Coolant Probs

Bob10 suggested in the other thread "May I suggest remove the small hose from the oil cooler, and inspect the spigot on the cooler the hose fits on. Quite often after time this spigot can develop pin holes. Also, squeeze the hose, it looks a bit " bulgy" to me, is it soft? If you remove the hose, to make it easier, there is a 10 mm bolt holding the steel pipe onto the back of the engine, remove it to give you some " give". Bob"


I will be doing this tomorrow but not sure what the bulge means. Maybe a block? I'll be interested to see what it looks like in there. If its blocked doesn't anyone know if this blockage is consistent with our current problems?

No bulge (me thinks) ... the hose is a different dia' at each end ... supposed to be like that.

Do I win bonus points for providing a photo showing two coolant leaks in the one picture...

I'm having the oil cooler replaced in a couple of weeks as it has fairly significant corrosion at the spigot (rear of vehicle) end. I'm guessing this was contributed to by the previous owner neglecting to run the vehicle with a decent ratio of coolant to water. When I drained and flushed the system about 10000kms ago the water ran out a distinctly "clear" colour.

Putting in the red Nulon stuff really makes it easy to spot the leaks.

In my case the weep from the front end of the short hose we're referring to here is due to the fact that the outer surface that the hose is mating to/being clamped onto is no longer smooth and uniformly round. Rather it is pitted, corroding and bumpy. I tried to take some of the worst lumps out of it by running a loop of old bicycle chain around it back and forth (like a rasp). It was never going to fix it, just create a smoother surface for the hose to be pushed back onto.

The other weep is from the threaded plug between exhaust manifold ports 3 and 4 (also referred to as a water jacket plug?).

To reseal this one requires the manifold to come unless you get creative with a Dremel and "deweb" the manifold at that point.

Once these two leaks are sorted I'll do the o-rings in the fuel cooler on the other side.

One can't rush these things...

I replaced that short hose on mine a few weeks back, and like all the other faces on hose joints on mine, t was slightly lumpy :mad: With it being a bit tight in there I tried the old bike chain technique, wrap it around the spigot and pull back and forth - it worked like a charm.....

I didn't see m cooler leaking like hat but I'm still getting air drawn into my coolant when it's cooling down, so I'm still chasing the dream of a fully sealed coolant system!

Rich

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Originally Posted by Marmoset

I replaced that short hose on mine a few weeks back, and like all the other faces on hose joints on mine, t was slightly lumpy :mad: With it being a bit tight in there I tried the old bike chain technique, wrap it around the spigot and pull back and forth - it worked like a charm.....

I didn't see m cooler leaking like hat but I'm still getting air drawn into my coolant when it's cooling down, so I'm still chasing the dream of a fully sealed coolant system!

Rich

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Man's gotta have a dream!

I too would like to know where the air is entering the cooling system. Once the engine has cooled down (even the following day) there is a hiss when I remove the expansion tank cap. One LR mechanic (by all reports very reliable) told me that this was normal.

Can anyone reference a post or thread where this pressurisation is explained please?

The hiss you hear when opening the coolant cap when cold is breaking the vacuum, all good and normal.

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Originally Posted by trevor

Bob10 suggested in the other thread "May I suggest remove the small hose from the oil cooler, and inspect the spigot on the cooler the hose fits on. Quite often after time this spigot can develop pin holes. Also, squeeze the hose, it looks a bit " bulgy" to me, is it soft? If you remove the hose, to make it easier, there is a 10 mm bolt holding the steel pipe onto the back of the engine, remove it to give you some " give". Bob"


I will be doing this tomorrow but not sure what the bulge means. Maybe a block? I'll be interested to see what it looks like in there. If its blocked doesn't anyone know if this blockage is consistent with our current problems?

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G'day, Trevor, the bulge I mentioned occurs when the small hose, which is out of sight, out of mind, becomes affected by the heat in that area over a period of time, and becomes soft, mine ,after a long run was bulging like a balloon. It was just lucky I spotted it in time. The hose is a step down from the cooler spigot dia. to the pipe dia., but the bulge pushes it out of shape. cheers, Bob

Thanks Bob. I tried to remove the rubber bit to have a look inside but couldn't get enough grip in the nut behind to be able to move and remove the rubber. It wasn't too bulgy as it looks in the pic to be honest, it's actually quite hard not soft but I will be keeping an eye on it. I've actually started working from least expensive in sorting out my issue and I bled the coolant with the heater full blast and since then I haven't been losing much/any coolant from the overflow hose. :). I've been keeping an eye on it but haven't done any drieves longer than 15 minutes but even that driving before would cause it to drip out very regularly. Does anyone think bleeding the system and running the heater would stop the over pressurization thats been ocurring? Also, I was pretty sure I did it right when I changed my coolant but maybe not? Time will tell and i will let you know if it starts to leak again. Hopefully not though!

Yeah, Trevor, sometimes we go straight to the worst case, when in fact it can be something quite simple. One thing I know, sooner or later you will have to replace that little hose, it can be a bit of a struggle. People who work on Land Rovers have to have perseverence, & a refined sense of humour! Good luck, Bob

Could it be that this is a self aggravating problem?
Since the first "warming" of the engine, the occurrence has been more regular (although irregular).
So I am thinking that, given the age of the head bolts (not to mention the unknown running history) that they might have "stretched" beyond their mechanical serviceability.
This would then account for the irregular purging and certainly the more consistent purging when on long hard runs.
To this extent, I have decided to bite the bullet and replace the head gasket and head bolts. This would then give me piece of mind regarding this piece of the jigsaw.