Thread: Anyone know about Td5 radiators?

only one of the two should be open at all (and that depends on which hose you have that runs from the fuel cooler to the radiator) the other shoud be blocked off.

Originally Posted by wally

With the radiator removed from my 99 Td5 Disco for cleaning we found the following: The tank on the driver's side of the radiator has three hoses attached, two low down and one larger one further up. Of the two lower down, (within the radiator tank) the bottom one is restricted and the next one up is blanked off altogether. Is this how they should be? Should one or both of them be drilled out? I have queried this with two independent Land Rover mechanics and neither is 100% sure. One thought that on early Td5s they should both be fully open. I believe that this is not the original radiator. The lower hose (restricted one) goes to the fuel cooler. The next one up (blanked off one) goes around the back of the engine and then I think finishes up at the oil cooler (or so I was told - it's hard to see). Any ideas?

Yes, on the later TD5s they added another exchanger.

OK so it's as it should be. But what's the point of a hose running to a point on the radiator that's blocked off? It's not circulating any coolant. That appears to defy logic.

Its a cost saving thing..

they make the radiator up as yours is and then if you need the extra cooler hose you drill out the internal block and viola its ready to go. saves making 2 different runs for the tanks.

The specs on the motor changed. If your old radiator had the hole clear to flow coolant through it, then you'll need to drill the blanking out. When you buy the radiator it will have an aluminium drill guide for the pilot hole, then follow it through with a bigger drill to open it up properly. If the radiator you pull out doesn't have this, then just leave it.

I learnt this on the side of the Cape York developmental road at Archer River roadhouse.

Well I don't have the original radiator so I can't check it. Does anyone know for certain whether a 99 model should have it drilled out?

Originally Posted by wally

Well I don't have the original radiator so I can't check it. Does anyone know for certain whether a 99 model should have it drilled out?

OK just re-read the post, the restrictor is a upgrade when the original radiator has been replaced, i have replaced mine and when you buy a new radiator for the early model Discos you have to purchase the restrictor for the fuel cooler, so yes it's probably not the original radiator, if it's been working the way it is leave it.

I'd say that blanked off hole is so for the early models, and if it's open then it is for the later models with the extra exchanger and other upgrades they made to the Disco TD5 and Defender too.

Baz.