Overheating Question

1724 Views 9 Replies 6 Participants Last post by soundguy1, Oct 2, 2009

soundguy1

Discussion Starter · Sep 21, 2009

First of all I have to thank all the mods who run this forum! Ever since my brother gave me his '87 Classic I have been chasing problems and have found the information here invaluable. I have also learned from reading many posts here that one must maintain a healthy sense of humor to own an older rangie! It has started overheating and am I correct in assuming that if the radiator, lower radiator hose, and all of the heater hoses heat up but the top radiator hose and thermostat housing stay cool
my thermostat is bad?

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parker

· #2 · Sep 21, 2009

soundguy, it could be the thermostat. Look at this http://www.rangerovers.net/rremedies.htm#cooling . There could also be other causes for the overheating, though I would start with replacing the coolant, drain, flush, replace thermostat, refill and bleed the system. Is your your engine temp gauage going to red? Is your overflow tank top secure?

Parker
1993 Plymouth Blue LWB

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classicjack

· #3 · Sep 21, 2009

a cheap troubleshoot is to remove thermostat and drive, see if you still overheat.

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soundguy1

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 22, 2009

I was hoping the cold upper hose might point to a common problem. I'll try the thermostat as soon as it quits raining.

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Rainbird

· #5 · Sep 22, 2009

If you go for a short run (10 mins or so) and the top and bottom hoses are different temperatures, this points to a (partially) blocked radiator potentially. Range Rover rads. are known to silt up over time. If the temperature gauge goes over about half-way under normal driving conditions and certainly anywhere near red, then this also indicates a poorly performing radiator.

It could also be simply due to the radiator fins being clogged with assorted cr&p over time which may be relieved by cleaning it out

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soundguy1

Discussion Starter · #6 · Sep 24, 2009

I really hate it when i get crap in my fins! Seriously, thanks for all the suggestions. Since I drained the radiator it was easy to hose out the fins from the engine side and was surprised at how clean it was. This truck has spent most of its life in the high desert of New Mexico until I brought it home to Missouri. The new thermostat didn't help much - It still goes almost to the top of the top of the white mark but at least the top hose warms up now. The radiator will be the next step. Does anyone know of a place that sells rods for cleaning the tubes? In the past , on other vehicles, a clogged radiator was a gradual thing but this just happened all of a sudden. Is this normal for a Rover?

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TehPriest

· #7 · Sep 24, 2009

Have the cooling system pressure checked and checked for combustables. It may be the head gaskets are on thier way out. Mine are being don at the moment.

ray:

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p76rangie

· #8 · Sep 24, 2009

soundguy1 said:
Since I drained the radiator it was easy to hose out the fins from the engine side and was surprised at how clean it was. This truck has spent most of its life in the high desert of New Mexico until I brought it home to Missouri.

Disconnect the top two mounts of the radiator and tilt it towards the motor and have a look for crap caught between the air-con core and the radiator.

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soundguy1

Discussion Starter · #9 · Sep 24, 2009

That's how I hosed out the radiator. Since I had the hoses off it tilted back enough to put a piece of cardboard on the back of the condenser to keep the stuff blown from the radiator from going into the condenser, then hosed the condenser back to front while I was already there (and quite damp too).

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soundguy1

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 2, 2009

Just an update. After Changing the thermostat and having the same problem my next suspect was the radiator. After pulling it out and seeing some corrosion on the core where the tubes connect I disassembled it and rodded it out. After re-installing and having the same result, I decided to try and fit a different radiator that I had from a previous chevy project that I bought new and never used. The dimensions were pretty close although the 4 row was a little deeper and didn't take too much fabrication to use all other components as stock. Still, the same results! In desperation I called around Kansas City and found a replacement for $3.53! Now it shows back to just below half when warmed up just as it should. I had tested the old one and it read just over 6 ohms cold. The new one reads almost 15ohms cold. An auxiliary Autometer temp gauge will be the final step of this part of my problem. At least I found a more permanent and much less expensive radiator solution. In all my twenty some odd years of selling car and truck parts and all of the vehicles i've owned I have never had to replace a temp sender but that will be my first check from now on!

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