RRC 300 TDI retrofit cooling questions

[PoPrivit]

Has anyone fitted a 300 Tdi and if you have did you have any problems with air locks in the cooling system. I have tried to relocate the header tank but due to the height of the thermostat housing it is not possible to get the level of the header tank to be higher than the vent plug on the top of the engine. Is this the cause of my problems? only if it's under pressure it should not matter :(  any help welcome and any picks would be even better. Getting a bit fed up now of venting the system.

Cheers poprivit :)

[PoPrivit]

Anyone  :idea:  :D

[dazzawhipple]

you could try a hose pipe in it and try and flush it out :?

Run it and crack the pipes off to let the air out but if as you say the header is lower its going to be hard

Darren

[PoPrivit]

Hi Darren,

thanks chap i'm going to have another go again tonight.....I could do with someone local with a 300 disco that i could have a look at to see how it's setup. I don't think that i have the clearence to put the expansion tank any higher. Got to the point now where i wounder if i Should have got a 300 disco. :)  :roll:

[woody]

Has anyone fitted a 300 Tdi and if you have did you have any problems with air locks in the cooling system. I have tried to relocate the header tank but due to the height of the thermostat housing it is not possible to get the level of the header tank to be higher than the vent plug on the top of the engine. Is this the cause of my problems? only if it's under pressure it should not matter :(  any help welcome and any picks would be even better. Getting a bit fed up now of venting the system.

Cheers poprivit :)

how about trying to locate the header tank (temp bracket) above the thermostat housing
hopefully this will cure the air locks if all is ok then try lowering it

[PoPrivit]

this is what i am going to try but due to the size a weight its not easy. :?

[Range Rover Blues]

I don't understand your problem, you have a 300TDi, from where, a Disco? and you put it into a RRC.  These are the same car, what is stopping you putting the header tank in the same place on the Rangie as on the Disco, behind the battery?

Anyway, have you tried bleeding the system at all the high point by either loosening a hose or half-removing the filler caps when the engine is hot and under pressure?

[PoPrivit]

Many thanks for the patronising response Range Rover Blues.

My question was not the position of the header tank :shock:  as this is behind the battery :roll: . However the disco has a greater depth from the top of the wing to the top of the inner wing and this could allow the tank to sit closer to the level of the top vent. The tank on the 200 disco is as you say behind the battery but on the 300 it was relocated to sit parallel to the engine.

The real issue is the difference in height from the water level in the tank and the top vent / thermostat housing on the engine. I am having problems with keeping water in the top hose and even with careful filling and venting the air returns.
 

That’s why i asked for someone with a disco 300 tdi to pop and have a look at the difference in the height from the water in the tank and the top vent

Don't take this the wrong way but don't assume that i'm thick just because im asking others for some advice and if you can’t be helpful then keep your comments to yourself please. :x

Ps thanks to everyone else for your help. :D

cheers rich

[Range Rover Blues]

Well I was going to offer to take 'photos of my FACTORY BUILT RRC 300TDi, assuming you have the Disco engine and NOT the Defender engine.  But as my help is not appreciated.........

[PoPrivit]

Ah well you help would be appreciated but your tone did not indicate help.

I would not expect any further help but i will offer my apology if i offended.

I am on my 2nd head gasket in 1200 miles :( so i'm a bit grumpy at the moment and i have tried all the obvious stuff already.:)

if you decide to help then it would be most welcome if not then thanks anyway.

rich :) :) :)

[Range Rover Blues]

I am on my 2nd head gasket in 1200 miles

 :shock:

Ok so why did your head gaskets go, or are you changing them to try and cure another probelm?

What other work have you had done, head skimmed, crack tested etc.

Other than the airlocks are you having other problems or is it all in the cooling?

Is it running at all, if so is it running hot, cold, about right for a while (then all goes a bit pear shaped)?

[PoPrivit]

work done

full engine rebuild

new rad & hoses

head refaced

1st gasket due to incorrect torque information being given. but didnt get hot just pumped out coolant from tank after 50 miles :( a tad miffed was i

2nd gasket due to overheat and poped hose due to lack of coolant in top hose. :( now getting very miffed.....

I dont think that the height of the tank is the cause and i just want to confirm before i start looking for anything else. It could be fault head but the engine had only covered 60,000 before the full rebuild so it should be ok.

I have niticed that a mates 300 tdi defender has a non return valve in the overflow feed from the rad and the top  housing. Does yours have the same? and from what i can find on Factory 300 RRC's the tank sits lower than the top stat housing.

could just get a Disco !!!!!!! but just not the same as a RRC :(

[PoPrivit]

forgot to say goes fine for a few days with little sign of any probs and then runs a little warmer so check and the water level is low in top stat housing. blead air out and fine again for a while.

