Thread: Short play off road

When I say cooks, I mean it gets up to the 110deg temp quickly (and still the temp is climbing) on short technical high rev climbs etc. It then will not get the temp back down at idle unless I shut the engine off and leave the thermo fan one for 5min or so.
This was a real hassle the other week as I had by-passed the starter motor due to the fire.
The temp gauge I have is an after market one that connects directly to the thermostat housing. (what is it called? has a copper tube permanently connected to the gauge)
The engine was reconditioned approx 5 years ago, so I would not expect the water jackets to have blockages. anything is possible though.
I have always run coolant.
Maybe I should get the radiator flushed

thanks Warb.

Originally Posted by Warb

When you say "it cooks" what exactly do you mean?

Temperature gauge rises?

Radiator boils over?

Engine misbehaves (stalls, falters etc.)?

Without knowing the actual symptoms it's hard to know the problem! It could be anything from a gauge/sensor mismatch between Holden and Land Rover, or a busted gauge/sensor (when everything is actually OK), through blocked radiator (air or water side), water pump problem, broken thermostat, clogged water passages in the motor or many other issues.

I had an engine where the water passages were totally blocked at the end furthest from the pump. The gauges said everything was perfect, the radiator never overheated, but the engine played up terribly in traffic because just that one cylinder was overheating badly.......

Oil cooling, or even turning the cab heater on (if fitted), provides another mechanism for heat removal and therefore works, given adequate air flow over the cooler. But at low speed there won't be much airflow, and it shouldn't be required if everything is working as it should.

Originally Posted by Sideroad

When I say cooks, I mean it gets up to the 110deg temp quickly (and still the temp is climbing) on short technical high rev climbs etc. It then will not get the temp back down at idle unless I shut the engine off and leave the thermo fan one for 5min or so.

Check that the engine really is that hot with a laser thermometer (cheap on eBay) in case the sender unit is telling lies.

If it is correct, then the cause is almost certainly the radiator, thermostat, or a blockage somewhere in the system, which is less likely. If the above were OK then it would cool down rapidly at idle.

Flushing a radiator in my experience is not particularly effective, it is better to have the core rodded by a radiator shop. Ask them to keep what came out of it, so that you can plan the next stage of the attack. If it is rust or lime scale, then the block and head will need cleaning as well. Use a top-hose filter if this is the case, otherwise the radiator will get blocked again,

Cheers Charlie