Overheating! AC radiator removal?

[Landroverstormer]

I use my Disco 200 V8 off road and have suffered from the radiator clogging up and the engine then running fairly hot.  I've tried to pressure-wash the radiator several times, however having an AC model it has another rad (for the AC) in front of the proper rad.  :'(

Does anyone know if this is an easy job to do for a non-technical spanner wealder? Do I need any brackets or is it simply a case of taking it out?  Obviously I need to be careful taking the pipes off because of the gas, but the previous owner informed me that the AC packed up over 5 years ago so I guess I just need to complete the work outside and hold my breath!  :roll:

Any advice would be welcome, and if it is of use to anyone and they want to remove it for me FOC in return for keeping the rad then be my guest!!!  [-o<

I just need to get a bit of air flowing through the old girl, and be able to clear the radiator easily after getting muddy!  :dance:

James

[beast5680]

i had the same trouble with my V8 clogging the aircon rad up and then overheating so i removed it, however.. i am licensed to do aircon and it is a specialist job to remove the gas so if your not trained in the black art of aircon and dont have the gear dont touch it =; get someone who can recover the gas correctly if there is any in the system
knowingly venting gas to atmosphere= £5k fine if you get caught and/or a posible custodial sentence, that and its not good for the environment to let the gas out either and its also not good for your health if you breathe in the gas

[Landroverstormer]

Thanks Beast, could do with avoiding a spell in the clinker!  [-X

I work for a car dealership, so guess that I will be asking the Service Manager for a deal on de-gassing it for me so that I can remove the rad.  In a perverse kind of way, I'm glad you had the same problem as I'm only guessing that this is the issue; but then again the problem did start following some playing in deep water with lots of floating debris.  :oops:

Forgetting the gas situation, how hard was the actual job of removing the Rad?  :-k

[beast5680]

on mine i found the fins on the aircon rad would fill up with silt and effectively block the airflow throught the rad it also allows the mud to sit in between them and let the water drain off leaving the mud to dry like concrete, i suffered no problems after i removed it other than the usual blocking of the rad when in mud but it was a lot easier to clean the mud off.
if your work place has aircon gear they should be able to recover the gas no problem to a waste bottle and then get it disposed of

[Jake]

I removed all the air con set up from my 300 Tdi because it keeped over heating too
The gas was removed by a local air con specialist and then i removed all the parts
Getting the air con rad out with out removing the rad and intercooler is a bit of a job, best remove the lot to make it easier.
Whislt it's all out you can clean your rad through and flush your intercooler at the same time.
Removing the pump is 4 bolts and off, although some people keep these to use as air compressors ( i threw mine away  :lol: )
Removing all the pipe work from under the bonnet is as simple as trimming it back and blanking it off.
I left all of the inside bulkhead/behind dash stuf in situ
 :D

[Landroverstormer]

Cheers Jake, sounds like a plan then.........

1) Get system de-gassed.  :roll:
2) Remove AC rad.  :shock:
3) Clean engine rad.  :->
4) Remove pump and pipes.  8-[

If only I had an intercooler....... a Turbo V8 EFI would fly!  :clap:

[SteveGoodz]

Cheers Jake, sounds like a plan then.........

1) Get system de-gassed.  :roll:
2) Remove AC rad.  :shock:
3) Clean engine rad.  :->
4) Remove pump and pipes.  8-[

If only I had an intercooler....... a Turbo V8 EFI would fly!  :clap:

Sounds like a plan but I caution you against pressure washing your radiator ~ the force of the water can easily bend the fins and block the airflow just as much as mud can. Just use a normal garden hose with a nozzle on and you'll be fine.

I know  guy that used to have a Rangie with a Janspeed twin-turbo set-up ~ it went like a flippin' rocket  :clap: :dance: