| Author |
Message |
    
Jorge P. Gutierrez, Jr. (Jpg2esq)
| | Posted on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 02:47 pm: | 
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Noticed a puddle of radiator fluid just now and saw that my radiator cap was leaking on the top. went to open to see and the top portion of the cap came right off and left the remaining portion, the threads inside. Any advise? I need to be careful so I dont damage the threads otherwise I need a new radiator. Wife is picking up a new one as we speak. |
Norm
| | Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 12:10 pm: |
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I hate those damn plastic radiator caps -- they don't hold up for crap. A while back I got a solid brass one from Rover Accessories for about $15 and have had no problems since.
---Norm |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 12:42 pm: |
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The plug is 1/2 NPT. You can pick up an emergency replacemet at any hardware or plumbing store. I just bought a few Friday after my plasctic one sheared..
-P |
Norm
| | Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 01:12 pm: |
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As far as getting the threads out --
I take it it left the whole plastic "tube" part inside there and the cap part just broke off leaving a nice hole for the coolant to escape and no way to plug it? Same thing happened to me -- god damn cheap ass plastic radiator cap!!!
What I used (and I can't think of the name of this tool) is the same thing they use when a metal bolt get's stuck and the head breaks off or gets rounded off -- its a tapered, hardened metal shaft about 3" long and 3/8" thick (shaped like the Washington Monument) with four sides and a cutting edge on all four corners. What you do is tap this thing into the tube and the cutting edges on the corners dig into the plastic to give you some purchase so you can unscrew the whole thing with a wrench. Also works great on spark plugs that break off and leave the threads in the cylinder head.
---Norm |
Kingfish (Kingfish)
| | Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 03:37 pm: |
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It happened to me also. Because theyre so cheap, i was able to put a flat head screwdriver in there, push it against the threads, and turn it out. Those plastic plugs need to be replaced every couple years. |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Sunday, April 21, 2002 - 03:51 pm: |
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Yea,
I used a flat blade too. Worked like a charm. The cheap plastic plug even has little plastic pieces to hold the flatblade to make it easier to come out. What a great design. For those of you will metal coolant towers, the same plug fits both connections.
-P |
Jorge P. Gutierrez, Jr. (Jpg2esq)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 09:17 am: |
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well i fixed it. The head broke off and i tried with a screwdriver and chisel to get it in there to turn to no avail. I finally used a dremel type steel wire brush on the end of a drill to basically strip the plastic away until the threads were clean enough to put a new one on. With the o-rings, it seemed to hold ok yesterday. Now should I keep the plastic replacement one I bought or replace it with a brass one? |
Jorge P. Gutierrez, Jr. (Jpg2esq)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 09:33 am: |
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BY the way its still overheating at idle after 20 minutes or while driving around town at low speeds. On the highways its fine. Fan clutch seems to be the culprit. Can you have a bad fan clutch, and still see the fan turning when the negine is on? |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 10:31 am: |
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Fan clutch going bad is a common problem depending on mileage. The part is kind of expensive, so use your favorite discount parts house.
As for getting a new brass fitting, good luck. LR stopped supplying them a long time ago. I'd just get the plastic ones and replace them each time you do a coolant flush, or every 30k miles.
-P |
Kingfish (Kingfish)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 11:27 am: |
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That gets me thinking. You had a cooling problem and the head of the plastic plug blew off (due to high pressure). I'm starting to think they were made cheaply intentionally for just that reason. So a more expensive component doesnt blow out when the car overheats. If everyone else thought this, then forgive me, I must be a little slow. |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 11:41 am: |
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I think they wen't plastic to keep people from stripping the threads on the radiator, or so the saying goes. In any event, the things get mushy after a while and I think they should be looked at as a wear item like a hose or a belt. Tossing a few spares in the spares kit is cheap insurance.
I just bought a could extra 1/2 NPT pressure caps from the plumbing store and tossed them in the spares kit. $1.19 each
-P |
Scott Hayes (Scott_H)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 01:38 pm: |
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i had this happen in the middle of NV on the way to Hole in the Rock. We actually went to an autoparts store (in a tiny little town) and I bought 3 of them for $4. If you replace it just snug it down and put some of that white pipe tape (cant remember the name atm) on it before you put it in. Works like a charm.
Scott H |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 02:57 pm: |
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Don't use the teflon tape on an inside fitting like this. It will fleck off and get in the coolant. I use plumbers "pipe dope" which is like a rubberized hylomar. It doesn't dry out and won't fleck off.
You can actually use Hylomar if that's all you have in an emergency. It works just fine for this but is rather sensitive to high temps.
-P |
Bill Bettridge (Billb)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 03:00 pm: |
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In an emergency, OK I guess, but it's never a good idea to thread an NPT (tapered) plug into something straight threaded (washer seal). Just asking for trouble there.
