Finally fixxed cooling system

[discomatt69]

After 4 years of owning a D2 V8 that has been a great reliable car except for constant cooling system leaks due to over pressure, mechanic went over the hole system and replaced half of it over the years and still got nowhere.


Well after a falling out with said mechanic over average attention to detail and every now and then putting 100% + mark up on parts I have been tinkering with it to try and fix it once and for all, replaced the top rad hose and T coupling with bleed screw, then replaced the plastic screw with a brass screw and in bleeding the cooling system found it only takes 5 minutes if you unclip the overflow bottle and lift it higher than all the hoses, not 45 to 1 hour as the mechanic said...
Anyway now to the point of it all, the hose to the overflow that comes in under it near the fuse box had a big kink in it because it was twisted slightly where it clamps onto the overflow, a slight adjustment and the hose no longer kinks when the overflow bottle is clipped in, wow no more leaks and no more over pressure.
It pays sometime not to pay a so called expert $110 / hour to look for issues and check the car yourself

[JBM770]

I lift the reservoir to get the air out via the bleed screw as well, its handy that it just clips into place.
If you're on this journey have you also changed the fan hub?
The original all rubber hose with the side branch in it can also fail at the join, the new one has a plastic side branch that connects to shorter hoses.
Also the barb on the out/inlet on top of the thermostat housing can deteriorate to the point of breaking off.
The heater pipes will also rust out being made of steel.
There's also a small diameter tube inside the reservoir that can fall off affecting how coolant moves through the system.
As others have said owning a Landy turns you into a mechanic.
James

[discomatt69]

All the items you listed have been replaced, except for the steel sections, the old girl is all good for the moment, running nice and cool with no leaks.


when the water pump was replaced, for nearly $300 for the pump alone, not bad considering they are worth about $150... the mechanic also replace the plastic top hose joiner with the bleed screw because it had a slight leak, has had for a couple of years with out major issue. The trouble was that he replaced it with a "new part" from a defender with no bleed screw, ok no probs but 2 months later the "new part" fell apart where the hose clamps go on and it dumped all its water, lucky for me the wife is well trained and saw the temp guage in the nic of time.


Needless to say I had words with the mechanic for the BS and putting a obviously second hand part in, don't think I will be using him again...
And he is a LR specialist...

[Southern Cross]

Every now and then you'll find people of all professions and trades who are incompetent or more interested in a flash life style paid for by you or me. Your bloke seems to take you for a sucker. I'd be pretty upset if that happened to me. Thankfully over the years I have tought myself to be able to handle most practical things so don't have to rely on others for them to botch. I'm not so hot on the more academic things in life.
As for your mechanic, now I'm retired I'd park myself outside his workshop with a sign reading, "SPEAK TO ME BEFORE ..... TOUCHES YOUR CAR" And then challenge him to call the cops.
Blokes like him really need to be challenged.
I feel your pain. Best of luck from here on.

[Jason789]

Congratulations....a job well done.

Now to find a decent mechanic.

Cheers,

Jason