Thread: Strange TD5 Cooling Issue

Hi all, the Disco has started getting hot again and can't figure out why. Original thoughts were the radiator was blocked cause it was only hot at the top of the rad and the bottom was cold but I've pulled the rad and cleaned it out properly by taking the side tank off, put it back in and it was still getting warm, next idea was the water pump not circulating the water fast enough, pulled the pump out and it looked like new so not the problem, next step was the thermostat which seemed to work fine after running some hot water through it so that shouldn't be the problem. No visible leaks from anywhere but it is losing water from somewhere, don't think its the head gasket because the system didn't seem to be under too much pressure and no loss in power. It only gets hot climbing hills and after about half an hour of driving. Still not 100% about the thermostat but it seems to be working, the radiator still feels hot at the top and cooler down the bottom, say about 1/3 warm rest cooler. Any advice much appreciated.

I think you should consider that you may have a cracked head or gasket failure at best. Some of the symptoms you describe point to that, such as overheating when you go up hills and continuous coolant loss. The fact that you have to bleed when you top up is another indicator.

Nick