Help with a Pipe to nowhere

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richardsys

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I had a clutch change (by a complete wally) and after getting the box off again to put it right, I am left with a pipe resting on the back of the engine and can't figure out what it is for or where it should go. I'll describe it.

If you look from the nearside at the engine (over the turbo), right at the back of the engine there is a metal pipe with a bracket (which isn't bolted to anything) that lies horizontal almost on the bell housing of the gearbox at about cylinder head level. It is about 10mm in diameter and metal.

I am presuming it is a breather for something, but would appreciate any clues, so if you have a TD5, could you take a look and tell me where it (should) go.

Thanks
 
That pipe should be bolted to the back face of the cylinder head. It should also be connected by a short rubber hose (60mm) to the oil cooler on the turbo side and by another rubber hose to the fuel cooler on the inlet manifold side of the engine.

I'd be surprised if it was open on one end because you'd pump your coolant out on to the floor with the engine running.

Not only is the pipe supposed to be part of the cooling system it is also supposed to support the wiring loom across the back of the engine so as it dont just rest on the top of the bell housing.
 
Thanks. I'll take a look. There is nothing coming out of it and it looks unjoined at either end. I had the fuel valve replaced around the same time and am wondering whether something has been left off. There are no extra drips and i'm not loosing coolant.
 
Took a look. There is the rubber coolant hose running as you describe and that is fine. This is a second pipe, metal, and I suspect a breather of some sort has been left off, but I can't find it in the Haynes manual.
 
Is it this one - if so I'm sure its to do with the rear air suspension compressor to release air and should be open if its not that one - more info needed
 

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No. The attached image (if I've done it right) is the pipe. Looking at it zoomed, it looks like it should be attached to the bellhousing bolt with a smaller pipe hooked into it. Maybe it is just a clamp and I have nothing to worry about ?
 

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Think this is it - looks like yours has been cut off

Mine comes from the rear of the engine turns 90 degrees round the block is attached to a rubber portion and disappears behind the manifold heatshield and oil filter

Trying to find details of it on RAVE, bear with me
 

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Last edited:
Possibly number 6 - Oil cooler return pipe?

Hope this helps - Its MOT time for me so will have to leave you for now
 

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richardsys said:
No. The attached image (if I've done it right) is the pipe. Looking at it zoomed, it looks like it should be attached to the bellhousing bolt with a smaller pipe hooked into it. Maybe it is just a clamp and I have nothing to worry about ?
Click to expand...
Yep thats the oil cooler return pipe and it's been sawed off. I've tried to highlight it in red - the bottom diagram is correct for early EU2 spec engines (engine numbers 10p). On later EU3 spec engines (engine numbers 15p upwards) they changed the cooling layout as in the top diagram. The fuel cooler now has two hose connections instead of three (not shown in diagram) and they added an EGR cooler. The radiator also lost one of the lower hose connections as the oil cooler hose ran to the EGR then into a modifed header tank.
Whichever spec engine you have that pipe should be connected to the oil cooler and either the bottom of the radiator or to the EGR cooler and should be carrying coolant at all times.
 

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Indeed it looks like the coolant return pipe off the oil cooler.

Recently did the oil cooler (leaky internal o-ring --complete post soon to come) as well as the exhaust manifold (broken studs) and took some useful pictures (turbo, exh mfld, a/c, oil cooler, oil filter & housing, centrifugal oil filter & housing off the way)

Oil cooler base at the nearside of the engine block, return pipe seen on the right:
oilcoolercoolantreturnp.jpg


Oil cooler (being pressure tested), the piece of rubber hose on the right connects to the metal pipe:
oilcoolerptested.jpg


The coolant outlet on the oil cooler must have been also blocked off so no coolant flow to cool engine oil!
 
Well I have a comparing session with someone I know with a similar aged Disco (2003). On his, its all connected as described in the diagrams. On mine, the pipe doesn't go anywhere and the EGR valve has a blanking plug on it. Now I've had the car from new so cannot understand why it has been disconnected or if it has ever been connected and what the consequences might be. Totally odd!
 
Sounds like somebody has bodged the EGR without knowing what they were doing. When you say the EGR valve has a "blanking plug" is that on the coolant pipes, vacuum pipes, or the exhaust pipes? Normally any blanking is done to the EGR exhaust outlet on the exhaust manifold or at the inlet to the EGR cooler.

What it means is that your oil cooler has restricted coolant flow and will not be working as efficiently as it could be. If you live somewhere with a temperate climate and dont do a lot of towing then it probably does not matter but I'd not be happy running my engine like that. Get it plumbed properly and sleep well knowing it is working as designed.
 
On the later vehicles these came blanked off from factory, The pipe was still bolted to the bell housing but the rubber bit on the oil cooler is a blank & the metal pipe is cut like yours shows in the picture .
 
Hi Mate,

Im replacing my clutch at the tomorrow/Saturtday, I'll keep an eye out for it.

Any tips for with the clutch? How long did it take?

Mike
 
hey shifty i have the same problem but my metal pipe was completly removed by the previous owner and a rubber plug installed on the oil cooler nipple , the port on the radiator have been plugged off as well is this okay ?
 
I was losing coolant at an ever increasing rate, heater going cold etc . I foond the leak was due the blanking plug as described in the above posts having perished and cracked . The plumbing on my 2004 discovery has the pipe to nowhere and the other one blanked off . Anybody know where i can get a new plug ?? dealer only . Ive shoved the the rubber end of a stool leg over it and a jubilee clip for now as i is new year holiday and nothing open up here in scotland
 
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