I have this checklist to go by


Diagnosis of overheating in a V8 Petrol Land Rover


But I wonder if I should start with the coolant itself. My (master) mechanic used a universal coolant on my Rover, not Dexcool. I'm wondering if I should flush the system and start there? Would you?


My dash temperature gauge doesn't rise above normal when I drive, so I had not been noticing any issue. By chance, I noticed the engine was hot last night while checking my coolant level (fine). This was alarming as I hadn't driven the car in about 40 minutes.


I have a laser gun thermometer which I can use to determine if my dash gauge is correct, but I'm afraid to damage my engine also. Please help. Thanks.

 

To ascertain it is overheating, you must know the coolant temperature and the boundary between whatever is worth calling 'normal' and 'overheat'

The dash thermometer is an adorn designed by LandRover geniuses; stays pinned at the centre of the no-scale band for a large span of temperatures. (Like from ~70C to ~111C, pointer is stuck at the same place) It is a clownish engineering design to tell an ignorant driver that temperature is 'normal' until **** happens and the dealership makes the big $.

Install a true coolant thermometer for your peace of mind and knowledge of what is truly going on.

 

Ignorant driver. Thanks for the help.

 

My local Napa and CARQUEST doesn't have a coolant temperature sensor. Until I get one, I'll be proceeding with the troubleshooting.

 

Please pardon my ignorance of properly expressing my poor english.

 

Just FYI, you won't find a Land Rover specific one. You'll need to buy a universal electric gauge. I've got a sunpro unit that works decently well with a piece off of eBay for me to thread my sensor into. I'd find you a link if I weren't on my phone. I'll try to remember to do so tomorrow.

Edit: Nevermind, I decided to go find it anyway. here they are, you'll have to copy and paste.

Gauge: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=351422300516&globalID=EB AY-US

Sensor deallio: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=271852873691&globalID=EB AY-US

 

You're on the right track to be suspicious of overheating.

Any OBDII reader will read the coolant temp from the on board computer.

There are smart phone apps, Ultragauge, and full on diagnostic test gear that will read the various temp sensors already on the engine.

Get an accurate read of your temps at idle and at highway speed and go from there.

 

Your expertise is respected here but for crying out loud your English is fine. It's better than many people here. Let's be real. You've replied effectively, apparently, many hundreds of times in English. At this point, if someone finds themselves insulted at the receiving end of your comment, it's no mere confusion.


Congratulations; you've mastered the bitchy insult. Be proud.

 

Alex_M Thanks for the info - you're correct that (having tried) I can't expect to find a make / model specific sensor. Usually I let Amazon.com vet this, and Amazon has found one that is compatible but my local joints haven't.

 

Thanks Dave03S, will do. I have read and considered all information given so far in this thread.


Thank you to everyone. Any updates on my part will be posted here.