Thread: 2008 Puma overheating.

Originally Posted by lrbob

...when radiator water temperature reaches 114 deg C computer reduces vehicle to idle.

The water temp should not be getting that high.

I would recommend you do the following:

1. Decat
2. Remap, including disabling EGR
3. Fit bigger intercooler

comon Naks, that's a $2000 bit of kit for something that has been thought of by LR engineers, and is very rare for most of us.

With anti boil in the water things should be OK. As lrbob said the computer takes over and makes it idle to cool down.
Then with air off he had no problems thereafter. I assume still on the hill, with his camper tailer, on another possibly hot day.

Originally Posted by newhue

comon Naks, that's a $2000 bit of kit for something that has been thought of by LR engineers, and is very rare for most of us

You are kidding, right?

A lot of SaFa owners who live/drive in hot areas suffer from the overheating/limp mode issue.

LRSA is aware of the issue and even commissioned a research project where larger intercoolers were fitted to Pumas. At the end of this study, they decided they were not going to fork out for a recall.

The truth is the Puma was designed for UK/EU conditions and certainly does not work optimally in warmer regions like SA/Africa or Oz, and owners then have to spend $$ to get their vehicles up to spec if they want to use them as intended.

I for one view it as a long-term investment in my vehicle, since these mods will allow the engine to run more efficiently, thus ensuring its reliability and longevity.

If you do not want to do/cannot afford the remap/intercooler, just do the decat

But you are missing out: in the 2 years since I have gotten the BAS remap, it has already paid itself in fuel savings.

Do I need to do a remap AND a bigger intercooler? Can I not just shove in a bigger intercooler?

well for me anyway, LR don't spend lots of money in R&D to put a half ass product on the car. A lot of it doesn't make sense, and there is a price point of reliability and profits from their side I acknowledge. I'd imaging from a safety point of view LR would have no choice but to rectify overhating-cut out issues if people were loosing power suddenly on public roads.
However the after market sector will tell you all the good stuff they want you to hear. I've had chips, and though the car went better, it did not ever save fuel.
I think there is something in over the Defender's time line, all models have run 90Kw or power and 250Nm of torque generally. Thinking on longevity does not only belong to motors, its the rest of driveline as well.

Originally Posted by newhue

well for me anyway, LR don't spend lots of money in R&D to put a half ass product on the car. A lot of it doesn't make sense, and there is a price point of reliability and profits from their side I acknowledge.

I don't think that's what they do for the Defender. In fact, when you examine the Puma's setup closely, nothing seems to have been R&D'd. The clutch being one of these, so is the small intercooler, the initial issue with the front diff banging into the sump, etc., etc., etc.

FYI, you don't put 'chips' in a car, EVER! What you do is get a proper remap by an expert tuner, for the Defender that would be BAS, AliveTuning, etc.

Originally Posted by debruiser

Do I need to do a remap AND a bigger intercooler? Can I not just shove in a bigger intercooler?

Yeah, bigger intercooler will definitely help.

Best bang for buck mod is decat/centre silencer removal

Might I suggest before you go and spend money check that you dont have a heap of mud and debris blocking your airflow, even a small amount can significantly reduce the airflow through the AC.Intercooler.Radiator especially in low range conditions.

Do you have big whopping spotlights or a insect screen in front of your grille?

If you are going to go and spend money surely you would get a larger radiator to solve this problem rather than a larger intercooler that will further block airflow to the radiator increasing water temps even more?

I found that a larger intercooler pushed my water temps right up and I am now waiting on a larger radiator to fix the problem caused by the larger intercooler.

Originally Posted by Naks

I don't think that's what they do for the Defender. In fact, when you examine the Puma's setup closely, nothing seems to have been R&D'd. The clutch being one of these, so is the small intercooler, the initial issue with the front diff banging into the sump, etc., etc., etc.

FYI, you don't put 'chips' in a car, EVER! What you do is get a proper remap by an expert tuner, for the Defender that would be BAS, AliveTuning, etc.





Yeah, bigger intercooler will definitely help.

Best bang for buck mod is decat/centre silencer removal

Hopefully not too OT, Naks have you done any work around improving the glow of your air intake? I've heard some good reports around power improvement, though the effect on motor temps would likely be minimal - any experiences you can relate?

To the OP, the factory temp guage is pretty useless, suggest a Scan Guage might be a worthwhile investment if you are going to be driving under those types of conditions regularly.