You can check the calibration of the temp gauge by removing the sending unit
from the block.
(You might loose some coolant, so you might want to have a catch pan handy.)
Take a pan
of oil and carefully heat it. (I suggest maybe using a Pyrex (sp) measuring
cup to hold the oil,
and placing it in a microwave oven.) You will also need a candy
thermometer, these will
usually read to over 300 deg F. You will also probably have to use a clip
lead and
connect one end to the sending unit the other end to the block - to
establish a ground.
When the oil is hot, you can measure its temp with the candy gauge. No take
the hot oil
And dip the sending unit it in. Turn your ignition to ON (NOT START) so the
gauges have
Power. Then watch the temp gauge and the thermometer. I'd suggest making a
small mark
On the gauge glass with nail polish at 180, 212, and then 220.
Now you KNOW what temp your eng. Is really running at.
John
John T. Blair
jblair@scn.spawar.navy.mil
SPAWARSYSCEN Chesapeake
Chesapeake, VA (757) 523-8133
-----Original Message-----
From: William G. Lamb, III [SMTP:lambroving@worldnet.att.net]
Sent: Tuesday, September 14, 1999 12:45 AM
To: Stein, Ross
Cc: morgans@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Cooling
Ross,
My 1998 4.0 takes quite a long while to reach an indicated 102 C
and stays there, as if glued, with the occasional assistance of the
electric fan. The gauge is a modern VDO and the needle position is
roughly 40% of the scale, which seems to reflect "normal" to me.
Only on a 102 F day with a possible superslab temp. of 130 F did
the thing reach 108 C.
The question is... what makes you think the gauge is accurate?
I have a query out to Mark Reeves at MMC about the "correct"
operating
temp. and what the gauge is really indicating and will let you know
when
I have gotten an answer.
A Land Rover 1993 3.9 would operate at ~189 F, but it has an
enormous
radiator built for cooling the vehicle well at idle under heavy load
and high
temps. at high altitudes... which it does. Don't think for a minute
that
the stuff posted here on the old cars is gospel for yours. Pick up
some
anti-freeze for alloy engines from your local Land Rover dealer and
mix
it 50/50 with distilled water, use some RedLine "Water Wetter" or BG
"Supercool" with it, change every two years, and you won't be
draining
any "particles" out of your system.
Try driving the car a bit more too as I have that many miles since
April !!!
Willie
William G. Lamb. III
Land Rover Specialist
1998 4.0 Litre Plus 8
At 04:22 PM 9/13/99 -0700, Stein, Ross wrote:
>
>All this discussion about cooling has me watching the temp gauge on
>my 1993 +8 very carefully. At a steady 65-70 mph, ambient temp
about
>70 deg F. , the temp is steady at 95 deg C. (203 deg F.), with a
brief
>rise of 10 deg going uphill, which was brought down by cranking up
the
>heater. I just flushed and changed the radiator, the coolant was
>"murky" but actually settled out into a very thin layer of fine
>particles below clear fluid (in the bottles I am holding for
recycling).
>The car has only 2400 miles, all rhe hoses are OK, and the car
seems
>uncomfortably hot after running for about half an hour. What range
>of temperature should a Plus 8 (USA) normally run? Thanks.
>
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