[Dirt Devil]

Something new for a change, NOT.
Anyway, have a mate with a 4.2 TD 03 which is over heating, he tows a 2.3 tonne van and this is when the trouble started.
When towing even a slight rise it starts to over heat but fine when not towing.
So far he has put an assie made copper four core radiator in, new water pump, new themostast, new fan, new coolant, new glow plugs, new injectors, and a tune up.
The gauge goes straight up to H when towing and has an after market temp gauge that shows between 95 to 109.

Ok, I have had a look at it and found,
He has put a bonnet scoop on, no rubber on left side of engine, no rubber between radiator and front frame in front of radiator, added spot lights -7", and added roof rack.

Have done pressure test, OK, no coolant in oil and no bubbles in coolant.

I have tried to give as much info as I can, he also uses the gears properly and keeps revs up so as not to labour motor.

So could someone smarter than me give some advice.


Shane.

 

[jeffs5]

Need all the shrouds to draw the air in, Spotties can affect it. 95-109 its not boiling/overheating! Get all the gaps around the rad sorted,may bring it down.

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

realisticly it isnt overheating, 109 is within normal running temp, but if he wants it to run cooler then have a read of this

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/nissan-patrol-gq-y60-ford-maverick-11/motor-running-hot-62472/

 

[Jacket_1985]

its not cooking.

 

[Dirt Devil]

I see what your saying and from what he told me he said when he pulled over and lifted the bonnet the little tank on the side by the second battery was boiling its guts out.

shane.

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

the coolant at 109 shouldnt be boiling if it has antiboil type coolant , plus the radiator cap should pressurize the system increasing the boiling point further

 

[G60 Rock Crawler]

its not cooking.

Factory guages stay dead solid in one position, they only move if somethings going on and if it goes all the way to hot it needs immediate action, you cant just keep driving thinking its not cooking.

No wonder some new cars have no needle, people just must ignore it anyway so manufacturers remove them.

 

[jeffs5]

Did he use a good coolant,new cap,It may have air in the system

 

[Dirt Devil]

Uses nissan coolant (new), dont know if cap is new, will find out. Dont know about air in system.

The after market gauge is the one thats pickup is bolted to the themostat housing. ( dont know if good or bad thing)

Shane.

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

air in the system wouldnt be the problem unless the radiator cap is faulty as the system will bleed the air out automaticly, the aftermarket guage i would think wouldnt be as acurate as one that reads the actual coolant temp

 

[Dirt Devil]

Ok more info comes to light, He said this all started when he went to Coffs Harbor. He said that theres a big hill out off Coffs and when going up it the gauge went to as far as it would go, he pulled over at the truck stop at the top and lifted the bonnet, it was that hot it had coolant coming out between the core and the top tank. Thats why the new radiator.

Since then the problem seems to stay no matter what he does.
DID NOT KNOW THIS BEFORE I ASKED.


Shane.

 

[cowboy243]

Ok more info comes to light, He said this all started when he went to Coffs Harbor. He said that theres a big hill out off Coffs and when going up it the gauge went to as far as it would go, he pulled over at the truck stop at the top and lifted the bonnet, it was that hot it had coolant coming out between the core and the top tank. Thats why the new radiator.

Since then the problem seems to stay no matter what he does.
DID NOT KNOW THIS BEFORE I ASKED.


Shane.

So does that mean that some other part of the cooling system is rooted??

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

i would say he has done a head gasket, seeing as it has a top tank i assume it has a header tank for the coolant seperate from the radiator ?? ask him if the header tank always has air in it

 

[G60 Rock Crawler]

If coolant was comming out of radiator he may have lost it all and didnt know and drove for a while and it cooked it.

 

[Dirt Devil]

If so (cooked it) we did a pressure test and ok(three hours) and no bubbles in coolant, no pressure in top hose with cap on.

Shane.

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

i have found that the pressure tests are unreliable , you need to have the motor working in real world conditions to get a proper answer

 

[Dirt Devil]

would the next step be, take the head off and have a look?

Shane.

 

[ITS A FORD NOT A NISSAN]

would the next step be, take the head off and have a look?

Shane.

you need to find out if the head is leaking first, thats why i asked if it has a header tank , looks like an overflow bottle but is actually part of the pressurised system , the radiator cap is actually on the header tank and the radiator will have a blank radiator cap , if the header tank always has air in it then i would say the head gasket is leaking under pressure (when the motor is being worked), if this is the case then it is only a minor leak which can be fixed easily by useing a product called "seal up", if it was a major leak i would say rip the head off but seeing as it may just be a tiny leak then this is a good solution

but if you find that there is no leak then i recommend fitting a modified thermostat like in that thread i pointed out earlier, it works very well i guarentee it

just ask if you want any more info on it

 

[sudso]

I see what your saying and from what he told me he said when he pulled over and lifted the bonnet the little tank on the side by the second battery was boiling its guts out.

shane.

That little tank is the overflow bottle.
Now if the temp was still around or under 110 etc and doing this it points to a dodgy or incorrect pressure radiator cap, and it's allowing the system to reach boiling point and over pressurise before it's supposed to. It's probably why his header tank has now split, from the effects of the steam.

 

[maccas]

I have had similar heating problems with my 4.2TD.
Long hills and beach had the guage heading to maximum.
Turned the heater and fan on full with the windows open to assist in keeping it cooler. PITA on a hot day!!!!
Its at the mechanics now,
The radiator was fairly dirty with grass/leaves.
The viscous coupling had lost some effect so the fan was not turning at full speed.
Got them to do a flow test and if needed to clean out the whole cooling system.
The coolant is good enough to renew
Fitting new thermostat, hoses and belts while its there.
Hope that fixes the problem.
Macca