Hello
I am from Mimai FL and new in tha land rover . i have a 1997 p38 w 4.6 engine that overheat last weekend . i notice bubbles in the radiator filer tank *** son as the engine estarts . dont have water in the oil .can some one tell me what cant cause that problen ? Thanks

 

What's your temperature gauge doing while this happens?

 

I noticed today that my temp gauge was erratic, bouncing all over the place even though the car was not overheating, was this similar to your situation or did it actually overheat?

 

Might want to have some compression test's done. Also, take the plugs out to see if any of them are steam cleaned by coolant entering the combustion chamber. You might not have enough coolant to water ratio as well.

 

the temp gauge is in the middle and in 15 minutes move to th eread som .

 

My thought is a head gasket, does it make a swoshing noise when you open the resivour? and are the hoses stiff before you take the cap off, and then squishy afterwards? The only time it will boil over is if you are not using a 50/50 mix of coolant or the system is clogged or not circulating (not pressurized) causing the coolant mix to reach its maximum temperature and boiling over. There might be an air pocket in the system that requires bleeding too. Check your spark plugs and see if you can find one that is super clean or has rust on it, then you can tell if it is a head gasket. Check your water pump too, is it making any unusual noises? etc. If everything seems normal, go get the system bled using the Rave method.

 

I'd look at the thermostat before even thinking about tearing apart head gaskets. They're plastic inside on this year / model, wear out, and are relatively cheap in price and fairly easy to replace.

 

I am ronning 50/50 and the termostate has been change ,no too long .the spark plugs are ok and is not missing fire. the only sound is from the bubbles . when the car starts there is bubbles in abaut 5 seconts and if i asselerate the bubbles increase . gessing is the head gaskets .bouth of the houses are hots and no stify .sorry for mi englis .....

 

i have a 1997 range rover 4.6 , can i swap the engine with a 2001 4.6 without to much to change ?

 

Don't do it, its more hassle than its worth. Primarily because you have to change the engine management system from BOSCH to GEMS. You can use the block, heads, and many other parts. but not the intake chamber, sensors, etc.

The bubbles mean it isn't pressurizing or air is being pumped into the cooling system. The cheapest fail point in this instance would be to replace the Resivour or coolant Cap. From your 2nd to last quote, I take it you have opened up the engine and have the cylinders exposed. Check the sleeves to make sure none of them have slipped. If you haven't, or you have buttoned up already, do a compression test.