Well it had to happen (the law of averages and all!!)

Drove to work the other day - just as I get in the driveway all hell let loose!!

Steam from under the bonnet!!

Parked it up , raised the bonnet, prepared for the worst!

Closer inspection revealed totally seperated/broken 'T' junction on radiator hose!

Fast and furious phoning for replacement parts - all roads lead to Land Rover dealership

Drove down to get it, (in work Van) - T part not sold seperately, can only get it in whole assembly (Radiator hoses included) AUD$175!!!

Had no choice really.

After a few choice words, and a few bruised/cut knuckles, I managed to fit the new hoses!

Only thing is I now have a metal screw in the bleed valve thingo - the plastic one dropped down the vast black hole of the engine bay, never to be seen again!!

Replaced some of the smaller lines as well, mainly cos they were brittle and some were rubbing against the engine, just waiting to burst!

- what a performace to get them in!! How the hell do the mechanics deal with it!!?? - theres not much space to get a pair of long nose pliers in, or even a screwdriver!

Numerous dropped hose clamps (usually down the abyss) and I infuriated myself by slashing a new hose whilst trying to cut another 'baked on' hose off its fitting!! (incident was met with curses, oaths, and a fit of rage!)

Anyways its all back together - no leaks - YET!

OK I got my new expansion tank the other day and fitted it, no probs so far.

Just wondering what coolant you guys are using, I see its Orange, not the normal Green I would usually use.

Have sourced some Orange coolant (Nulon brand), but would like to know what brand you guys recommend, and see if I can get it here.

I see the Orange coolant is recommended for alloy radiators, where as the Green is for copper.

hoses are a pig to get in!
coolant you need is OAT (organic acid technology)
it should never be mixed with the green/blue glycol stuff.

HTH

Oats is red, but sometimes looks orange through the water bottle if the bottles old, or watered down too much.

..... well not familiar with OATS but have sourced this Nulon stuff that says its for alloy radiators so might go for that

website says:

Nulon Red Long Life Coolant (RLL) provides the ultimate anti-boil, anti-freeze and corrosion protection for all late model vehicles, including petrol, diesel and heavy-duty diesel applications. RLL incorporates the most up-to-date organic additive technology (OAT) carboxylate corrosion inhibitors. RLL is the preferred coolant to use in cooling systems fitted with aluminium radiators.

It's got OATS in it ............... so it must be it!