Thread: What happened to your Discovery 2 today?

Something I forgot to mention about my recent radiator hose failure is the value of an independent temperature gauge.

I have a cheaply $25 digital one which is sold as a temperature controller as it has a switching and alarm function.
As I was driving along the beach I noticed it increased to 103 then back to 90 something a couple of times. The dash gauge stayed merrily on half way.
I stopped and had a look and added about 600 ml of drinking water from a drink bottle and it immediately came down to 82c.

I then went. Back and bled the system and it took almost 3 liters.
I thought I had a blown head gasket as the coolant was on the engine mount directly below the overflow pipe. I put a 600 ml drink bottle under/ around the overflow which was dry when I next checked so I removed the engine cover and when I squeezed the t junction in the hose I got a little fountain.

so my dry sensor attached to the wet sensor housing saved the engine. I checked that it was accurate within 2 c in the 80s . The. Sensor is just attached to the housing inside a crimp ring connector squeezed so the sensor is a firm fit and then insulated with a big blob of Blu Tac. My digital display fits neatly in the RH drawer under the radio.

regards PhilipA

I did have better things to do but not as fun, so a few days ago off I went to the local u-pull-it for a top magna tj hose (34mm and nice and long with two end bends to cut as needed) to delete the bottom thermostat setup.

IMG_20220825_113117_01.jpg From 2 magnas I pinched the 2 top hoses and both the thermostat housings (big 3 bolt) and small outlet spouts and one 88 celsius thermostat

Yesterday roughly mid morning I think, I put the disco under the carport and popped the bonnet and started staring a lot and thinking a little

IMG_20220825_114631.jpg First task was easy (but I managed to balls it up as I found out later) drill a bypass hole in the new (old) thermostat as I need some water flow for it to register temp rise evenly (like the factory one does using the take off from the top hose)

IMG_20220825_123836.jpg The purpose was to minimize hoses and clutter look and just coz it's my car and I can.

To make a point here, the factory setup is perfectly fine and it is soundly engineered, I understand it perfectly, and the diagram in RAVE is wrong because it shows the bypass hose flow going from thermostat UP to the T-Junction of the top hose, when in fact it flows DOWN to the thermostat from that junction, bypassing the radiator when engine is cold and slows/ceases as engine comes to temp and flow starts moving through the radiator as the thermostat opens (and will blend as needed depending on thermostat operation). However I am aiming for minimisation so less things to fiddle with when things go wrong.

IMG_20220825_124117.jpg So I lay something clean down to lay on and start the task of messing around under the vehicle and somebody decided to take over with their muddy paws, I let him have his way as I wasn't really in the groove yet for crawling under and getting wet so went on to other tasks

IMG_20220825_140435.jpg IMG_20220825_140458.jpg Other tasks being making up the top thermostat housing monstrosity and fitting and refitting and getting the angles right. I couldn't find a thermostat to fit the 2 smaller outlet spouts as they were 34mm internal and even the small thermostats that fit one housing can't sit in the reversed housing due to the 'legs' holding the spring and bulb being too widely spaced.

So what I have is the larger actual thermostat housings sandwiching the original magna thermostat which has had its bypass plate (most modern cars use the bypass system like land rover has done but it is more elegantly engineered within the block) cut off the bottom to sit in properly, note this is temporary and it will be replaced with a TT2-180 with a new rubber O-Ring TTG-45. No staged assembly pics I forgot sorry.

Please note this is unnecessary stuffing around as the simple and neat solution is to put the recut magna top hose in the bottom from radiator to water rail and use one of these inline units in the top hose in the same fashion/position I have done which leaves the heater take off and air bleed hose alone and makes for a minimal fuss neat conversion, so far rocket is the best price I have found but then you still need a bottom hose, thermostat and section of hose to replace top hose t-junction

MZWN0071.jpg Rocket Industries - Leaders in Performance Products

I am a bit cash strapped atm so it basically cost me so far $56 for what I have done plus some hose clamps from the parts bins.

