110 tried almost everything and it is still overheating.need some advice

[draaronr]

3.5 liter 110 started to run hot. I replaced the thermostat (there wasnt one in there so I believe this was a problem in the past.) Evidence that the head gasket was bad (imagine that in a rover) so I replaced that and had the heads cleaned and pressure tested. replaced with composite gaskets. The sleeves in the cylinders were maybe a 16th on an inch dropped which I didn't think was enough to cause a problem. the water pump had been rebuilt poorly so I put a new one on. The temp switch is new. The radiator was rotting so I put on a new core. Now it idles fine for like 15 minutes then the guage creeps up. As the guage creeps up it begins to blow antifreeze out the overflow tank. Is the only thing left the block? Advice would be appreciated.

[Mike Hippert]

Buy pressure tester for the system, the type that you can pressurize the system and make sure that when you pump it up to 15 psi the pressure does not drop. Also check the cap on the overflow tank or replace it. If the system cannot maintain 15 psi then it is running at a lower pressure thus a lower boiling point for the coolant.

Just an idea to start with.

[dmarchand]

Sell it?



:grin

To me.

[jabber]

Diesel Conversion!!!!! :cool:

[ELCIDd90]

Aaron, after the temp creeps back up, does it go back to normal after about 5 mins?

Z

[draaronr]

thanks Dave. a lot of help, how much you wanna pay?
I want to do a short block on this, but I was wondering what the implications would be of a 4.6 or 4.0 obviously i would like the 4.6, but what will switch over from my 3.5, and what would i have to get new. Also I would like to use my heads and intake, and my edlebrock carb and keep out the electronics. What other problems would arise, Can I keep my lt84 transmission?

Follow-up Post:

No Joe it doesnt come back down. Interesting thing is two months ago that is exactly what it did.

[ELCIDd90]

yeah i've had this problem for a while. I'm gonna check the block and head gaskets in two weeks and possibly have a larger radiator built. But I think the problem is somewhere in the block, it sounds like that the culprit for you also.

let me know what you find out

Z

[pendy]

I got a good used short block if you are interested. 3.9 The 4.0 and 4.6 stuff is harder to find now, so if you do find one grab it up while you can.

JP

[souza]

Aaron, what does it do on the road/highway? If it stays cool, I would say it sounds like the viscous fan. I've had to replace mine as these wear out after about 5-7 years. Perhaps you're running electrics or something else, I don't know about the older 3.5. Or perhaps you should try running electric fans. Also, I've got a 160 thermostat in mine now, instead of the 190. combined with a new viscous fan and a re-cored radiator, I'm running cool all day now.

But Dave might be right, perhaps you should unload that thing, it's nothing but trouble ;) Just call me if you do!

[draaronr]

Thanks again Dave. It has a new viscous clutch, Not having a thermostat in it when I bought it puts a sick feeling in my stomach, because I think I can read between the lines.

[Davis]

I finished a 4.6 conversion in my 3.9 D90. You can reuse just about everything. There are a couple modifications that may need to be done which have all been covered on this board in detail--if you can't find it, PM me and I will dig it up for you.

Have you had the coolant resevoir checked for exhause fumes? I would have that checked out next.

[draaronr]

Chris I was thinking of the conversion just not sure which engine will cause the least stress and money. I want to keep it carbed for the most part, unless someone can make a valid point to going electric, just feel like if I going to make it electric I might think about diesel. I like the ease of gas, and I am not really concerned with gas mileage.

[mikeslandrover]

Porous block??? The later blocks 4.0 & 4.6 have caused mucho trouble over here as the milage climbs to around 100,000

[draaronr]

alright sounds like an engine swap in instore from what I read it sounds like for reliability I should stick with a 3.9 over the 4.6. what do you guys think?
also make me a helluva an offer and bring your flatbed and she might be yours.

[Davis]

What? I am curious on the argument of the 3.9 over the 4.6. I love the 3.9 that was in the Defender--it is replacing the 3.5 in my RRC--but I am not going to say one is better than the other. I would love to know why that comment comes into being. Others have stated that the 4.2 is the way to go--mine has 130,000 miles in my Series II Disco--good engine no doubt, but to make those comments, I would ask why. I would love to know. As for the swap, hell, it might not even be necessary--I say this 'cause you don't know what is wrong. If you want a new engine, fine, but from a CB stand point, all you might need is to retard the timing. First I would find out what is wrong. There was another thread, (maybe from Doug???) about him doing a conversion (5.2 or something big???) that had a problem that turned out to be the computer. What if you dropped in the new engine and the same thing happened? First and foremost, figure out what went wrong--then make the decision on how to fix.

[draaronr]

Valid points Chris, but at this point there is little left, everything has been checked and double checked. I plan to start tearing it apart this week and will pull the block and see what I have.

[draaronr]

ELCIDd90 it was the block so now i am in the market for a 3.5 or 3.9 block.

[Hans]

Could also be a timing issue, running lean.....

Have you totally burped all the air out of the cooling system?

Did you put in a metal or composite head gasket? Also, don't fully torque head bolts 11-14.

Hmmmmm.......
Just thinking out loud here.

-Hans

[draaronr]

triple checked the timing, no air in system, compsoite gaskets torqued to updated lbs.

[ELCIDd90]

the block...ouch. ever consider putting a 4.6 in instead of the 3.5 or 3.9?

[mikeslandrover]

Did you not say that the liners had dropped a little in the block?
That could well be the problem.
A good few years ago I had a very similar problem with the antifreeze getting blown out the header tank. Spent hours messing about with the rad making sure max air flow went through the rad. Did a comperssion test which showed nothing wrong but still couldn't keep the thing cool. Finally tore the heads off. No easy task in a V8 SIIa hybrid and found the faintest discolouration on the head gasket. Sure enough when the engine got hot a small amount of compression was leaking into the waterway right at the back if the left hand cylinder bank and pressuring up the system. New headgaskets cured it in that instance.

[OilSpill_1]

Not to mess with your conversion project [as you seem quite keen on it] but when they redid your head gasket [3.5] did they torque the head bolts back to the values as specified in the workshop manual?
If they did that is your problem! Look at this http://www.landroverclub.net/Club/HTML/Overheating.htm