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RRC losing coolant (sent to the admin email account by britfan101)

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:38 pm
by TerryG
Hi guys, I've been around Rover V8's since '74. Now the one I've got is a matching number, ( Heritage Trust certified no: 2016/3339 ), Range Rover Classic 3.5 EFI with a genuine 106,000 on the clock, my problem is that I keep seeing my rad almost run dry over a few days of use, the expansion tank rarely runs out, when it gets low the warning light flashes on the dash, I've just put a new thermostat in, ( 88c-92c), and she dose not have a leak anywhere, the water pump has no corrosion or visual leak evidence & that's got me stumped.
Although I've only got 20% of my heart that works, im still, with the help of my friend Edd, ( Capri 3000 GT mk1 owner ), going to get the heads of, skimmed, polished 'n' ported & clean the piston tops & block, but is there anything I can clean the block water ways with, ( calgol, or Viacal ).
This ones got me stumped guy's & I need your know how to keep one of the only '87s on the road. They only built 106 & I've only seen 1 in the last 2 years. I wont use any parts other than genuine '87 parts, even if they have to be made, ( as with the roof liner, the National trim centre don't do them for the '87 ).
I need help guy's. cv worked for Marranello's in Egham foryears, turned down Aston & Rolls, as a Mech at Marra's you had to fix anything that needed to be fixed & that meant no factory fix 'cos they didn't make it any
more, so I know ally lumps, the only thing I can think of is I've got a furred up block.
Is there anything else it could be & if so, how do I cure it.

Re: RRC losing coolant (sent to the admin email account by britfan101)

Posted: Tue May 30, 2017 11:53 pm
by TerryG
Hi Ade,
At that mileage if the heads haven't been off it will be failing head gaskets. Rover (Buick) used 14 head bolts (on each side) and the uneven torque applied to the heads by this design makes head gaskets go much sooner than in other cars.
If you want to keep completely original you can replace the gaskets (it's a fairly easy Sunday job) and only put 15 lbft on the outside bolts. Later engines don't have them anyway. If you want to update slightly you can have the heads skimmed to keep the compression using later composite gaskets which are MUCH better and only 10 bolts in each side. I have a suffix A 4.2 which was supplied from the factory with a block drilled and tapped for 14 bolt heads but with 10 bolt heads fitted.
Easy to check but less likely is a weep between the intake manifold and the heads. Valley gaskets do fail and intake manifolds can warp. It is quite common for a leak at the rear to go unnoticed.
Is the heater matrix leaking? the rubber coated foam insulation under the carpet inside can hold buckets of water before you notice anything.
It would be unusual for a 3.5 block to go bad but not unheard of, they can be fitted with "top hat" liners if you want to keep the original casting. I think the cost was around £1850 exchange when I enquired about having my 4.6 done but I don't see why it wouldn't be possible to get your own block back.
Good luck :)

Re: RRC losing coolant (sent to the admin email account by britfan101)

Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 1:18 pm
by gazza82
My old Alfa 156 used to lose coolant and it turned out is was the rad. Because of the a/c condenser you couldn't see the front bottom edge of the rad, but when we took it out, most of the fins were corroded away to nothing. I never saw a drip or puddle so we assumed that it lost coolant as the pressure increased.

Might be worth double checking.

I would have had mine pressure tested but I dropped the rad and the bottom inch or so vanished into a pile of corroded dust! :shock:

Re: RRC losing coolant (sent to the admin email account by britfan101)

Posted: Wed May 31, 2017 4:11 pm
by JPB
but is there anything I can clean the block water ways with
The fact that the O/P finds it necessary to ask that question, and that they mentioned furring up of the block, has me wondering whether that block, as a result of using too little coolant concentrate or none at some stage earlier in its life, has become porous around the area normally closed off by the bellhousing, so leaking from a crumbling clump of dust that used to be aluminium.

Other thoughts? Is the coolant radiator on these shared between the ATF and the coolant or is the ATF cooler a separate matrix at the end of or in front of and below the coolant radiator? An internal leak will manifest pretty soon as it doesn't take much coolant to cause some damage, so check the transmission fluid, if the coolant is getting into the ATF, then the fluid will look like Pepto Bysmol liquid, pink and frothy, and the 'box will eventually fail as the bond between the clutch papers and their backing will absorb water and allow that paper to disintegrate, leaving the transmission with clutches that slip.