Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
changed thermostat and pump, car overheating, need help.
my coolant level indicator has been coming on and I have been adding coolant to the reservoir for a few months. Suddenly last week the car overheated and coolant started blowing from my thermostat housing. I discover the thermostat housing cracked. I was able to restart the car when cold and proceeded to drive home, the temp rose again and I pulled over.
After replacing the thermostat housing completely, the car over heated again because I had pinched the O-ring in the center piece and coolant started to spew out and the car over heated again. Replaced the whole part new again, used thermostat sealant, installed complete thermostat together as one piece to avoid O-ring disaster.
While I was in there I decided to replace water pump.
Where the coolant was leaking from the thermo housing I saw a lot of glue like coolant build up. So I decided to flush the whole radiator and coolant hoses. I even flushed the engine coolant openings.
Car is over heating. Starts cold and then when the heat builds up and the fan kicks in the temp in the gauge starts rising. Upper hose that connects directly to thermostat is real hard from pressure. I thought it was a failed thermostat plug so I removed the thermostat from the housing and still the car overheated and the pressure build up is the same on the upper hose.
I though it may be "air lock" so when coolant was added and car idled I made sure to 1/4 twist the coolant cap and let the air work its way out. Did this for 15 minutes.
I am beat about the whole job. Can someone offer me some help or trouble shooting?
My next step is to flush radiator again thoroughly. My fear is that I may have a cracked engine or broken gasket from the overheating.
Can someone draw the flow of coolant? I have provided the image below. I am at a lost and any help would be appreciated.
9th Nov 2015 9:02 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8096
Symptoms of a blown cylinder head gasket, fill the water expansion bottle until it overflows and don't fit the cap, start the engine and look for bubbles coming out of the water, if there are bubbles in the water and coming out of the filler one of the head gaskets have blown. It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Nov 2015 9:17 am
Russell
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
Is there not a nimber of bleed points to help release the air, have you openned these?
As for head gasket, get it sniffed/pressure tested at a local garage to see if they think the haed gasket has gone.MY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
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9th Nov 2015 9:39 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8096
There is certainly a bleed screw on the top of the engine at the end of a hose and if it has not been bled this may well cause hot spots and prevent the water circulating there is also one one the expansion bottle that I know off.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Nov 2015 9:46 am
Landthree
Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
exact bleeding points would be helpful, thank you.
my LR3 engine bay navigation is novice at best
How do you properly bleed the coolant? and how many liters of coolant?
As far as diagram, I found this one but do not see the thermostat housing.
9th Nov 2015 9:49 am
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8096
The bleed screws are black plastic type buttons with a large cross on the end to undo them with, the main one is on the end of a hose clipped onto the highest point of the red pipe in your diagram, the other is on the top of the expansion bottle.
The fact you have a glue type liquid escaping can also be a symptom of a head gasket, this is a product of engine oil mixing with water, check the oil level to see if it has gone up, also check inside the oil filler cap to see if there is any of this "mayonnaise " sticky stuff there.
As you haven't filled in you vehicle description I assume you have a TDV6 although the symptoms are the same for any engine the bleed screws will be in a slightly different position.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Nov 2015 10:22 am
Landthree
Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
My engine oil light came on after the 2nd installation where I pinched the O-ring and the car over heated. I checked my dip stick and it dry. So I added a 4 liters of new oil.
the purple mayonnaise was only present where the coolant leak appeared on the thermo housing. afterwards when I reinstalled it the purple mayonnaise was no longer present. I know because I reinstalled it twice.
I remember seeing a cross plug black plastic at the end of the thermostat housing. and yes I see the one on top of the coolant reservoir.
2005 4.4 V8 LR3
9th Nov 2015 10:35 am
Landthree
Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
That is a very hard screw to unscrew at the end of the thermostat housing assembly.
turn the car on for 10 minutes, blasted the heater, temperature rose half way but the air coming out of the heater was cold.
left the reservoir cap off while I started the car the whole 10 minutes, no burbling or bubbles.
9th Nov 2015 11:04 am
Russell
Member Since: 24 Aug 2007
Location: Kent
Posts: 10564
Landthree wrote:
My engine oil light came on after the 2nd installation where I pinched the O-ring and the car over heated. I checked my dip stick and it dry. So I added a 4 liters of new oil.
the purple mayonnaise was only present where the coolant leak appeared on the thermo housing. afterwards when I reinstalled it the purple mayonnaise was no longer present. I know because I reinstalled it twice.
I remember seeing a cross plug black plastic at the end of the thermostat housing. and yes I see the one on top of the coolant reservoir.
2005 4.4 V8 LR3
I do not think that is a bleed screwMY17 D5 1st Edition Namib Orange
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9th Nov 2015 11:20 am
Landthree
Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
to be clear I have a USA 4.4 Liter V8 engine
I don't even have this hose (pictured)
9th Nov 2015 11:24 am
Bungle
Member Since: 07 Apr 2015
Location: Wanborough
Posts: 254
I too have the 4.4l petrol engine (though I am UK rather then US) and I also struggled to bleed the thing after changing a thermostat a few weeks ago and had similar problems to you. Two tips from me that solved my problems:
1. Refill the system as much as you can through the thermostat housing - i.e. undo the three self tappers that access the thermostat (you don't have to disturb the coolant manifold itself) and pour the coolant down there - this effectively "primes" the water pump.
2. Once you have done this, top up the exapansion tank with the bleed screws OPEN (one on the top of the expansion tank and one in the T piece over top of the engine at the back of the throttle body. But then make sure you close them BEFORE you start the engine. The one on the top of the engine was actually drawing air back in when the system was circulating!
Once I did this it bled up no trouble at all.
9th Nov 2015 1:08 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8096
If the engine has overheated to the degree of burning 4 litres of oil it could have done almost in-repairable damage.
You have almost certainly got an air lock in the system, don't use the car until you have got rid of it as it will cause localised overheating and cause further damage, the water cannot circulate while there is an airlock in the system, when you have bled the system do the check that I have put in previous post, if it is ok I suggest you do an oil change to remove the remainder of the burnt oil, see photo below for bleed plug, this is on a TDV6.
Some one will be along shortly who knows more about the V8 than me
Edit: follow Bungles advice above - it may be easier to undo a hose that is highest to get the air out, and please fill your profile in so we know what vehicle you have.It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
9th Nov 2015 1:19 pm
Landthree
Member Since: 22 May 2015
Location: California
Posts: 27
Here is what I did:
left cap open while engine was running, turn on heater inside car, left it running until the tubes on both side of the thermostat housing was hot.
bubbles did not stop coming out from the lower tube in the reservoir. consistent air bubbles coming out once engine temperature were up.
There was no pressure or heat coming from the 2 tubes heading in to the interior of the car, I believe these two tubes on the passenger side are for the heater. The heater never got warm, just cold air.
All other coolant tubes was hot and I could feel the coolant running through them when I squeezed them.
Temp started to rise so I shut the car off after 15 minutes.
When I removed the hoses connected to the thermostat from both end there was enough coolant there that pouring on one end had coolant coming out from other side. Same was for the radiator.
For sure the car was not heating up and the 2 lines going to the heater was cold. Failed heater?
9th Nov 2015 5:25 pm
M3DPO
Member Since: 22 Sep 2010
Location: Notts.
Posts: 8096
Air lock in your heater!It can when others can't,
It will when others won't,
It goes where others don't.
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although the symptoms are the same for any engine the bleed screws will be in a slightly different position.