IMG_20220825_170314.jpg Moving on I was all go once the top assembly was dummy fitting nicely and spent a couple hours or so getting the yucky thermostat and horrid hoses out as well as removing the water rail. I chopped the bypass part of the water rail off for a neater look and cleaned up the ends then put it back on and reconnected hoses minus the squeezy hose clamps that I despise so much and used the standard screw type (can't remember proper name)

IMG_20220825_172839.jpg I then had a light globe moment (for me anyway, you guys prolly been doing it for years) and hose clamped a tap fitting inside a section of hose which I clamped onto the water outlet, plugged garden hose in and hey presto reverse flushed the system. At this point all hoses were on and tightened off bar the top set. So by alternately capping the heater inlet with a 19mm blank or putting the cap on the header tank (which was raised up whole time, yep forgot pics) and blocking the top radiator inlet with palm I was able to direct the flow and pulled out a lot of muck and kept going till it was running clean as.

I have distilled water on hand for radiator use if I lose water on partial drains, but after flushing my cars I actually use Tectalloy Gold ( Soylent ) Green which I have used forever as it works well with tap water.

IMG_20220825_182832.jpg IMG_20220825_182858.jpg So here is the cumbersome poor mans Meziere housing.

I idled it up with a few throttle burps for twenty minutes and it wouldn't go more than around 34 degrees, I had the nano hooked up and the fuel temp was a few degrees lower so I knew the water temp was accurate. I immediately suspected the bypass hole in the thermostat flange was too big as I have never done them more than 3mm and this one I had grabbed a drill bit next to the vice and oped up the hole where the jiggle valve was (should have left it alone) .

I took it for a highway run up Gawler bypass onto Sturt Highway and at 110 it eventually crawled up to about 65 but on the way home I went through Gawler and it dropped into the mid 50s'.

All good, will order new thermo, gave up ringing around, as everyone stocks the common 195 F units as standard replacements but the 180 F all online.

The ultimate plan is to have a custom thermostat housing bolted to the head where the outlet is with a bleed screw on top and the heater take off coming off the housing. This will give me 3 hoses for the radiator with no hose take offs, easy to source

So that's what happened to my D2 YESTERDAY. Coz today I have spent all morning writing this up (yes I am slow typist and picture placer ) so nothing on D2 today coz I out of hobby cash. Yes it is a hobby, only way I can justify spending on this thing !

Originally Posted by johnp38

I did have better things to do but not as fun, so a few days ago off I went to the local u-pull-it for a top magna tj hose (34mm and nice and long with two end bends to cut as needed) to delete the bottom thermostat setup.

IMG_20220825_113117_01.jpg From 2 magnas I pinched the 2 top hoses and both the thermostat housings (big 3 bolt) and small outlet spouts and one 88 celsius thermostat
!

Having used a magna pipe for the radiator to front coolant rail with fitting the Electric Water Pump, just a word of warning as I had the radiator fan nick that hose down low whilst on a track on up in the High Country. It had been fine on the road and hence was a BIG surprise when it happened.

Subsequently had to turn the hose from the radiator 'away' towards the battery box to ensure adequate clearance. No problems since.

RRT it was your project that got me onto the magna hoses being 34mm, thanks muchly

I cut it and routed to sit a poofteenth away from the steering box so no rubbing which basically follows the original layout so missed by fan.

But I will look and check the fan to hose clearance before I head out today just to double check, no probs on the test drive other than low temps (which beats over heating ! )

Thanks for the warning, better safe than sorry too far from home.

Today the CAT 115-2422 starting battery in my Discovery 2 celebrated 10 years in continuous service and showing no signs of slowing down although I will retire it before next winter.

G reat, I hope I get that out of mine. Going well so far.

Put a Kings Dominator 12000lb winch onto the new ARB bar. Very impressed although not used in anger. Wireless remote works great. Wiring up was super easy and the positive to battery lead has a clever built in isolator switch.

Got new allisport power steering reservoir for the d2, another item to add to my growing allisport collection