I wouldn't want an air exhaust vent on the bonnet of the Defender.. hot air out of the engine bay and then straight into the vent flaps... no thanks. :)
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I wouldn't want an air exhaust vent on the bonnet of the Defender.. hot air out of the engine bay and then straight into the vent flaps... no thanks. :)
when i changed head on mine, i pulled radiator out and about 3 million locusts and bees and bugs and cows etc. fell out. make sure all the fins are clean. get it tested and rodded or re-cored if needed. check air flow through the front is not compromised. get the whole cooling system cleaned out properly. looking down my block port holes they were pretty blocked with gunk too. check thermostat. if you go through all the effort to pull out rad etc, you may as well put new thermostat in. water pump impeller can wear as well and lose efficiency. check for air in system. start with most simple first. i am obsessive so once i started my head gasket work i wanted everything to work perfectly so i basically overhauled the whole cooling system. my radiator was almost 80% blocked. funny enough though, the car still ran pretty good temps until went up a hill or highway like you say. before i did the work i had no accurate temp gauge, i would just notice the factory gauge start to move going up hills etc and i would quickly step off the throttle and let it coast (not stop).
since ive done the work, the temperatures run beautifully. i once got it to 95C on a 42C day driving through hilly country at 100km/h on my way to gliding. had baby in car so needed AC. was a matter of turning it off uphills and back on downhill. always driving on gauges. my EGT would still on avg at about 550 and got to hottest ive ever recorded of 680C. with coolant at said 95C.
was not the most comfortable drive i must admit. emphasized the need for bigger intercooler, better turbo and higher boost limit. i always drive on gauges though. flying background has this embedded in me.
Hi Val,
Done all that and its way better than it used to be, we towed the old camper to Ulladulla a couple of years ago without a real issue, im just looking at the possibility of fitting vents or a scoop to provide some extra insurance for really hot days.
Matt
Isn't the bonnet already vented at the bottom of the windscreen?
I don't know about the D1 but my D2a is vented there.
are those vents?
Attachment 134661
Aussie supplied Aluminium louvre vent panels
Modern Bonnet Louvers
Don.