Series 1 Discovery overheating problem

[Kevin H]

My Disco has started overheating very quickly from cold. But the top hose is only lukewarm which suggests the thermostat may be faulty.

Does anyone know if it is safe to run it without a thermostat for the time being ?

Also, would this stop the electric fans coming on? (where is the temp pickup for the electric fans?)

[Kevin H]

Should have done a Google search before posting ....

Running without thermostat? - Land Rover Forums : Land Rover and Range Rover Forum

The answer is do NOT run without a thermostat.

[Rubbond]

Is this a Sunday morning quiz Kevin?
You didnt say which Disco and which engine.
My Disco II TD5 did this last year. Annoyingly it also has an idiot-proof
electronic cut-out device that leaves you crawling along or stuck on a
railway crossing if the engine overheats. Worse still, you can only follow
the top hose to guess where the thermostat is, you can't see the housing let
alone where the bolts are located.
Remedy - yes, the garage.
Leaving out the thermostat for a while in my opinion can't do any harm, but
you're likely to forget to put a new one in later. I often leave them out on
old outboards, where cooling channels are usually furred-up and the
thermostat causes a huge obstruction to flow even when they are open.
If you leave yours out surely the engine will just take longer to warm up,
so just don't drive off immediately if it's very cold. Certainly better to
drive to the garage without the engine overheating, if it will let you.
I would image anyhow that the engine management system would use the
temperature of the engine oil or the engine block itself, wouldn't it?
Good luck!
Andy.
PS Those blogs can be very useful, but like my postings, 50% or more are
rubbish!

[Rubbond]

Kevin,
Thermostats either work, or the wax has leaked out. Pan of hot water will
clean it too!
The fans will cut in long after the thermostat should have opened, so
leaving it out will not change anything.
Good luck!
Andy.

[GREG]

So don't buy a Disco ? My mechanic mate tells me they are a pile of sh...

So what is best ?

[RGSchmitt]

Land Cruisers

[RGSchmitt]

PS Those blogs can be very useful, but like my postings, 50% or more
are rubbish!

If only we knew which 50% that was!

[Kevin H]

Originally Posted by Rubbond

Is this a Sunday morning quiz Kevin?

It's a Saturday night quiz where I am

You didnt say which Disco and which engine.

Sorry, I should have said, it's a 3.9L V8i (petrol, with air con).

I am pleased to say that it was a faulty thermostat. I tested it in a pan of water on the stove and it didn't even open at boiling point!

I just happened to have a spare in the garage which is now installed and all is well with my trusty old Disco once again. The thermostat is quite easy to get at in the S1 Disco, especially if you remove the distributor cap.

Originally Posted by GREG

So don't buy a Disco ? My mechanic mate tells me they are a pile of sh...

You can probably find a mechanic who will say every make and model of car is a pile of sh... . I've had mine for 14 years and it has been a reasonably good car.

So what is best ?

Guess it depends what "best" means ...

Kevin

[john smith]

KEVIN - ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO I ELIVATED THIS FORUM TO 'JUNK' STATUS.
THIS MEANS IT IS EASIER TO DUMP WITHOUT HAVING TO READ ITEMS ABOUT 'INDIAN'
CAR MANUFACTURERS.
MAYBE THIS IS THE PLAN - A PAKISTANI IS GOING TO BUY BCLtd!???