Wife has been using car and forgot to check so cooked motor slightly and poped hose :(

got to do 150 miles a day and want to run the new motor in a bit before i use it to do this run.

[PoPrivit]

Well as a bit of an update i have stripped the head off and the Head Gasket had started to go again. Taken it in to be checked and it's 8 thou out.. :(

so got it skimmed and just go to put back together now......

went to have a look at a factory 300 this weekend and as i thought the level in the tank sits lower than the top stat housing :)  

Also decided to buy the car i looked at...A 1995 M Soft Dash 300 TDI Auto Vogue SE with all the toys and full leather.........MMMMmmmmmm very nice. Had 2 other SE's but this is one of the best i've looked at for a while. Only thing that i had to have a think about was the EAS as you hear about so many problems, But it works well and the rest of the car has been cared for......Just have to wait and see...........now do i bob-tail my existing troublesome classic and have some fun.

[dazzawhipple]

Rich


I have just got a RRC 3.5 V8 EFi LPG converted. No leather but different to the disco you put your foot down and it moves


Darren

[PoPrivit]

Hi Darren,

just something a bit special about a classic RR. I've had 3 now and soon to be 4.

first was a 1990 early G vogue SE 3.5 V8 auto leather ETC. Nice motor i did a P/X for a 3.9 V8 disco that i had.....just got fed up with filling it up and that was 5 years ago :shock:  ECU went on that one but when i sorted it with a new ECU all you could hear was the fan when it was ticking over.....Smooth..........

Next one was a 1990 late G 3.9 SE auto running Gas. Twin tanks under the sills. again a nice motor with full leather. Gas was great but not that many places then to fill up. so it had to go.

I love the V8's sound fantastic when you put your foot down.........And off road when you get bogged down in a bit of mud....... :D  :D



Had to go TDi though it's a close thing on Gas. Think i'm going to truck cab and bobtail my 300 converted classic now and keep her for play  :D
so that's my winter project sorted.

just going to use the new one on the road for work.  There have been a few factory 200 Tdi's on E-blag over that last few weeks and going for realistic prices too. just missed out on a 94 L man with gearbox probs for £500  :(

when i get my Head Gasket sorted will have to catch up for a days laning.

[dazzawhipple]

Rich,

Laning yes am up for that..... was your side of the county yesterday in the disco

We are planning to use the RRC as the normal one

Darren

[bullfrog]

I have a 300 in my RRC and I bled the air using the bleed valve on the top of the rad !
I put the hose in the bottle and ran it till water came out.
I had car upto temp first.
Hope this helps.
Also worth fitting restrictor to top hose on rad to help with warm up.
They were built for global market and over cool in uk .

[PoPrivit]

Cheers chap i tried a rad valve in the top stat housing on mine but didnt work too well. I'll have another go when i put her back together. I think the key is to fill slowly and run up to temp then top up again with hose as you said. Begining to think i was better off with the V8 it may have only run on 6 of the 8 and consumed more oil than petrol :shock:  but it didn't overheat. Didn't get anyone trying to tailgate you either.  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

Is your new one just EAS on the backor all round? does it have ACE as well?

Like all things Land Rover the EAS is great 'till it goes wrong but with the correct maintenence it is far less likely to happen, if yours has been looked after then don't worry unduly.

[PoPrivit]

Its a Classic so didn't think they had ACE, It's EAS all round and a late softdash. only went to have a look to try and resolve my air lock / cooling questions. but fell in love and had to make an offer. Looks like it's been cared for and being an SE has all the bits i miss in mine. Going to sort out the engine in my retro fit and then decide to either sell or more likely bobtail and truck cab. Spent too much time now to sell :). boss would shoot me (or so she says).

thanks for the help and if the EAS plays up i'll drop you a PM. took me a few miles to like the EAS and the going up 70% at the back first then the front following was a bit of a shock :shock:. cant wait to brin her home. Hope to get her for billing but not sure if i'll get the time.

Cheers rich

[Range Rover Blues]

Sorry, I misread that I thought it was a Disco.  Then you'll have the same EAS as I have and it's quite easy to fool around with the setting if you have access to Rovacom.

It goes up at the back first/down at the front first to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic, yes it's a bit weird but you learn to live with it.  In access mode it should just hit the floor though, fastest way possible.

[PoPrivit]

found the ride a bit harsh to start with but i have a RRC with soft springs. Does it drop as you go faster? also can you reduce height on the move or is this only possible when you stop? Going to pull the mobile shed do i have to be aware of anything before i try.

cheers rich

[Range Rover Blues]

Let me think, there are 5 modes.

