoir is really badly pinched in that small space. there is no elbow bend to it, just a sharp turn and a crease. I would think this would act like a kink in a garden hose and cause the pressure to be less, but I am not sure where this hose plays a role in the system as a whole.

I found the entire hose assembly on eBay for $40 so I might just replace it anyway when I do the Tstat. Thoughts?

Oh! Still running Dex Cool and I am mixed as to whether I should switch it or not.

Forgive my entry level mechanical skills. And yes, I am aware I will be learning a lot from this vehicle. I am looking forward to it.

 

Replace the coolant hoses while you have it apart for the 180F LR OEM Grey Thermostat & then install the green coolant.

If you still have your OEM Throttle Body Heater Plate good luck at having a nice & clean coolant system (extremely famous for leaking). Dex Cool coagulates pretty good when exposed to air so any little leak can create goo to clog up your system. The Green coolant found anywhere works well & doesn't react with the air the same way Dex Cool does.

 

Thanks!!

I don't think I will replace all hoses, as most were done recently and feel/ look fine. The only one in question is "kinked" underneath the reservoir tank. So I will certainly replace that. Is there anything insufficient about a $40 upper hose as opposed to the Genuine LR Hoses for $110?

Question about switching to the green coolant.. So I imagine I will need to flush the system a few times in order to get all the DexCool out?? Should I do this with the new hose and Tstat installed?, or Should I flush the current system with water first, then disassemble and reassemble with new parts, then fill with green coolant and purge? Do I need to think about changing anything else when switching to green coolant? Reservoir?

Also, the heater plate is basically useless for me. I live in N. Central Florida, so summer temps top the 100's and this past winter we never had a freeze. So I can't imagine I will need it in the forseeable future.

That's also reason #1 to switch to the 180F soft spring Tstat. Would an inline mod cause it to run any cooler? Or just be more accurate with monitoring engine temps? How difficult is the Mod?

 

Yes, thoroughly flush the old coolant out if you are switching to green. Use water until satisfied its flushed. Being in Florida, you won't have to worry much about freezing too much, get as close to 50/50 as reasonable.

Inline will run cooler and is not a difficult job. It simply returns engine to its original setup, before Rover bought it from GM.. However, trying a lower temp factory stat may be enough to satisfy you and you don't need to change the hoses.

Cap and bypass the throttle heater. Simple.

The kink can be cut and a metal pipe of same size inserted with hose clamps for about five bucks and simple to do.

 

Thank you Palmetto!

I watched a YouTube video that walked through the inline tstat mod. Doesn't seem too hard, but I don't like having to cut and re-route hoses. (My mechanical skills are limited) I think I will try the 180f Tstat and the green coolant and see how much that brings down temps.

In regards to the reservoir hose, will any generic pipe that is of the same diameter as the hose work? Or is there more specifics to this like a pre-curved pipe for a different system that might plug in here?

 

A brass ******(lol, censored b-a-r-b-e-d) tube connector from a hardware store or a nylon version that will handle coolant temps long term (not degrade) is ideal. You can cut below the kink and add new hose to the reservoir and completely remove the kink, if you prefer. If, by chance, you already have a replacement lower hose installed in place of the one piece original, it may not be a one piece hose and has a nylon connector in place at the main lower hose. Just simply replace the entire reservoir hose. If reservoir hose is molded one piece into lower main hose, it is original or exact OEM replacement one piece hose and you need the splice and connector the kink area as noted above.