strange problem

[treeman]

i was out in my beloved disco (200tdi) yesterday an for a brief moment the little red tempreture light started flashing at me although the temp gauge was readin half ??? so i stopped an checked under the bonnet an there was water sprayed on the air filter casing an a hell of alot of pressure in the water system, not findin the problem i carried on an now the heaters are only gettin warm wen they want to, instant thoughts were head gasket gone or a blockage in the water system, any1 got any ideas because its really the wrong time of year to have no heaters  :lol:

[Range Rover Blues]

The red light is coolant res. level.

Could just be a hose that's gone and now you have an airlock.  YOu need to chase the airlock out and see if it's running ok or bubbling out through the res.

If it's bubbling then the head gasket has gone.

[treeman]

iv been using it all day now an im only getting warm air on tickover, i know the top hose connecting to the rad  has been letting some water out under pressure, it hasnt been bubbling as such but i turned it off, opened the res tank an squeezed the bottom hose then it drank all the water in the tank :shock: so i filled er up again an carried on :lol:  albeit freezin cold, il check the hoses in a bit  :roll: an hope for the best

[treeman]

right then iv been tryin to figure this out all nite, theres no bubbling in the expansion tank an iv tried looking for an airlock but where would i bleed the system from??  :oops:

[fudge]

I had a similar problem with a TD5..... Was the head gasket!

[treeman]

well after spending all off tonite on it aswell im starting to think it is, it doesnt help wen the viscous fan is stuck on   its jus 1 thing after another  :( cheers for the advice

[chris9119]

it doesnt help wen the viscous fan is stuck on  

 :?:  :?:  what do you mean, stuck on  :?:  :?:

If I can assist in anyway, send me a pm or give me a call

[treeman]

well it doesnt cut in or out, start it up an its on, rev it up an it goes faster, arent these supposed to cut in when they reach temp??  :?: im lost  :lol: looks like its time to do the head gasket  :roll:

[Range Rover Blues]

As they get older they don't work as well, but when it's been stood the viscous fans locks up.  When you start it from cold a vlave opens and allows the oil inside to be thrown outwards, dissengaging the drive but the fan will still rev up to about 2,000 RPM.  It will nto stand still.

When the fan heats up too much the valve closes again and the fan locks up fully, at this point you should hear the fan blades whooshing.

Try to spin it when stationary, if it moves then it's working to some extent.

[treeman]

well it has only done about 2000 mile in the last year an it was stood in my garage for 3-4 months so that would explain it , it was confusing me  :lol:  thanks

[SteveGoodz]

well it doesnt cut in or out, start it up an its on, rev it up an it goes faster, arent these supposed to cut in when they reach temp??  :?: im lost  :lol: looks like its time to do the head gasket  :roll:

The viscous fan will spin even when freezing cold but you should be able to stop it easily until it starts to warm up. The test for correct working is can you spin the fan when the engine is cold and is it hard to turn when engine is hot (engine not running).

[treeman]

stop it easy wen cold  :shock: id have no fingers left :lol: i mite buy another disco for spares........ beats havin car spares number as one of my speed dials  :lol:

[Mr Alford]

stop it easy wen cold  :shock: id have no fingers left :lol: i mite buy another disco for spares........ beats havin car spares number as one of my speed dials  :lol:

having the viscous fan stuck is no problem when i bought mine, mine was welded so it was on all the time so i wudnt worry as they heat up alot on the motorway so that wont be ur problem

[treeman]

well iv jus took the thermostat out tonite an il see how that goes, jus hope it aint the head gasket thats gone, i dont fancy having a warped head at the end of the day,i kno how i drive   :roll:  :lol:

[Ja1983]

i would check oil & water for contamination of each other.. if its been stood for a while an air lock is possibly the most likely cause, you say a top hose from the rad was leeking under pressure? - this will be how air is getting in to the system (when the engine cools, fluid settles to the low point, and contracts, creating a suction ths pulling air in) that would be my first point of call, its worth running a hose through on the system to clear out any gunk etc, as the wont help!

[Range Rover Blues]

I'd also check the more obvious water pump on it's way out.  You say it's been stood parked up for a while? there you go, water pump leak.

[treeman]

that was 1 of my 1st thoughts, ive checked the witness hole an its as dry as a bone, definatly going down the head gasket route now oh well at least it gives me something to do between xmas an new year  :lol: thanks for all the advice and help :D