EGR heat exchanger circuit removal on later Td5 Defender

[martifers]

I have IRB's Td5 EGR removal kit fitted but would like to remove the EGR heat exchanger, as pictured here, to neaten things up ..

Both corrugated pipes have been removed and the return coolant pipe to the coolant reservoir, coming out of the top of the heat exchanger, blanked off as I replaced the reservoir with an earlier Td5 one without a heat exchanger inlet. I would now like to remove the exchanger and am struggling to find the heat exchanger coolant feed pipe start position.

The above coolant system diagrams for Td5; A - Later Td5 as mine is. B - Early, pre 02/03, I believe these to be Disco rather than Defender as my Defender system has the thermostat on the right hand side rather than the left. I do however, believe the heat exchanger coolant circuits to be the same. Please correct me if I am wrong.

From the above diagram A, it looks like the heat exchanger coolant circuit is only open at the coolant reservoir end, surely that is not right, how can it flow? What is the part where the exchanger feed pipe comes from (just before the pipe indicated with orange in both diagrams)?

It looks like I could remove this part and the pipework that goes around the back of the engine around to the heat exchanger, is that correct or does that part do something else that's important?

That coolant circuit exists on the earlier Td5 engine but instead of flowing through the heat exchanger and back to the reservoir it passes back through the rad (double entry into bottom left end of rad in pre 02 circuit rather than single entry in later Td5 circuit) If the circuit needs to remain then the only way forward i can see is to purchase the older style rad and feed the coolant circuit back to the rad as in pre 02 circuit. I would rather remove it if possible though.

Is anyone able to advise?

Thanks, Sharpie

[martifers]

After some more research it seems that the 'part' is the oil cooler housing assembly... probably shouldn't remove that then..

If i'm to be able to remove the exchanger I think I'm going to need a pre EU3 Radiator and Pre EU3 Oil cooler return pipe. If I don't do this and leave the heat exchanger in place, will I need to replace my coolant reservoir with a later post EU3 so that the oil coolers coolant is able to return to the coolant system or will it be fine with the return blanked off as it is at the moment and has been for the last 18months? Have I been compromising the oil cooling etc?? :S

[Dave W]

The heat exchanger output goes to the 4 way connector just below the expansion tank. When I did mine I removed the 4 way connector (the input for the heat exchanger is a small size compared to the rest) and replaced it with two 3 way T connectors joined together (on the grounds that I couldn't find a suitable 4 way connector). I then rerouted the output from the oil filter housing directly into this setup.

The feed from the oil fitter housing is routed all the way around the back of the engine in, mostly, rigid steel pipework. I simply replaced the last part of the pipework with a rubber pipe to go from the front of the engine to the bottom of the coolant reservoir.

I wouldn't block off the pipe as the lack of circulation could cause an air lock, removing the oil cooling.

[Dave W]

A further note... be very careful using the coolant diagrams as, despite what they might say, they don't properly cover the later EU3 Defender setup with the rectangular fuel cooler. I had all sorts of problems figuring out how the fuel cooler was supposed to be plumbed in and nobody on here or anywhere else could help. In the end I found a suitably aged Defender and traced the pipework myself.

All the coolant diagrams I have found show the old style fuel cooler with a T connector at one end. The later rectangular fuel cooler uses a completely different coolant flow with a T connector into the bottom hose on one side and a hose to the bottom, front, connector on the radiator. The engine facing bottom pipe on the radiator is blanked off internally.

[martifers]

The feed from the oil fitter housing is routed all the way around the back of the engine in, mostly, rigid steel pipework. I simply replaced the last part of the pipework with a rubber pipe to go from the front of the engine to the bottom of the coolant reservoir.

Thanks Dave didn't think of this but another solution, the replacement rubber pipe and reducer would be a tad cheaper and easier than replacing the rad.

The 3/4 way connector you mention does not exist on mine.. i thought it ran directly to the expansion tank. http://www.numcat.ru/landrover/p/31/52965/ this 3 way would do the trick, mmm.. wonder what i can find in my local hardware shop, damned if i'm paying £20 lol

[martifers]

This would also work... simply T'ing the pipe that goes round the back of the engine directly into the pipe going from expansion tank bottom to rad.

Also just seen someone else who has removed the metal pipe going from the oil cooler and simply bunged it.

[bluespanner]

An interesting note but I did the clutch on an 04 disco today and the pipe that goes around the back of the engine was completely redundant, it was in place but no hoses were attached to it. I binned it.