Access, you can only engage in either park or neautral/handbrake on a manual.  Obviously you are stopped.  You can choose it just after switching off the engine.

All other modes, it must be running.

It will not change with a door open, there is an inhibit switch under the driver's seat, level with the end of the carpet but you have to reach under from the back through the rear door.  Flip it down to inhibit if you are changing a wheel etc.
Standard node is what it says, if you want to hold standard, push the middle button in, it locks down.  That's for towing etc.

If you leave the buttons alone then at over 50 mph (held for 30 seconds I think) the car drops one inch to low profile for better economy and stability.  I often wish it didn't wait that long.  It will hold low profile until you drop below 30 for 30 seconds.

High profile can only be selected below 30 mph and adds 1 inch to your height approximately.  It will go down after I think 10 seconds above 30 and cannot be selected above that speed.

Extended profile is automatic, if you get stuck off-road the car will drop out of high profile to check if you are beached, if so it will go back up to high plus 1 more inch (it can deal with cross-axleing too) to get you clear.  It holds high profile for 10 minutes or up to 30 mph again.

As a driver you can only access High and standard at will whilst moving and access when stationary.  Low and Extended are automatic.

When you stop and turn off the engine, afetr closing the last door the car will drop to the level of the lowest corner, then self levels periodically which is why if you have a leaky bag the whole car goes down, not just one corner.  I park mine in Access to take the strain off the bags, they don't leak yet.

If you select high the dash warning will stay on, don't worry.  The buttons flash as the car changes height then stay on if you have selected that mode.  The down button comes on in low profile too (even though it's automatic).

Anyway, with the caravan I will warn you that the car goes a bit crazy if you are trying to hitch up.  The suspension is self-leveling so when you've got the 'van on it's great but if it's at all sticky coming of the hitch and you pick the back of the car up you can bend the jockey wheel as the car tries to sit back down :shock:  Go on, ask me how I know :oops:
Your best bet is to leave a door open whilst hitching, unhitching.  If you are feeling lazy you can use the air springs to pick up the towhitch (just don't try to unhitch the same way).
Once the 'van is on you can push the standard-hold button but I don't bother, it's more stable in low profile even with the 'van on the back.  Be careful with high profile as it drops the back of the 'van.

This is my LSE.

[Range Rover Blues]

PS if you can get hold of a copy of Rovacom then you can change the height settings to your heart's content.  Go on, ask me how I know.......

[PoPrivit]

have you found muck difference in the drive after the changes and how much did the rovacom set you back. Thinking of getting a P38 for my good lady and don't want to have to take it in for each service / checkup.

[Range Rover Blues]

I bought moine from RPI, you need to have a look at the price list as there is a cost for unlocking every piece of software within the diagnostic but if you are going to use it then get one now and let is start paying you back.  I paid about £700 IIRC including the 14CUX EFi and the RRC EAS module plus one lead (they are £15)  Extra module are between £60 and £140 depending how popular they are I guess.

I've set the car back to standard, it was running an inch lower.  When lowered I find the ride a bit harder, yes but TBH it's still a harder ride than Blue.  I've bought some fancy air springs from the states as I was offered a good deal on them in return for my input, my car is tuned 'a little' and as an engineer they were interested in my feedback so everyone's happy.  I'll let you know how they go but you're talking about $800 plus shipping :shock:

[PoPrivit]

I'm going to keep mine for the road only and will use it for pulling the caravan......Thinking of an intercooler upgrade and a pump tweak....But it's an auto so it's never going to be that quick

I found the ride quite firm but my other rangies have all been coils.......

whats the diff with the "import" air springs are they a better design.....

[Range Rover Blues]

Yes, they call them Generation III and currently make them for P38s.

My LSE is only going on the road/pulling the 'van and I think you'll be pleased with how capable it is at the later, very stable :)

BTW your retro fit 300TDi, was it a V8 before that?

[PoPrivit]

yep a very sick V8 only ran on 5 or 6 and used more oil than petrol  :shock:

but it was a manual with no clonks and when it's going it drives better than any other i've had and for a 1986 it was realy clean with only minor rust. Inside is unmarked bar the headlining. The 300 motor came in a box in bits for £300 with only a gen 60K so  had to say yes  :roll:

think i'm going to truck cab her now and bobtail so i can us it as a toy. I could just get a 90 and i have 1 to look at but i just like the look of a RRC with a bobtail and a truck cab.

just waiting for a call to confirm that my house sale has gone through and i can go and collect my new RRC. I'm worse that the kids waiting for santa  :D