ReadySalted
Active Member
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Just thought I would report back on my findings since removing the standard fan and cowling from the 200tdi defender:
So my defender had been running cold, and would only reach more than half on the temp gauge on a long motorway run (60 miles+), the heater took a good 20 miles to produce any tangible heat. I stumbled across a number of threads on this forum and other landy forums where members had mentioned they had removed their fan and cowling for various reasons, and in almost all cases, said it was a positive change. Personally I don't like messing with standard things, because I trust the manufacturer's design more than myself or a random bloke on a landy forum. I live about 20 miles from the nearest motorway, and don't ever drive in heavy traffic so I figured this was a safe thing for me to try.
The fan and cowling has been off for 300 miles now of mixed driving, and my findings are as follows:
The temp gauge very quickly (about 2 to 5 miles of driving) gets to just over half way, and sit's there for most around town journeys in light traffic.
On long journeys the temp gauge climbs to about three quarters by about 10 miles of driving, and continues to climb until up to temperature which it reaches after about 15-20 miles.
About my defender:
The benefits of doing this are:
The access to the belts, and engine is fantastic
The engine gets up to temp quicker
The heater works immediately and I often have to turn it down
The disadvantages are:
I'm anxious that it will overheat
It's winter so my results are only conclusive of winter use (10 degrees C or lower)
Because I am uncertain about this mod, I keep the fan in the back along with a fan spanner, so that if she started to really overheat, I can refit the fan to draw atleast some air through the rad although I'm reliably informed that the fan is of almost no use without the cowling anyway. (I don't carry the cowling around with me cos it's too bulky and defeats the object!).
I have attached a pic to show where the temp gauge needle sat in both states, and it is worth noting that the needle drawn shows the temp the engine runs at when fully warmed up. At no point does the needle exceed this. It stabilises and stays there no matter what. (Not even on runs of over 100 miles, or up very long steep hills).
I plan to swap my OEM spotlights for smaller rectangle ones to give more air flow through the grille, which should bring the temp down a fraction, and if that doesn't improve it enough, then I will look into replacing the old radiator. I'm definitely confident, that if I do those things, then even in the summer, this will have been a worthwhile mod.
Hope this is of some help.
So my defender had been running cold, and would only reach more than half on the temp gauge on a long motorway run (60 miles+), the heater took a good 20 miles to produce any tangible heat. I stumbled across a number of threads on this forum and other landy forums where members had mentioned they had removed their fan and cowling for various reasons, and in almost all cases, said it was a positive change. Personally I don't like messing with standard things, because I trust the manufacturer's design more than myself or a random bloke on a landy forum. I live about 20 miles from the nearest motorway, and don't ever drive in heavy traffic so I figured this was a safe thing for me to try.
The fan and cowling has been off for 300 miles now of mixed driving, and my findings are as follows:
The temp gauge very quickly (about 2 to 5 miles of driving) gets to just over half way, and sit's there for most around town journeys in light traffic.
On long journeys the temp gauge climbs to about three quarters by about 10 miles of driving, and continues to climb until up to temperature which it reaches after about 15-20 miles.
About my defender:
- I changed the thermostat for a brand new oem one prior to my testing. ( I tested the old one and it was working, but changed anyway).
- It's radiator has seen better days, and is not leaking but loads of the fins are rotten.
- It's fitted with an A bar and two large Land Rover OEM spots, which restrict some air flow to rad and intercooler.
The benefits of doing this are:
The access to the belts, and engine is fantastic
The engine gets up to temp quicker
The heater works immediately and I often have to turn it down
The disadvantages are:
I'm anxious that it will overheat
It's winter so my results are only conclusive of winter use (10 degrees C or lower)
Because I am uncertain about this mod, I keep the fan in the back along with a fan spanner, so that if she started to really overheat, I can refit the fan to draw atleast some air through the rad although I'm reliably informed that the fan is of almost no use without the cowling anyway. (I don't carry the cowling around with me cos it's too bulky and defeats the object!).
I have attached a pic to show where the temp gauge needle sat in both states, and it is worth noting that the needle drawn shows the temp the engine runs at when fully warmed up. At no point does the needle exceed this. It stabilises and stays there no matter what. (Not even on runs of over 100 miles, or up very long steep hills).
I plan to swap my OEM spotlights for smaller rectangle ones to give more air flow through the grille, which should bring the temp down a fraction, and if that doesn't improve it enough, then I will look into replacing the old radiator. I'm definitely confident, that if I do those things, then even in the summer, this will have been a worthwhile mod.
Hope this is of some help.
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