STILL having cooling problems!

n8thgr8

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
Hey guys,
The D1 is still having problems with the cooling system. ('97 4.0 gems) As some of you might remember, I'm on Guam a whoping 13 degrees north of the equator. It gets hot here.
Here's the deal...
I can drive for about a half hour, or more depending on traffic and the temp gauge might or might not spike. When it gets hot, I can turn off the AC and that usually helps for a little while. Also (and this is the weird one) when this is happening at night, I can turn the lights off and the temp gauge goes down too.
Electric fan hasn't been running when I turn the vehicle off for the past two days
The radiator went bad last spring, pinholes everywhere, so there's a new one in there, new hoses, new water pump after the previous one seriously crapped out on the road a few weeks ago. T-stat is relatively new, I could probably get a newer one for good measure.
The coolant level has been so up and down over the past several months, after replacing the radiator, it maintained a normal level after a few weeks, same with water pump. (see question two below)
I did have a little luck when the one shop I DO trust on island pulled out the temp sensor and cleaned it free of corosion. everything else I've done myself.
I have not replaced the fan clutch, fan stops when engine stops, so I haven't felt the need. I also haven't done head gaskets, because I don't seem to have any of the classic signs, oil in water, water in oil, leaking around the head etc.
My questions are...

Is it possible to need head gaskets without having any of the normal symptoms mentioned above?

When refilling the coolant after jobs like replacing a water pump or a radiator, is there a trick to bleeding the system of air bubbles?
I can see a little loss every time I check after my bigger jobs where I have to drain and refill the system. my theory was that the system has been purging air bubbles. but now I'm nervous I'm wrong.
 
riceybean

riceybean

Well-known member
Jun 29, 2008
861
0
Vancouver, WA
Have you replaced the expansion tank? My D1 had some of the same issues when I was in Vegas for a summer. The expansion take had a leak right at the seam that would only show up on really hot days with the AC on, then the temp would spike. If I shut off the AC it would go back to normal and not leak.
 
n8thgr8

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
Interesting. No, but I haven't noticed a leak from that area. Not that it isn't there, I just haven't been looking for it there. Everything else has broken or failed, so the expansion tank seemed to be something I didn't need to worry about.
it also seems to hold pressure pretty well. especially when hot.
 
D Chapman

D Chapman

1
Jan 3, 2005
11,746
73
On Kennith's private island
If you have the stock black tank, go ahead and replace it. It will fail one day when far from home anyway.

If there is a small crack in your tank the system can lose pressure. Without pressure water boils at a lower temp. Is that your problem? Could be, but I doubt it. But you need a one-piece tank anyway.

I'd do two things:
1) replace the viscus; and
2) add Water Wetter to your system

It's so hard to tell if a viscus is bad. I had one fool me once. It checked out good, but in a last ditch effort I replaced it and that cured my problem.

Water Wetter seems like some black oil. But it actually works. It removes smaller air bubble from the system, thus allowing more fluid to make contact with the metal, thus displacing the heat better.

P.S. never trust a stock gauge.
 
n8thgr8

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
Ok, sounds like a new expansion tank is in order. Any particular manufacture I should look at for a "one piece?" I'm assuming that means that it's not moulded together clam shell style or in separate pieces glued together or something?
and a viscus too.
Mine is the origional no doubt, with plastic blades (all still intact! wooo!) So I'll start looking for that upgrade to the metal one.
 
Some Dude

Some Dude

Well-known member
Feb 12, 2009
1,590
0
Boise, ID
Wait, you can drive for more than 30 minutes in Guam and not circle the whole island? Who knew?

On the flip side of Dan's comments, I recently had the classic signs of viscous clutch failure and throwing a $220 part at it did not solve anything. It's kind of a crap shoot in my opinion.
 
n8thgr8

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
That's the exact part I have in my cart right now. AB is good for me, because it's easy for them to ship to my APO address. I just have to call them, can't do it online. Then it takes a week to get here.
I don't mind replacing the VFC, the one I have is probably origional and at least I would know where I stand with that part in the whole scheme of things with this problem. So crap shoot or not, I have no problem replacing a few parts that are origional in my truck and might fail soon anyway.

Yah, surprisingly Guam is much bigger than people think! it's very similar in size and population to Maui. And going through some of the more populated areas traffic can SUCK.
I happen to have one of only two D1's on island. There's a couple of D90's an RRC or two, for a while a SWEET series III. Then in 2004 the BMW dealership aquired Land Rover. So there has been a lot of support for the newer vehicles, but when it comes to the older ones I pretty much pay them to learn how to fix my truck. So I don't pay anyone and learn to do it myself. And I DID have the option to get down to the dealership for advice once in a while, but the guy that was the main Land Rover mechanic died in a motorcycle accident a couple years ago.
Interesting huh? bet you guys wanted to know all that haha.
 
n8thgr8

n8thgr8

Well-known member
Dec 6, 2006
587
0
Colorado, Guam
Just about 136k.
I know! Never done head gaskets. Which is why I'm wondering if ifs possible to need them without the classic signs of water in the oil or vice versa. Are there other symptoms I should be looking at?
 
MotoBando

MotoBando

Well-known member
Aug 16, 2005
113
0
I'm betting it's the fan clutch as well. When they go bad you can see the center will be covered in oil where the little rod in. You should be able to hear it if it's working and kicks in at high temp. I installed a heavy duty fan clutch in mine and it's activated most of the time, keeping the engine very cool.
 
1920SF

1920SF

Well-known member
Jan 6, 2007
2,705
1
NoVA
Don't go with the imperial heavy duty or severe duty unless you need to, as Dan said its rather loud. I went with the Hayden 2626, much quieter and holds the temps.
R-
Ray
 
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