Temperature gauge on 1988 LWB G
Temperature gauge – hello fellow owners- a spot of help please – up to now the temperature gauge needle was happily sitting on the middle of the dial but a few days ago I noticed that it started moving more and more towards the red danger zone I also noticed that even after a relatively short run the radiator hoses were of course hot but also hard. The radiator appears fin with no loss of coolant ( a bit brownish though).
Any assistance/advice would be great.
Best
Henry
The heatwave has tested yr viscous fan coupling.
You can continue [for several years if you want] to drive as long as you dont boil it hard
Tip..if you are worried that you are up in the red just put the heater on full blast..this will enable you to drive on
Tip 2 couplings are expensive..G's have 4 bolt fans and couplings..same as T1 [308] and sprinter to '99 and interchange
Cars have 3 bolt fans and couplings
That said i use E300 assemblies as they have the best fan [12 blade?]
Plenty in the breakers...note..left hand thread on allen retaining bolt..use rattle gun - yes its best done with the rad out
Hi Henry,
It sounds like you have a pretty gungy cooling system. I'd flush it for starters. Nip off the top and bottom hoses from the radiator and flush it with a hose, running the flow in both directions. Then do the block.
Flush out the system, keeping the heater valve in the on position until the water comes out clean.
Refill it with clean water and run it for a trip or two then do it again. See if you can beg/borrow/acquire by devious means an infra red thermometer and check there are no cold spots on the radiator indicating a blockage. Add anti freeze if it has cured the problem. Change the thermostat if it hasn't and try again.
Do you think it has anything to do with the hot weather I'm told you are getting down south?
Tim
Comment deleted.
Hi Henry, Thanks for you p.m. with more details. I assume the coolant loss, hard hoses, gungy coolant and overheating all started at more or less the same time. If that's the case, then is sounds very much like a blown head gasket. Some places have a kit to check for exhaust gas in the coolant, which sounds like your problem. Usually there is a cause for this to start, and when I had a similar problem, it was the viscous fan coupling which failed when I was stuck in a traffic jam one hot day in London. It's fairly easy to check, and I would suggest you check yours. Run your finger underneath the fan coupling when it's cold and the engine is stopped. Grease liquid on the underside is a good indicator. Start the engine from cold, lift the bonnet, raise the engine speed, listen and feel the air passing over the engine. Although the fan will turn, it will be quiet and there will be no airflow. When the temp gauge is indicating about 3/4 do the same excercise again. Keep your fingers away from the fan. You will feel the airflow as you raise the engine revs, and you will hear the fan howl. If you don't, then the coupling has probably gone. A tempoary fix is to bend one or two of the lugs around the fan over to make the fan work all the time. This will not stop your overheating or coolant loss problem.
If I remember correctly, only the 463 automatics have a transmission oil cooler running through the radiator. If I'm wrong I'm sure Gav or Rakesh will correct me.
Whatever you find with the fan, I would still suggest you flush the system as a starter. If your vehicle has been used off road it would be worth removing the radiator to clean it as the corners behind the cowl can fill with mud which sets like cement and stops the airflow over about a third of the area. You could also get the cooling system pressure tested, as this would show up a leak.
Regards,
Tim
Hi Tim / Henry
Yes the 280GE and other 460 series do have an Oil Cooler built into the Water Radiator for the Auto Transmission.
A seperate Engine Oil Cooler bolted to the side, but built in Auto Box Cooler.
You should see two metal pipes coming from the Auto Box up to just below the front of the Engine area (about 5/8" dia) and then these swop to two flexy hoses that join onto the Radiator.
Hope this helps
Gav
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Thanks Tony- I think I will try and flush the system to start with and se if there is some blockage/gunk and will go from there but having a better fan is a good tip. best. Henry