...I ran into a little situation. We had climed up quite a bit and we came to a rock obstacle, my friend in the jeep GC crossed first and lossened it up quite a bit, I had a strugle getting over it. (and later relized I think I was to low in gear) But anyways, I did get over after a few tries and behind it was some slick mud, got through that too. But as soon as a got through all that my temp. warning light came on... I stopped almost instantly and turned the truck off, opened the hood and let it cool off for about 45 min. The fan stayed on while the truck was off.

After letting it sit and enjoying some lunch, it started fine and continued on the journey. There is no sign off problems, but my question is: Is there anything I need to look for after a sign of overheating? Is there any way to aviod over heating on the trail? I was working the disco pretty hard to get over the rock, and the AC was on (mistake) so my guess is those factors lead to it getting hot.

On a side note, the Disco did amazing other than the over heating. I was amazed at the HDC, it came in handy yesterday. On the way up I felt like we are on camel trophy because were had to clear some areas were the trail was overgrown (it hadnt been driven in a while) it was like we were pushing our way through the forest. It was a jungle adventure! HAHA, anyways, it was alot of fun and I hope the over heating wasnt a big deal..any input is great!

 

Sounds like fun Cam. Last I heard you were going to attempt that hill now you're off on a 4-wheeling adventure! For your heat, I know Mike suggests you keep the engin running but turn the heater to its hottest setting and max the fan speed. Just turning it off let's it "cook" a little more. My first time offroading another club member had the same prolem climbing to "The Top of the World", a long hill climb to one of the highest points in the park. He opened the hood while we stopped and had lunch and all was ok. Actually there was a Jeep GC that showed up and had some issues getting started again.

Make sure you're in 3rd going uphill and downshift to 2 or 1 going down to control your speed. I only tried the HDC many months ago on the street behind my house, but not in an offraod setting.

 

What over heated, the engine or the tranny?

 

If it was the engine overheating then turning it off was not the best choice, using the heater as stated above is much better. When I wheeled my Jeep Cheorkee I made vents in the hood to let out the hot air. It was a Jeep and not a Rover so it was not as much of a big deal to cut up the hood. I then added two 5" fans that were on a switch in the cab, when wheeling I would kick them on and they would suck the air out of the engine bay. It helped and since you are usually moving very slow and working the engine a lot it made the day very enjoyable.

If you are talking about the tranny then you should get a tranny cooler if you do not already have one. They are cheap and easy to install and will also help if you do any towing. If the tranny overheated htough you may want to change the fluid since it does not help it when it is cooked.

 

Mike, I dont have access to my RAVE manual right now, but I can tell you it was the red warning light on the right side of the dash, it had the temp. symbol inside of a sun-circle shape. When I get home I will tell you exactly. Is there a different light for the engine and tranny?

Is there anything specific I need to look for based on if it the engine or the tanny? I will change the fluid if I find out its the tanny.

Thanks for the good info guys, if there is a "next time" I will leave it on and run the heat. Mike, like I said, if you cant figure out what over heated by my description of the light I will give you more info when I get home. (The fan was on so that seemed to hint engine?? just a guess)

 

Only if you have sufficient coolant, always check that. If it's overheating because ofcoolant loss, then I'd shut it down, pop the hood and crank the heater on high. Anyways, that doesn't seem right that the engine overheated. Aren't the radiators in Disco's prone to clogging for some reason? Last time my Jeep overheated in the mud I realized that half my radiator had been disintegrated. I guess it all depends on what that alarm was trying to tell you.

 

I dont think DII's have a oil cooler, that makes a big difference too.

 

Ugh, my rave disk isnt working all the sudden, does anyone know what light I am talking about? And how can I determine if it was the tranny or engine? I appreciate all the input, it good to hear a few sides of it. I am amazed how much hotter the disco was compared to the GC.

Just to add on, I am seeing the need for CDL more and more everyday!! That rock yesterday frusterated me so much, It wasnt that big butit was on a hill and had a strange shape. Is there any tricks to getting over things like that? I was working the disco so hard to get over it and I beleive thats what caused it to over heat.

 

Looks like it was your trans temp warning.

 

That would make sense. It sounds like you were really working it. Maybe you needed a little more of the go pedal.