Thread: 300Tdi Radiator baffle, block or not

It's there to bypass the first pass through the core if the core is blocked,if you get the core flushed every year which should happen regardless you will never have an issue. Pat

Originally Posted by PAT303

It's there to bypass the first pass through the core if the core is blocked,if you get the core flushed every year which should happen regardless you will never have an issue. Pat

I can't see the logic in that.

If the 1st pass is blocked, then bypassing won't do anything for cooling - it certainly won't allow flow through the 2nd pass.

And if the 1st pass is blocked it would not matter to the centrifugal water pump if there was a hole in the baffle or not (centrifugal pumps don't mind pumping into a dead end - in fact they consume less power), and there is still the bypass through the heater core to provide circulation through the engine, as that is it's what happens when the thermostat is closed.

I suspect the hole may be there to avoid an air lock below the baffle, but this is just conjecture. I remember there was an old thread where this was discussed and my memory is not perfect so I stand to be corrected, but I believe it was suggested that the hole should be blanked off.

I recently had my 300TDi radiator fitted with a new core, I asked the radiator bloke if he would block the hole in the baffle plate for me while it was apart.
He said he wouldn't do it and if I wanted it done, then I could come and p/up my radiator and have it done elsewhere. I asked him why and he said Land Rover knew what they were doing and he would leave it at that.
So even though I am a mechanic and have knowledge in this area I decided to take expert advise and leave the hole in the baffle, can anyone explain why they think this baffle should be blocked, Regards Frank.

I would say that the 200 TDI rad has the outlets at either end
so the water flows through the whole core .
The 300 TDI has the outlets on one side so the baffle is there
to make a double pass to utilise the whole core, or the water would not
utilise the whole area of the radiator.. Just my thought......Mark

In other words the water flows half the width
and twice the length...

Originally Posted by PAT303

It's there to bypass the first pass through the core if the core is blocked,if you get the core flushed every year which should happen regardless you will never have an issue. Pat

Pat,
If the core is blocked it's blocked and will overheat!
Are you saying that if it's looked after, block the baffle and I'll never have an issues, or leave it and I'll never have an issue?

Originally Posted by Tank

I recently had my 300TDi radiator fitted with a new core, I asked the radiator bloke if he would block the hole in the baffle plate for me while it was apart.
He said he wouldn't do it and if I wanted it done, then I could come and p/up my radiator and have it done elsewhere. I asked him why and he said Land Rover knew what they were doing and he would leave it at that.
So even though I am a mechanic and have knowledge in this area I decided to take expert advise and leave the hole in the baffle, can anyone explain why they think this baffle should be blocked, Regards Frank.

Frank,
I'm trying to work out why it's there in the first place, if it's to stop air an lock why so big.
The only other thing I can think of is to slow the flow through the core while keeping up the flow through the block.
The Rad Shop doing mine say the the LR radiator is the only one they have seen with a hole in this baffle.

Originally Posted by groucho

I would say that the 200 TDI rad has the outlets at either end
so the water flows through the whole core .
The 300 TDI has the outlets on one side so the baffle is there
to make a double pass to utilise the whole core, or the water would not
utilise the whole area of the radiator.. Just my thought......Mark

Mark,
That is exactly why the baffle is there, but it has a hole in it, that allows some of the water to bypass the core.

Tony

Remember the oil cooler is there also and it aids in half the water to be able to warm the oil faster on cold start up ......

I look at it this way, it would be cheaper for them not to have it (1 less step i the process) so if they didn't think it was warranted they wouldn't do it.

I read it on the internet so it must be true...
"the baffle hole is a cold climate specification to prevent "overcooling" of coolant passing through the entire radiator."

Makes sense if its sub zero outside, thermo will open as water in head is >80degrees water will enter rad and then come out super cooled due to low ooutside temp... baffle hole allows some hot cold mixing?

Its not like the 300tdi is over-endowed with cooling capacity... anything to reduce that seems counter productive in a hot climate.

FWIW my current rad is 4 core 4pass (ie two full baffles) with oil cooler an external unit.

I can still get my coolant temp up to 105degrees!

S