Hey guys,
I was looking at buying a 2005 LR3 recently and the seller just informed me of an issue that just started.

He said that after driving it for about an hour, it will start to overheat.
He's tried this a few times and its consistent. He's had to top it off with very little coolant when it happened.

I can get it for a great deal.

Any suggestions on the issue or what else to look for?

Thanks
Drew

 

On most vehicles, I'd say it's a stuck thermostat.

 

First, I would generally stay away from any truck that has overheated, it can lead to severe engine damage depending on how bad the overheat was.

Check the thermostat operation (simple way to check if it is stuck closed, the pipe to the radiator will not get warm -- be careful, they do get hot) and for any leaks in the cooling system. Was the cooling system recently serviced? If so, you may get lucky and it might just have some air in the system. Leaks and air lock seem to be the most common cooling system issues.

Make sure the cooling fan works as well.

 

That was my initial thought too.

 

I would say a stuck thermostat or possibly air in the system. Good luck!

 

The plastic parts crack and leak, if he's losing coolant you need to know where, losing coolant =air getting in and over heat, now when u say overheat is it thumping and boiling over or is the gauge just hi huge difference

 

My vote is air in the loop caused by a break somewhere, either a crack in the plastic housing, a rotted hose (less likely so far), cracked expansion tank, or the bleeder T fitting near the throttle body. Stuck thermostat I have not yet heard of, I have only seen them fail OPEN, which increases cooling, not closed.

Might be better to stay away from that one. The issue itself is easy to fix, but it seems like he may have already done some damage...