Thread: Decent Radiator for 3.9?

I am using a Disco I V8 radiator in my '87 build Range Rover. Straight bolt in.

Hi,

IMHO cracking side tanks (along the seam with the core) is caused by the grommets around the bottom pins getting compressed or rotting away over time and consequently the weight of the rad is borne by the bolts on either side.

I noticed this when I was fitting thermos on my RRC. One of the side bolts would not line up with the frame, one lower grommet was worn and cause of previous cracking prob dawned on me.

The weight of the rad should be carried around the lower locating pins and the two bolts should just hold it upright. Easy to fix to prevent a $$ problem.

cheers, DL

Hi big_waity,

Bottom line up front:
Get a brand new ESR74 if they're available, I noticed they're now about $800 but will fit easily and keep your truck cool in any heat/load conditions.

My story:
I've a late 89' Auto RRC, with the 3.9 and replaced the radiator a bit over a year ago after having a near-miss overheating episode (it got hot but it wasn't terminal- it's checked out since).

I had a trip coming up, so I was desperate to get it sorted ASAP. I looked at getting it reco'd; sent it to Natrad and they said it was going to cost $795 for something able to handle RRC-type loads in all weather. I decided that I wanted a totally new part for that kind of money and ended up talking to a few RR mechanics; the considered opinion was that the OE part was in fact the best way to go - giving the best really hot weather performance (I spend plenty of time driving up steep hills, heavily laden, in 40 deg heat).

There weren't any new ESR74's - the pn I reckon you'll need - in the country (after talking to a number of suppliers), so I ordered a reco'd one with the original core and a warranty. It arrived but was damaged in transit. There being no more worthy reco'd ESR74's, I ordered an ESR80 but found when it arrived that it didn't have the requisite coolers on the sides. There still being no ESR74's in the country and an indefinite delay with the shipping (a strike, quarantine issue or something like that) I took advice that the ESR3687 Disco radiator was in fact the same as the ESR74 and ordered one.

When it arrived it did look identical until I attempted to bolt up the cooler lines (tranny and engine oil) - they had a metric thread and my RRC had imperial threads. I'd missed my trip and was now pretty cranky with all the mucking about - I figured that if the proper RRC radiators were such a pain in the butt to source, I'd just get the cooler lines modified to fit the Disco model. There being so many more Disco's than RRC's around I assumed they would surely be cheaper for the next radiator too. (A quick web search tells me the Disco rad's are about $130 more expensive right now - bugger).

I took the cooler lines and the new radiator to ENZED to get them to fit and after $253 dollars the job was done. If you want to go down the same path, the ENZED code for the relevant pipe fittings was PA1C643-12-8 "A02700820 Met Fem Heavy" - you'll need four.

I bolted it all up and everything fit and functioned perfectly. The temp gauge hasn't budged despite all the stress placed on the engine: slow speeds, deep mud, steep hills, high loads, high temps. I ended up forking out the same $ for the Disco radiator + modified cooler lines as I would have paid for a new ESR74, if/when it arrived.

I guess the moral is to be patient and get the right part first time.

cheers,

bidds