Bill |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 03:10 pm: |
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Yep!
However, for some reason, the compression plugs that I got at the hardware store really aren't NPT. The are 1/2 just like the real thing. The only thing they are not, is flanged, so you need to use some putty to keep the threads sealed.
-P |
Dee Cantrell (Disco_Dad)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 06:28 pm: |
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Maybe I missed something here PF but the cap design requires an o ring seal and the top housing is not a NPT so why force a 20 Cent NPT plug in and ruin a 300 radiator?, In an emergency it seems logical but not as a common practice. and all you should ever use is antisize on those threads. that is what the o ring is there for....
Jorge, about the over heat have you had the system back flushed with a pressurized system? You may also want to consider having the radiator rodded out. if your not familiar with that term, A radiator repair shop removes the top and bottom caps and runs a pipe cleaner like rod down the core. Then soaks it in a solvent tank, Like new when done.
You would not believe the crap that comes out of what you though was a clean radiator.
Also the Viscous When the engine is cold and turned off the Viscous should move freely. If it is seized it will not move at all, you will not over heat soley because of that but your engine need to pull harder and the power will suck. Also if you hit the Rpms to high with the Viscous sized the fan could explode. Believe me on that one. first hand experience... Fragmented blades at 4500 rpm did wonders for the asthetics and performance of my old RR
Good Luck, |
PerroneFord
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 06:44 pm: |
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Dee,
You didn't miss anything, I misspoke. The plug I put in is 1/2" but it is npt NPT. It is exactly the same threading as the stock plug. It is not flanged and it does not have an o-ring. I am not saying this is a good long term solution.
As I mentioned I used this in an emergency capacity because I was about 2 hours from leaving town. I bought a couple extras and tossed them in the spares kit in case my, or someone elses cap blows or shears. Note that I told the user to buy spare "genuine" caps as time permitted and replace them on regular intervals.
I suggested using pipe dope on the emergency plug since it is not flanged and has no o-ring. On a proper plug this is unnecessary as you mention.
-P |
Dee Cantrell (Disco_Dad)
| | Posted on Monday, April 22, 2002 - 07:07 pm: |
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PF, No attack i just get too many emails from guys who were told to try this and that and now it costs them way more than if the correct part was used in the first place.
Nothing like a land rover leaving you stranded in the middle of nowhere, And the nerest parts store thinks LR is made by Toyota, Or the line i like you sure you dont mean Ford Ranger
All bets are off on trail repairs, In the words of Clint Eastwood Improvise, adapt, overcome
I once used a chunk of wood and piece of an inner tube to plug a burst freeze plug. New string the most unusal trail repairs...
Cheers |
Jorge P. Gutierrez, Jr. (Jpg2esq)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 04:39 pm: |
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Now the damn thing boiled over while my wife was driving it home from work today in 90 degree heat in traffic. Opened the hood and saw coolant coming out of the cap on the expansion tank. She said she had the heater on which usually kept the temp down. Somehow I think its the radiator and not just the viscous coupling/clutch. |
doug james (Dgj95lwb)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 05:25 pm: |
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To check the vc: Engine off, cold in am-fan will spin, less than 90 degrees, when you spin it by hand. If it does not spin, it is locked up and needs replaced.
If it spins more than 90 deg, it has too, failed, then replace.
If it is fine, look elsewhere for the problem.
Miles since thermostat was replaced ?
Miles on radiator ? Have it flow tested.
If fine, to spec,(not likely if 90k or more) then do a compression test, looking for leaking head gasket. Oil is not milky right ?
'Over-flowing coolant': often from overfilled reservoir. Don't overfill-it will ALWAYS seek a natural level; if you top it up constantly, it will seem to 'always' lose fluid. The res should allow 3-4" of expansion of the coolant media, so give it that space. The tank level on a RRC is fully 4" BELOW the cold full/topped up level.
Hope it didn't really get hot. cheers- doug |
David Dryden (David914)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 07:44 pm: |
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Your wife thought to turn on the heater to aid in engine cooling!?! "Ah, the rugged outdoor-zee type. Nice choice!" (Paul Hogan in a Subaru commercial). Seriously, sounds like a "keeper"! Most people wouldn't think to do that.
David |
Jorge P. Gutierrez, Jr. (Jpg2esq)
| | Posted on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 10:05 pm: |
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i had told her what to do since this problem has been going on off and on for a while. I have decided just to bite the bullet and buy a fan clutch and radiator since the disco has 96k miles. It got hot again on my way home from the office and after I arrived, I checked the fan and it hardly moved when I tried spinning it. Coulnd't see any bubbles in the coolant when it was ruuning with the expansion tank cap off at idle. |
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