Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

This is excellent news indeed

You have now basically proved to yourself where the problem lies. By fitting an even better radiator will provide you with better results! Now remember, you can't fit a too big radiator...

Now you can start getting rid of that tunnel feeling and enjoy the sunshine! I see many happy miles piling up soon - ENJOY!

You can never fit a too big radiator. The incoming cold coolant from the radiator is mixed with the bypass circuit via the thermostat opening percentage.

My Touareg 2.5 has the same cooling system as the Touareg V10 5.0.

I find it a bit disappointing that the radiator cooling capacity is so marginal.

Go as big as you can CATS.

Size does matter

Sent from my GT-I9305

CATS wrote:
Andrew
Radiator was replaced when ... engine rebuild was done first time...

By my reckoning you should get it replaced free of charge from the workshop that did the rebuild, on the grounds that they replaced a part with something that is sub-standard, compared to the part they removed.

4ePajero wrote:

CATS wrote:
Andrew
Radiator was replaced when ... engine rebuild was done first time...

By my reckoning you should get it replaced free of charge from the workshop that did the rebuild, on the grounds that they replaced a part with something that is sub-standard, compared to the part they removed.

We are in negotiations but I will first test this new unit and see if it really delivers the desired effect.

Once the cooling is sorted I will tackle the smoke and oil use, but I fear I am going to request another opening of the engine as the oil usage is just a bit too much with the smoke as well to accept it as norm after a rebuild.My personal opinion is that it is a dud valve stem seal but I know too little about these things to say it is gospel.

Hopefully the smoking and oil use will disappear if I drive it enough after the heating issue is sorted, but somehow I doubt that theory.

CATS

What oil did they put in the engine?

Wrong oil can cause oil consumption issues.

4ePajero wrote:What oil did they put in the engine?

Wrong oil can cause oil consumption issues.

Gerhard

Whatever they put in there is not much left as I keep topping it up with Delo400.

I am servicing it today and replacing oil filter and oil plus airfilter. So lets see if it makes any difference, but I doubt it.

CATS

Oil can be consumed due to a number of problems:

• Worn bores
• worn/broken rings
• valve stem seals
• head gasket leak between bore and oil passage (very rare)
• crank case ventilation not working/connected properly
• wrong oil
• a combination of the above

Hi CATS,

Maybe progress, in which case good news, but I am sure that you also have this nagging feeling.

The reason for a gradual build up of temperature, which the replacement radiator cannot dissipate, can be at least twofold:

Scenario 1. The replacement radiator is not at least matching the specifications of the OEM radiator (Deduction from the fact that you did not originally suffer this symptom with the original OEM radiator).

Scenario 2. The replacement radiator IS at least matching the specifications of the OEM radiator (which is an unknown), but the refurbished engine is generating more heat under the same load conditions vs. the engine prior to the piston being holed. (More friction, more fuel at same revs, more blowby in cylinders, ...)

Putting in a larger radiator may only mask the symptoms if it is the second scenario.

Andrew - You are not helping my nerves here

I agree with all that you have said. But how do I solve any of this? I don't know. If I can drive and it does not heat up, then I am happy with that side. Everything points to the radiator not delivering as it should. Some comments that I got over the last few days are that a new engine consumes oil and runs higher temp due to its stiffness!!? To me it sounds like cow poo, but at this stage I am sitting with a car that under heavy load heats up more than I like on uphills. I am gonna take my chances on the new "heavy duty" radiator. Doing a search on "Pajero 3.2 overheating when towing" brings up a number of hits so it seems this problem is not only limited to new refurbished engines. The fact that Silverton also produce a Heavy duty, bigger than norm radiator for this vehicle is also telling a little tale.

Anyway - new HD radiator ordered. I have now got my radiator back in and will maybe do a few more test runs on the same road again over the weekend before the HD unit arrives.

The engine still consumes too much oil in my opinion, even if it is still "running in". So that needs to be sorted. I believe something was damaged by the heat but it can also be valve stems. What else can possibly be wrong in this engine leading to too much heat? I have now looked at all avenues and received many a different viewpoint, most stuff on the engine has been replaced, many of them twice already. I am hoping that the new radiator will reduce my heat worries and I can drive it again fearlessly for another year or so. Then? Who knows? I looked at a newer Pajero the other day and was about 10min away from signing on the dotted line, but I still need to sort Snoopy properly before I pass her on, if I ever do. By the way, my kids loved the new Pajero but was dead against me trading old Snoopy for it. Now how do I argue with a 7 year old if my own heart aint even really in it?

CATS
PS - Thanks for all the support and comments guys. Really appreciate it.