Radiator Hoses LR-DII

[Brian McVickers]

Hey everyone!

So while my 2001 DII is at the dealership for some extended warranty work on a window regulator, I asked them to check out a small coolant leak.
They say the leak is from some of the hoses, where they connect, and that hoses are unfortunately not covered under ext warranty.

So in preparation for their price quote on the job I am thinking of doing the fix myself.

I'll need to replace the Radiator Top Hose, Radiator Bottom Hose and the Thermostat to Pump Hose. I can find the three hoses for about $125 but no detailed directions other than drain the coolant and swap out the hoses.

Have any of you done this, any directions or tips??

Thanks
Brian
:safari-rig:

 

[nvprospector]

It is pretty straight forward. You might as well change the coolant in the system.

Open both of the block coolant drain ports, use a short 10mm open end wrench for this. They are high on the block, just underneath the exhaust manifolds. The passenger side is a pain because the starter is in the way. If you leave the radiator cap and overflow bottle cap on opening these ports will drain the whole system.

When drained, replace the drain port bolts. Add some Teflon tape to the threads so they don’t leak. Remove the hoses to the thermostat and flush the thermostat with fresh water. You really don’t need to replace the thermostat; they are pretty robust and last a long time. Then flush the overflow bottle and radiator with fresh water from a garden hose.

Since you have the coolant drained, buy the throttle plate heater from Atlantic British and replace that also. On a 2000 they have a tendency to crack and look like a middle plum leak. The kit is only $19.95 and only takes a fee minutes to change.

Replace all of your hoses and open the upper hose bleed valve. Start adding 50/50 coolant that is designed for aluminum blocks. You will hear air escaping from the open valve. Keep filling with coolant until it flows out of the bleed valve. Close the valve, top off the radiator, fill the overflow bottle to the max line, start the rig and turn on the heater, let it get to operator temperature and look for leaks.

This should only take you about an hour to do if you have the tools and no distractions. Also, since you are replacing the hoses, get real hose clamps from a auto parts store. It will save time in the future. Not to mention, those spring clamps lots of times allow the hose to leak even when the hose is in good shape.

Good Luck And have fun

 

[nvprospector]

This might help. Pulled these from RAVE.


View attachment 7190 View attachment 7191

 

[Brian McVickers]

Wow Thanks!

I have the RAVE manual, where you got those pages, and the way you describe it it sounds straight forward.

Will I have good access to all the hoses or do I need to take parts off and away to access the hoses? I'd rather not!

The Rave mentioned something about taking off the viscous fan in order to access the t-stat.

Thanks for all the help
sounds like I could reasonably save a chunk of change over having the dealer do the job.

 

[nvprospector]

Wow Thanks!

I have the RAVE manual, where you got those pages, and the way you describe it it sounds straight forward.

I have the RAVE cd's. Own to many rovers to have the hard copy manuals laying around.

Will I have good access to all the hoses or do I need to take parts off and away to access the hoses? I'd rather not!

The Rave mentioned something about taking off the viscous fan in order to access the t-stat.

Thanks for all the help
sounds like I could reasonably save a chunk of change over having the dealer do the job.

I forgot to add that the write-up. To get good access to all the hoses, the fan assembly and cowlings need to come off. Removing that stuff is not hard to do. You can change the hoses without removing the lower cowling and fan assembly, but that is as much fun as when I decided to change plug wires without removing the upper plum.

If you don't have a fan clutch wrench set for dII, the universal model from Autozone will work and is only 19.95. Spend the money though and get a good one from AB for 29.95 you will thank your self later. This tool is even needed to make changing the belt easier.

As for the cowlings they are held on by a #2 phillips. There are four for the upper cowling, and one of them is under the upper rad hose. Just move the hose out of the way to get the screwdriver in there. With the upper cowling removed the fan assembly is next. The funny looking wrench goes on the water pump bolts, and the big open end goes on the fan clutch nut. Just watch you knuckles. When loose just spin the fan until it falls off the water pump shaft. With the fan out of the way, the lower cowling is held in place with only two screws located on either side of the radiator and two clips at the bottom. Remove the screws and jiggle the lower cowling until the lower clips release and pull the cowling out. Now you have direct access to all the hoses from the top of the motor.

I have a friend bringing his rover on Monday so I can change the front oil seal. If you need photos, I can take some of removing the cowlings and fan assembly if you need. I have to remove all that is mentioned above to change that seal.

 

[flyingwil]

Now that this is done how's it holding up? Did we catch all the leaks? Ever get to spraying off the engine bay?

:Mechanic: