Radiator choices

That's why I'm doing this :) Hot summer days and city stop/start driving mine gets up to around the 2/3rds 3/4 mark - well away from the red still but nervously close. Also noticed couple weekends back when I was labouring up a goat track in 1st gear low with traction control coming on every few secs engine temp was climbing while I was nervously watching between it and the goat track.

My viscous fan never 'roars' either (as someone in another post said it should when first started or when hot) Mines more of a stifled yawn at most.

I reckon you are on the right track with your 'freshen up' plans... I don't mean to create alarm, but the behaviours you just described below are very similar to how mine was performing before it dropped a sleeve and needed the new short motor. I didn't see it as a sign and just figured it was how the breed responded to hotter days. On the occasion of the death I wasn't 'eagle eyeing' the gauges as usual and it went up into the red and cooked... just like that. Personally, I reckon the causal issues were the old and poorly functioning water pump, the general 'tired' condition of the cooling system and perhaps the thermostat which I have recently noticed causes the gauge to do a little up and down dance every few minutes in hotter running conditions.

Me thinks maybe I will take the new thermostat in for fitting and get a power flush while its there too!

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Me thinks maybe I will take the new thermostat in for fitting and get a power flush while its there too!

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Do the thermostat yourself is a very easy job. Change the upper and lower hoses at the same time. The hardest part of the whole thing is bleeding the system too remove air locks when your refilling the coolant, the RAVE manual has a procedure for that also. It's a need to know job.

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Originally Posted by Aussie

Do the thermostat yourself is a very easy job. Change the upper and lower hoses at the same time. The hardest part of the whole thing is bleeding the system too remove air locks when your refilling the coolant, the RAVE manual has a procedure for that also. It's a need to know job.

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The process is simplified by jacking the front wheels about 100mm above the level of the rears. (which is simple if you have a MARS on your EAS system :D;)

Pour coolant slowly into the top hose (which has been disconnected from the radiator). You'll get to the stage where you can see the overflow tank (cap removed) begin to fill. By this time almost all the air has been dispalced and risen to the top.

Reconnect the radiator hose and start the engine...let it idle at about 1500 rpm and ensure the bleed hose from the top of the radiator is feeding freely into the overflow. Add a little more coolant to the overflow tank, if necessary, to bring the level up to the middle.

when the engine reaches operating temperature and the flow indicates the thermostat is open, slow the idle, check for bubbles in the overflow tank...these should have subsided, replace the cap and switch off. Coolant will be drawn back into the system from the overflow tank as the engine cools. top it up as needed to the "middle" when cold.

Here endeth the lesson:angel:

Nice work big fella :)

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Originally Posted by Hoges

, replace the cap and switch off.

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make sure you do it in that order, unless you want to wash the engine bay with coolant :o

I have a TEFBA inline coolant filter in the top radiator hose.

TEFBA :: Engine cooling system Radiator filters :: Easy to CLEAN

I had one of these in my previous classic rangie and it used to collect all sorts of junk.

It was one of the first things I put on the P38 for additional peace of mind - cheap at around $60.

It also makes it easier to replace the coolant, as you can pour the coolant in through it.

Dave

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Originally Posted by p38arover

OEM or Chinese copy?

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Got a reply back from both Graeme at Melbourne Britcars and the UK Radiator vendor.

What Graeme is calling his OEM radiator ($440+gst) is manufactured by G&M in Scotland and are original equipment suppliers. The UK vendor also said his ones are G&M made in Scotland....

btw - all my current UK orders are being held up by the volcano, don't order from europe if you're in a hurry at the moment.

Finally found a place that does cooling hose *kits* for the P38 at a decent price. Here's the link for anyone that's interested $100aud (£60) for the kit - a huge saving over buying individual hoses here in Aus. Given how damaging or annoying blowing a lowly hose can be.... (like a heater hose :angel:) I'm replacing them all.

HOSE KIT

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Originally Posted by Junosi

Got a reply back from both Graeme at Melbourne Britcars and the UK Radiator vendor.

What Graeme is calling his OEM radiator ($440+gst) is manufactured by G&M in Scotland and are original equipment suppliers. The UK vendor also said his ones are G&M made in Scotland.....

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Yep, them's the ones! My first replacement was made by them, I'm sure the current one is Chinese.