Overheating countermeasures!

Hi everyone.

So I'm driving in Spain this summer and have been trying to give my engine a bit of a break by putting my heating on full whack to draw heat away from the engine.

Only trouble is obviously me and my missus are now in a sauna on wheels.

Does anyone know of a solution or aftermarket part that will divert the dashboards heating vents to the outside of the car?

Why are you doing this? Surely fixing the cooling system on the engine is a better idea....

chris-the-gerbil said:

Why are you doing this? Surely fixing the cooling system on the engine is a better idea....

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Cooling system is fine.
I'm just doing this to give the engine that extra bit of love. 5 hours of driving a day for 2 weeks straight in the Spanish heat. I figure having the heater on is basically like having a second cooling system.

I'd be tempted to just drive it normally if all is working ok and just keep an eye on the temp gauge. Theoretically (but unlikely in your situation) if you have additional cooling and drop the water temperature then all that will happen is that the thermostat will close slightly to reduce the water flow rate and bring the temperature back up to where it wants to be, conversely if it is too hot then it may open further to allow more cooling.

Dorbin said:

Cooling system is fine.
I'm just doing this to give the engine that extra bit of love. 5 hours of driving a day for 2 weeks straight in the Spanish heat. I figure having the heater on is basically like having a second cooling system.

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Overcooling the engine is bad for it. Also it wont let you - all it will do is run less water through the main radiator if you turn the heater on full inside. The engine is designed to work at it's running temp - that's when all the clearances are correct.

If the cooling system is working then its working, just drive your car.

As said keep an eye on the temp gauge, if it shoots up pull over, let it cool but if all is well then you shouldnt have an issue.

If youre worried change the coolant.

Just to add I was in 32c heat in France flooring it up hills, through sand dunes and all sorts. Temp never went up and i didnt have the heating on.

My 110, 200 tdi has crossed Morocco more times than I can remember during the hottest parts of the year. It would never cross my mind to mess about with the cooling/heating system. I did run it with a Kenlowe electric fan for a while, but have since switched back to the Viscos fan which I prefer. Even when my Defender is working hard going through soft sand for long stretches the temperature gauge doesn't move. If your gauge is the same, I wouldn't touch the heater controls. I recon your just trying to give your misses a hard time. Hope she doesn't read this, you could be in trouble.
Just had another thought, I was in Dubai a few years back in August also doing a Desert trip in temperatures reaching 50C in a Defender also crossing soft sand. Never had any problems. The Defender is still out there going strong.