Northern Paul Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hey guys and girls, Out for a bit of laning yesterday and on the way up into Northumberland the 90 suddenly felt a bit stiff in the steering dept. just momentarily before pulling strongly into the oncoming traffic (bet the bloke I was heading for was well scared!) I immediately pulled over and popped the bonnet and the engine was roasting - I undid the coolant tank cap carefully and it was boiling...The temp. gauge wasn't indicating anymore than halfway up the gauge. It went home on a truck and hasn't been stared since.Anyone any ideas as to where to start. Its an exmilitary 90 with a 300Tdi, big intercooler, 2" lift. Help! Thanks in advance, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 First thing I'd do is remove the radiator and have it re cored. Second I'd replace both the water pump and P gasket. Then remove the head and see what other damage has been done. While it's in bits check the viscous fan. Then buy a proper temperature gauge. One that you can actually see move 5 degrees instead of the Land Rover one that doesn't move until 15 degrees. mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Member Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Ummmm, instead of randomly replacing parts, maybe diagnose the problem. Pull the thermostat and test it in boiling water to see if it works. Might as well test the temperature sender as well. One thing at a time, evaluate, repair and move on. Now what about the steering? Anything look wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 "A bit stiff" is not very descriptive, an airlock in the PAS or low fluid could cause a momentary difficulty in turning. Check/top up the PAS and turn it lock to lock a few times to work the fluid through. Boiling hot could be any number of causes from mud in the rad to a totally screwed engine, first off is to check the basics and work from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Paul Posted July 2, 2007 Author Share Posted July 2, 2007 Cheers for the advice so far everyone. We can rule out power steering seen as its not fitted. Seems common sense to check the thermostat. I had a look at the steering components whilst waiting the hour and forty five minutes for the tow truck and everything seems in order...As in nothing missing or obviously bent,loose etc. Can't work on it tonight but will be tomorrow so will keep checking for anything else that appears on here and will update with what I find... Thanks again, Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diff Posted July 2, 2007 Share Posted July 2, 2007 Hey guys and girls, Out for a bit of laning yesterday and on the way up into Northumberland the 90 suddenly felt a bit stiff in the steering dept. just momentarily before pulling strongly into the oncoming traffic (bet the bloke I was heading for was well scared!) I immediately pulled over and popped the bonnet and the engine was roasting - I undid the coolant tank cap carefully and it was boiling...The temp. gauge wasn't indicating anymore than halfway up the gauge. It went home on a truck and hasn't been stared since.Anyone any ideas as to where to start. Its an exmilitary 90 with a 300Tdi, big intercooler, 2" lift. Help! Thanks in advance, Paul You may have several separate problems, or they may be related. Firstly, steering going stiff then swerving into oncoming traffic, could be the result of the front drivers side wheelbearing siezing up. If this was gradually getting rougher, the load on the engine would have been greater causing it to get hot. Similarly, if the front drivers side brake was binding you might get similar symptoms though the wheel bearing is more likely. Secondly, from your description it doesn't sound like the engine was boiling over initially, just hot(maybe hotter than it should be, may be not). It WILL boil over if you remove the pressure cap, because the cooling system is no longer pressurized. The first thing you should do is investigate the sudden pull to the right, which was the first thing that happened and may not be related to the hot engine, but may be the cause. Regards, Diff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimAttrill Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Yes, the engine will boil if you take away the pressure. I investigated this and found that 50% antifreeze will increase the boiling point only by about 5 deg C, whereas 1 bar pressure (15psi) will increase the boiling point by 25C ! So, take the cap off a hot engine and the coolant will instantly boil. Remember it will also boil inside the engine as well, which is not a good idea. You should check the steering UJ's. They sometimes seize in one plane, causing the problem you had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northern Paul Posted July 3, 2007 Author Share Posted July 3, 2007 Thanks for that Diff. - there was some squeeking coming from the front drivers side, earlier on in the day. Nothing too loud but I'd forgotten about it until you mentioned wheel bearings. I changed the rear ones recently but didn't do the front. In retrospect - I don't think it has overheated. I had just come off the A1 doing 70-80mph for 20 mins, of course it was going to be hot! The temp gauge works (but i like the idea of an accurate uprated one - what do others use in place of the standard Landy one?) and the oil isn't comtaminated and it isn't leaking coolant...I think I just panicked a bit at the roadside. So, something else to check - wheel bearings... Once again thanks for the advice...Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmgemini Posted July 3, 2007 Share Posted July 3, 2007 Well I hope you are right that it hasn't overheated. I use an analogue gauge from SPA UK. www.SPA-UK.co.uk expensive. Well is it ??/ It comes with an adjustable warning light. Another thought. The bottom of the radiator is clear of mud isn't it ??? mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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