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View Full Version : D2 V8 - how hot is too hot?



4X4V8
9th May 2008, 08:47 PM
My ScanGauge (yes, another one...) is showing 102 degrees celcius for coolant temp when sitting in traffic or manouvring slowly, such as parking. It only heats up a slow speeds; in normal running it gets to about 92 or so, but I have not tried towing yet or a long climb on the freeway to see if that makes a difference. On the M4 cruising it's on about 88-90 degrees

I have heard the thermos kick in at 99 degrees showing on the SG. A LR mech has looked over the car and says the viscous is ok.

I am tempted to just put in a new radiator, costs about $450 or so from Karcraft. My previous D2 (which had a fresh radiator just before I got it) never seemed to go much beyond mid-90s.

Am I being worried about nothing? 102 degrees seems a bit on the high side to me, and while I don't want to throw money around needlessly $450 might be cheap insurance..

Blknight.aus
9th May 2008, 09:01 PM
102 is a touch high but not critically, call us back when you hit 103 :P

seriously tho it is a touch higher than ID like to see it but if your low speed crawling on a warm day in traffic its not that bad, so long as it doesnt go over about 110 your ok especially if it comes down quickly when you get some revs (call it 1200+rpm) on.

Slunnie
9th May 2008, 09:24 PM
The thermostat begins opening at 82 degrees. It is fully open by 96 degrees. The cooling system is also a bypass system and 90% of the coolant that flows past the thermostat comes from the engine, and about 10% comes already cooled from the radiator, meaning that when it is cold then the engine temperature will be higher than usual to compensate for temperature loss. Due to this it can run up to 10 degrees warmer again. The engine fan turns on a 100 degrees.

Water boils at 100 degrees, coolant boils at about 115 and under pressure at about 125-130 degrees. Its higher to allow for heatsoak etc but also to allow better cooling efficiency.

I wouldn't be worried about 102 degrees.

d3funct
10th May 2008, 10:23 AM
To answer your question...

This is too hot.

http://www.lrautomotive.com.au/gallery/gone.....gif

Blknight.aus
10th May 2008, 11:36 AM
forgot to mention dont forget to check that your temp gauge is calibrated correctly.

d@rk51d3
10th May 2008, 11:46 AM
Anything over 80 degrees apparently starts losing power in the v8's and poses potential threats to bearing caps, and liners (according to a recent source). By the time the temp hits the 90's, you've already dropped about 10% of your power.

Unfortunately, EFI units are set to run hotter to deal with emissions controls, and that coupled with sub-standard or negected cooling systems leads to alot of grief.

mike 90 RR
10th May 2008, 12:24 PM
Anything over 80 degrees apparently starts losing power in the v8's and poses potential threats to bearing caps, and liners (according to a recent source). By the time the temp hits the 90's, you've already dropped about 10% of your power.

Unfortunately, EFI units are set to run hotter to deal with emissions controls, and that coupled with sub-standard or negected cooling systems leads to alot of grief.


"OUCH" to that
My EFI runs great with a 72 degree stat but one of the boys here pointed out it supposed to be 88 degree stat (which is correct)

Have left in the 72 stat & I am monitoring how this is affecting fuel economy

:o How do we find that picture D3FUNCT? :(

4X4V8
10th May 2008, 02:58 PM
To answer your question...

This is too hot.Yes... and have seen this happpen to a brand-new D2a ES V8. It was the coolant line to the inlet manifold - it sprang a leak, leaked down the hot exhaust and got a little fire going...


Anything over 80 degrees apparently starts losing power in the v8's and poses potential threats to bearing caps, and liners (according to a recent source). By the time the temp hits the 90's, you've already dropped about 10% of your power.

Unfortunately, EFI units are set to run hotter to deal with emissions controls, and that coupled with sub-standard or negected cooling systems leads to alot of grief.If that's true, why is the thermostat opening at 82 or 88 degrees? Can it really have only a few degrees to safely increase from there?

What or whom is the 'recent source' for that info? Sounds interesting. As I said, happy to change the radiator if it'll reduce temps to a safe level, all I want to do is aviod the risk of overheating but also don't want to throw money away. Can anyone clarify or support this scenario above?

4X4V8
11th June 2008, 02:53 PM
Just an update on the running hot issue - the mechanic I took the car today says that the top radiator hose is swelling badly - almost hitting the fan, so there is something going on there. Most likely a partially blocked radiator. Once confirmed that the radiator has blockages, a Land Rover genuine radiator is going in. LR is reducing the prices of some parts quite a bit apparently a new radiator is less than $500.

Looks like I might have a dodgy MAF sensor as it is throwing codes for a rich fuel mixture. For the first time I noticed it was idling a bit roughly this morning. The misfire has gone - the new spark plugs and leads seems to have fixed that.

Found out front pads have had it, too - glazed and cracking on edges, plus discs are shot.

Am happy to just get it all fixed - and it is not all bad stuff by any means - but the lesson here is don't assume because a car has a full service history from a LR dealer, including a service just 3000km before you bought it, that it is all peachy. I phoned the LR service centre when I bought the car and they said it needed new rear pads in abt 5000km, but that was it.

Either a lot can happen in the 3000km since its last service with them or some LR technicians are not as technically proficient as they could be.

As for the inspection report I paid another mechanic for to get the all clear after I bought the car (one of thebest Discos he's seen, he said), I am trying to remember what the point of that was :mad:

4X4V8
14th June 2008, 03:36 PM
Turns out the radiator was 15 to 20 percent blocked, as tested by a radiator specialist. So the radiator was put in an acid bath and apparently this unblocked it.

So now, after the $350 this cost to have this done, it is exactly the same as before. That is, 102 degees max when idling. :(

I just hope that is has averted a problem, but I don't know. It feels and looks like I just put a match to $350, plus about $200 in hoses that were 'swelling'.

Slunnie
14th June 2008, 04:01 PM
The data I gave you above is from LandRover, not a mechanics opinion. You can put a radiator on that is twice as thick and you will still get the same temps as they have built the engine to run at that temp.

4X4V8
14th June 2008, 04:30 PM
The data I gave you above is from LandRover, not a mechanics opinion. You can put a radiator on that is twice as thick and you will still get the same temps as they have built the engine to run at that temp.I know, you were right - if I had just gone through RAVE I would have seen that info for myself.

I am fast running out of LR mechanics too. I have had issues with two of them now. it wasn't just the radiator, ot was other stuff, too. I will just have to make time to fix my car and know that it has been done by someone who actually cares. I have to work for three hours for every hour these LR mechanics charge me. It's a joke.