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New old member, been so long I had to reregister. I have a 2006 LR3 with the v8 and am experiencing coolant leak and steam coming from behind the engine and out of the cowl vents of the windshield. The hoses on the firewall going into what I assume is the heater core are wet and there is coolant dripping on that side of the car too. I have found minimal online content regarding heater cores in the LR and symptoms, replacing, gotchas, etc...I have a 150k on it now and am the original owner, this is the last part of the cooling system that hasn't been replaced so hoping that is the issue and not a head gasket leak. Any opinions, guidance, or resources I should look into before tearing into the dash?
So the hoses inside of the engine right by the firewall are leaking correct? These hoses should have a push connect connector that attaches to the heater core(s) (depending on if you have rear heat also).
Can you confirm it is hose B in the link below from BPUtah? P/N PCH501084 / 94
Apologize for late response, been out of town. Yes, leaking at the fittings as if the core is clogged. I have the cold weather package so do have rear heat. Car will idle all day without overheating but as soon as I travel 1/4 mile the temp will spike but then will come down almost as quickly if I take it back to idle.
Odd they would both leak unless wrong coolant was used, in which case the plastics dont last as long. I wonder if they are not fully seated? I also recall, from another thread, those fittings are impossible to find without buying an entire hose assembly. Could be wrong, but if memory serves. If temp is fluctuating you likely have air. And fluctuating temps are NOT good because it could mean you have some small and incredibly hot spots in the engine. Quick way to blow a head gaskets or worse. I would not drive until resolved and a proper bleeding is done.
I'm not an expert in LRs by any means but I am fairly advanced mechanically and since the heater doesn't blow hot air I figured that the heater core is plugged letting coolant through at idle which maintains temps but backs up when driven causing the overheat and then temp reduction again at idle. Again, I know these are more sophisticated and why I am posting. Just don't want to go through a needless heater core replacement if there is something else wrong but since everything points that direction I'll start there. Radiator, water pump, and thermostat were changed almost a year ago so I don't think it is air in the system just now showing up.
I believe I responded to your FB post also with the part number you would need for the rear heater core hoses. It's JHB500036
Regarding the heater core, if you have the intermediate pipes, you'll want to buy a heater core that does not have the hoses already crimped, unless you really want to pull the whole dash. Then pick up 2 additional o-rings since the kit will come with 2 and you'll have 4 connections. Once you put it back together I highly suggest pressure testing the core before you put all the dash back together. I used a bike pump to pressurize my system at the bleeder tee valve near at the top of the engine. Then I had the Mrs spray soapy water onto the 4 connections and confirm there were not any leaks. Also just for my own sanity, I left the passenger side footwell trim off for the time being so that i can place a paper towel under the heat core and confirm over the next few months that I do not have leaks.
Thanks for all the responses. I understand a bit more now and will 1) properly bleed the system to make sure there is no air and if issue persists then 2) I'll try getting the clog broke loose and flush the system and if that doesn't work I'm replacing the core I guess. Hopefully it is air as Dakota suggested because the job of replacing the core doesn't look like fun.
Coolant Leak and Steam
