Thread: engine temp

This thread got me thinking again of supplementary electric fans to help with high temps, or better utilising the two that are already there. FYI all my cooling parts are in new condition, rad, viscous fan, coolant, etc and all work fine in day to day conditions.

There are some situations where I drive at relatively slow speeds, up hills with load, trailers etc, so potentially not a lot of airflow and do push to 100º on rare occasions. In stock form, the AirCon fans cut in at 100º C, switches off at 94º C (according to all the books) to help cool things down without the AC running. So I figured I'd set up a manual control to switch them on earlier, but in looking into the circuitry (see attachment), the easiest thing to do was change the Thermo Fan Switch that is already there , to one that starts and stops at a lower temperature. The circuit is set up with a relay and everything. So, the replacement part I sourced from Tridon http://www.tridon.com.au/Products/Pr...5&G=483&P=2014 (after looking around for the specs, it has an M22 thread with 1.5mm pitch). One that switches on at 95º and off at 90º is part number TFS102. Its otherwise a direct replacement for the one that's there - X113 - see attached page from the Disco Electrical Troubleshooting Manual, bottom right photo. Ordered it from SCAuto for $35, no one I tried had one in stock. Repco price was $49 so shop around. I will post again if its all OK with a photo or two. Won't get the part till later in the week. Simon

Originally Posted by Spel1

So I figured I'd set up a manual control to switch them on earlier, but in looking into the circuitry (see attachment), the easiest thing to do was change the Thermo Fan Switch that is already there

Mate the easiest thing to do, rather than spend $35-$50 bucks, is to negatively wire a $2.50 two way switch to the no.30 (if I remember correctly) terminal relay under the glovebox. Or if you don't smoke remove the ash tray and whack a spare landrover switch panel with switches (same as on the drivers side, they fit interchangeably) from a wrecker and it looks completely factory. Works great for me as my led underbody lights are wired from the left side so there was no fiddling with wires behind the stereo and aircon controls as that can be really hard and painful! (Think cut knuckles from all those nice sharp edges landrover left behind there!)

Lane

How much are these after market " under bolt" type temp gauge? .

How much are these after market " under bolt" type temp gauge? .

Depends on what you get. A TM2 watchdog is about $150 or these Digital Temperature Controller Thermostat 12V 10A Switch 40„ƒ 120 are about $10.50 with a relay output. (To switch fans on and off when it rises or falls above a set temp)
I have both, TM2 I know I can rely on to be always accurate. I've had one of the other ones pack up but I have mates who have run them for years with no problems. To use the cheap ones under a bolt just flatten a piece of 1/2in copper tubing around it, with some solder or glue if you like, and drill a hole in it the size of your bolt. Works great. I glued mine in a threaded plug which I screwed in the top of the thermostat housing with some of the probe exposed to the water. Its a nice cheap option if you can't afford an exxy one and they are accurate until their not at which point its just goes haywire so you know not to trust it anymore and buy another one!

Originally Posted by lane

Mate the easiest thing to do, rather than spend $35-$50 bucks, is to negatively wire a $2.50 two way switch to the no.30 (if I remember correctly) terminal relay under the glovebox. Or if you don't smoke remove the ash tray and whack a spare landrover switch panel with switches (same as on the drivers side, they fit interchangeably) from a wrecker and it looks completely factory. Works great for me as my led underbody lights are wired from the left side so there was no fiddling with wires behind the stereo and aircon controls as that can be really hard and painful! (Think cut knuckles from all those nice sharp edges landrover left behind there!)

Lane

Mate, I'm happy to go with the $35 original position replacement switch - its not a lot of money for a useful control, and keep the ash tray for coins. I posted this information for those that are not into saving $32.50 as their main concern, but to help with keeping temperatures below 100º using as much original equipment as possible. No fiddling behind anything anywhere and nothing painful. This would be something that makes the electric fans that are there, work as they should in our hotter conditions here without manual control. Its not just about saving money, you have a Land Rover and generally you spend one way or the other - but I'd rather spend a little money on potentially functional stuff than underbody lights.

No worries, you have a great idea there though. One that had never even crossed my mind! I don't know whether different years had different temp switches though as mine definitely doesn't come on at 100. But I'm with you on having the extra cooling capacity even though all components are in top condition. I'm currently researching engine oil coolers as, according to several diesel and truck mechanics I've spoken to, cooling the oil is just as important as cooling the water! As we all know oil holds more heat than water and is more reluctant to let it go. They all reckon the biggest mistake when fitting an aftermarket oil cooler is to keep the original rad cooler as it just adds more heat to the oil! And the oil, which stays hotter longer than the water because of it's position in the rad actually heats the water up! Especially offroad where airflow isn't great but engine temps can run high.

but I'd rather spend a little money on potentially functional stuff than underbody lights.

What can I say! I'm in my twenties and they were $17 on ebay! Had to treat myself after the thousands I've spent on keeping her on the road!

Lane have you fitted a different engine oil cooler, i am planing to do the same and was wondering where u were thinking about fitting

Not yet. Like I said still looking at options. There are two spots I would fit it, in the engine bay on the drivers side where the spare jack is on some models, which would keep it nice and clean but would need quite a powerful fan to keep the airflow through it. Or underneath somewhere on the drivers side, which has other pros and cons such as clogging the fins with mud, damage is more likely to occur from stray stones etc. but has more airflow. There are options such as fitting a stone guard without damaging cooling capacity as you need a fan on an underbody one anyway. However with the engine bay one I'm thinking of fitting a bonnet vent to increase airflow throughout the engine bay (think v8 cruiser size) which would help with the cooler but you have to be careful with that. There's a thread going atm about it. You can buy oil coolers with the piping from Veale auto parts for about $300 or SCA for about $125! And basically the same item quality wise though I think the cheaper one doesn't have a fan that comes with it in the box. The main thing is to bypass the rad cooler though.