Oh!
Fan clutch... in all the youtube videos, people can stick the paper wad in their fan and as long as the engine is cold, the fan freewheels... well.. no matter if mine is cold or hot, the fan is always going. Can't stop it at all... so... weird.. but at least I think we can count that out from the "getting hot" issue.
Also, I took the van to the shop (Dean's Car Care... a pretty great place.. for all you other Portlanders).. and they couldn't find much more wrong than a semi-puffy heater hose. Radiator looks wonderful. Passed a block test. Wont get remotely hot while idling for a long, long time... etc.
So I guess...as of now.. I'm going to drive the thing and hope it doesn't get *too* hot!
Big adventure this weekend so it will be a good test. I'll keep ya updated.
-Scott
troubleshooting a 1990 L300 5-speed overheating (surprise!)
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lookoutworld
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:10 pm
- Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
- Vehicle: 1990 P25W - 5 speed
- Location: Portland, OR
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motorang
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:42 pm
- Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
- Vehicle: L300 P25W
- Location: Austria
Re: troubleshooting a 1990 L300 5-speed overheating (surprise!)
Hi
be careful about the heater hose, one of mine failed me and the cylinder head was gone.
Always check the expansion vessel for the coolant level staying being between min and max. I would check that before and after every ride. Some fluctuation is OK, but make sure the hoses and connections are tight.
Head failures with high temperatures tend to get worse gradually, most of the time it is just a minimally cracked head (tired material) which starts to pressurize the cooling system when getting hot, so more coolant is pushed to the expansion vessel and not sucked back when the engine cools down again.
My vans temp gauge (5-speed turbodiesel as yours) was sitting around the first mark always when I got it in 2007, never rose above that. And we did some touring in hot countries like Greece, fully loaded.
After 3 or 4 years it showed higher and higher temperatures, which did not change with
- swapping the rad for a replacement
- swapping the rad cap for an original replacement
- testing and refilling the visco fan clutch
- checking the water pump
- checking the thermostat valve
With higher load the temperature went higher, highway uphill, trailer towing etc - only cure was to go slower, as slow as 3rd or even 2nd gear and light on the pedal. And refill coolant. It was just pushed out of the expansion vessel and dripped down from the battery tray to the road. Same with stop and go traffic jam, not a good idea to get caught there as all the heat from a fast ride is still in the parts, but the airstream is missing. The temp gauge sometimes went straight to max and the red temp light was coming on just after we stopped and let the engine idle because the temp was rising gradually before.
In the end the heater hose failed while cruising along with no load really, that probably came from a overpressurized cooling system.
The head was cracked and warped in several places then.
A probable cause for cracked heads is aged fuel injectors which cause local overheating (no even spray any more), this was most likely the cause of my engine failure as the cylinder head seal and the cylinders showed the respective marks, as an engine expert told me.
It would be a good thing to undo the injectors and have them tested, which can be done at a Diesel pump shop. Recommended after 100.000 km and every 50.000 km after that. Or just replace them for double the cost, still cheaper and much less work than to swap a head or even a complete engine.
Andy
be careful about the heater hose, one of mine failed me and the cylinder head was gone.
Always check the expansion vessel for the coolant level staying being between min and max. I would check that before and after every ride. Some fluctuation is OK, but make sure the hoses and connections are tight.
Head failures with high temperatures tend to get worse gradually, most of the time it is just a minimally cracked head (tired material) which starts to pressurize the cooling system when getting hot, so more coolant is pushed to the expansion vessel and not sucked back when the engine cools down again.
My vans temp gauge (5-speed turbodiesel as yours) was sitting around the first mark always when I got it in 2007, never rose above that. And we did some touring in hot countries like Greece, fully loaded.
After 3 or 4 years it showed higher and higher temperatures, which did not change with
- swapping the rad for a replacement
- swapping the rad cap for an original replacement
- testing and refilling the visco fan clutch
- checking the water pump
- checking the thermostat valve
With higher load the temperature went higher, highway uphill, trailer towing etc - only cure was to go slower, as slow as 3rd or even 2nd gear and light on the pedal. And refill coolant. It was just pushed out of the expansion vessel and dripped down from the battery tray to the road. Same with stop and go traffic jam, not a good idea to get caught there as all the heat from a fast ride is still in the parts, but the airstream is missing. The temp gauge sometimes went straight to max and the red temp light was coming on just after we stopped and let the engine idle because the temp was rising gradually before.
In the end the heater hose failed while cruising along with no load really, that probably came from a overpressurized cooling system.
The head was cracked and warped in several places then.
A probable cause for cracked heads is aged fuel injectors which cause local overheating (no even spray any more), this was most likely the cause of my engine failure as the cylinder head seal and the cylinders showed the respective marks, as an engine expert told me.
It would be a good thing to undo the injectors and have them tested, which can be done at a Diesel pump shop. Recommended after 100.000 km and every 50.000 km after that. Or just replace them for double the cost, still cheaper and much less work than to swap a head or even a complete engine.
Andy
-
lookoutworld
- Posts: 36
- Joined: Wed Jun 10, 2015 6:10 pm
- Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
- Vehicle: 1990 P25W - 5 speed
- Location: Portland, OR
Re: troubleshooting a 1990 L300 5-speed overheating (surprise!)
Hello again Andy,
Thanks once more!
I took the van on a 12 hour road trip this last weekend. With a bit more experience under my belt I was able to keep the head temp below 208 the whole trip. Like everyone has said here... the higher rev's sure help.
One weird inconsistency: I drove home in abnormally high air temps this week... did exactly what I always do with the van.. and it DIDN'T get hot this time... not sure what the difference is now.. but I'm not complaining.
I think the take away for me from all this is that slower speeds and higher rev's keep the motor cooler. With care, its possible to drive and not heat the thing up too much.
I thank you all for the good data points!!!
-Scott
Thanks once more!
I took the van on a 12 hour road trip this last weekend. With a bit more experience under my belt I was able to keep the head temp below 208 the whole trip. Like everyone has said here... the higher rev's sure help.
One weird inconsistency: I drove home in abnormally high air temps this week... did exactly what I always do with the van.. and it DIDN'T get hot this time... not sure what the difference is now.. but I'm not complaining.
I think the take away for me from all this is that slower speeds and higher rev's keep the motor cooler. With care, its possible to drive and not heat the thing up too much.
I thank you all for the good data points!!!
-Scott
-
Trinker
- Posts: 92
- Joined: Fri Apr 17, 2015 8:37 pm
- Member's Photo Album: http://www.delica.ca/Photos/
- Vehicle: L300
- Location: Revelstoke
troubleshooting a 1990 L300 5-speed overheating (surprise!)
Hey Scott, I'm having the exact same issues! Did you ever get to the bottom of it? I'm thinking of swapping my rad and changing the fan clutch.. I also had the exact same burnt out fuse, going to replace that later today
92'L300 Chamonix - Fully camperized adventure rig 