DurtyDisco
Member Since: 10 Dec 2012
Location: Northamptonshire
Posts: 501
  
|
| Coolant System Pressurizing |
|
I thought I would post a query to the great knowledge collective as I have a problem with my 2008MY D3.
Just to add some context. I've had the car 6 years covered just over 40k miles, regularly serviced and have never had anything like this before. EGR's have been blanked, bigger fast road intercooler from Allisport, silicone hoses, the EGR patch and remap from Geoff last November.
Sorry in advance this is going to be a long one......
D3 had it's big belts, uprated FoMoCo Oil Pump and full service in June. The garage (a local LR Specialist) that did the work didn't put the bottom coolant hose on correctly using the clip, and the bottom hose came off and dumped its coolant and superheated the engine.
They quickly acknowledged it was their fault, took responsibility and collected the car on a low loader replaced the hose and clip, refilled with coolant, also replaced the diesel return pipe that had deformed in the heat and split. So all was good. I was really impressed with them up to this point.
Over the next 4 weeks we didn't use the car that much as its a 3rd car, however, each time we got in it the "Low Coolant" warning came on..... so it was duly refilled with correct coolant and off we went. After a weekend of short journeys the warning came on again, so it was booked back in to be investigated further.
The upshot of two hours diagnosis was the coolant header tank had split and was causing a pressure build up in the cooling system, and as it had passed fluid the pressure cap were replaced.
The car was run in their workshop for 30 minutes, it came up to temperature with no issues, the car was taken on a short test drive, again, no issue. I picked it up and drove it home (35 miles) at a steady 65-70mph having been "fixed" and it popped up the "Low coolant warning" again just as I pulled onto my drive. No warning lights on the way home and a steady temperature reading on the gauge as I would expect.
So, back it went to them again....... that was 4 weeks ago.
In the interim they have:
Drained the coolant out and flushed the coolant system.
Bypassed the EGR Cooling System (as the EGR's are blanked anyway)
Checked and then replaced both the primary and secondary Thermostats.
Checked and replaced the water pump.
Flushed the heater matrix to make sure it isn't blocked.
Checked to see if there was any water contamination in the oil - negative
Carried out a Diesel Particulate test on the coolant - negative (Head Gasket test)
Carried out a CO2 test on the coolant - negative (Head Gasket test)
Carried out a further 5 road tests, 3 of which the car behaved, 2 of which it spat its coolant out.
Carried out flow tests to ensure the radiator is not blocked
They have now determined that anything under 22-23 miles driving sedately (50-60 mph) the car behaves, anything over 25 miles, or a more spirited drive (60-70mph) the car spits out its coolant.....
They are now "scratching their heads" as they can't fathom why its doing what its doing......
I'm now calling on the collective knowledge base to see if anyone else as experienced anything like this, and what the remedy was......
Am I potentially looking at making a claim against their liability insurance and insisting on them replacing the engine and all the cooling components as they've cooked the engine? G4OC Secretary
N44RT Callsign NH89
|
 6th Sep 2017 12:02 pm |
|
|
SADISCOBOB
Member Since: 08 Oct 2010
Location: Alberton
Posts: 246
 
|
Hi, sounds to me that they need to check the CO2 again. I think the answer is in the "slow drive and then the spirited drive". Really sounds like a minute gas leak across a gasket. I had a similar 'happening on a 300TDI once, only cured with a head skim and new gasket. Hopefully that is the problem as the next step would be a tiny crack somewhere and that would be very difficult to find. Does it blow all the coolant out of the tank or do you just lose it somewhere else??? Life always good with a Landy
2006 LR DISCO 3 4.4 V8 HSE
DISCO 1 2.8 TDi
DISCO11 TD5
RR CLASSIC 1980 3.5 V8
|
| 6th Sep 2017 2:09 pm |
|
|
lynalldiscovery
Member Since: 22 Dec 2009
Location: Maidstone
Posts: 7274
|
I reckon you and they know the answer, but they dont want to admit it.
If you think about it logically the excess pressure can only come from one place, I would push for another engine as if you go for head gaskets it may fix it short term, but will come back and bite you in the future.
Ps i would call spirited driving cracking the ton 
|
| 6th Sep 2017 2:18 pm |
|
|
