Thread: Should I change this or give it a buff and dust?

Bin the thermostat, but with that much crud on it I'd be concerned about any radiator that had been running with the same coolant.

For capturing coolant before breaking up the coolant chain, I've found that nothing beats a siphon hose through the filler cap. It drops all the way down into the side tank and allows 80% of the coolant to be captured in bottles without spilling a drop. It all you need to do is get to the thermostat it's the best way. If more than that, remove as much coolant as you can with the hose and then drop the bottom hose off the radiator.

Bin it.... would need way too much scraping/sanding/compounding before you get to buffing.....

Seriously, I'd be looking sideways at your heater matrix, along with the rest of the pipework etc....

To hold up a new thermostat while you're fiddling with the bolts nothing beats a couple of drops of superglue against the housing recess. A smear of Master Gasket or similar on both sides of the gasket deals with imperfections in the housing face.

Gave it a light buff, don't think it would handle a serious one ;-)




Yes, I'm looking at other aspects of the system. At least the heater works, which shows there is still flow.
I didn't like what I saw and will be putting some stocking over the inlet to see what it captures in the future.

I used Loctite#515 initially, then when I saw the first leak ran the outlet on a surface plate with 600 wet and then a known flat steel piece with the #600 across the inlet manifold face, all good there. Yes, it's probably overkill, but doing the same job twice annoys me.

At least the engine doesn't show any signs of having been overheated.

Cheers,
Richard

Did you have any troubles finding a thermostat. From memory they had to order in a 78degree high flow thermstat when I replaced the one here.

You did rod the replacement radiator out ... Not just flush it right

I find the range rover heater so effective, after 5minutes I'm turning it down/off. Even in the middle of winter!

seeya,
Shane L.

...My heater is disconnected due to PO's lack of care (or intelligence?) but I have'nt missed it..

Enough heat comes up through the firewall and floor to keep the inside warm !

No trouble finding a replacement thermostat, bought an 82 degree jobbie and gasket from a sponsor of this site.

Did not rod the replacement radiator, after close inspection and straightening of a few fins, pressure and flow testing, it was fitted.
Now with the new temperature gauge the needle sits a little under halfway, reaching that point in only a few minutes.
After idling the engine for 25 minutes on a warm day, the needle didn't move further to the right by its own width, the radiator is working effectively.
Temperature difference between inlet and outlet is 24 degrees, with no hot spots in between, at optimal engine operating temperature.

I've since separated the errant bung from its threaded flange and will solder in place, keeping that radiator as a spare, after some straightening out...

Fortuitous, as the original a near miss in the past, not apparent with the shroud in place!
Perhaps it was serendipity, or the car sending a message.




The complete system will be flushed over the coming weeks, as both time and funds coincide.

The perforated thermostat still opened, and closed at very close to the designated temperature; amazing.

The radiator has now has all those fins straightened and will have it rodded. it is definitely dirty inside.

The system in the car is being flushed this week and new coolant.
works a treat so far.


Cheers,
Richard