Fourtrak 2.8td overheating

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Have bought my first fourtrak having leaving the world of landrovers forever, its a 1989 el and has loads of mileage on it, the engine runs perfectly, there is no sign of it going at any stage but tends to overheat when towing bearing in mind it has to tow a double horsebox, even without the box it runs hotter than i'd like, to me the viscous fan is isn't enough to draw the heat away from the radiator which has been fully reconditioned, when I put my hand to the rear of it i feel the air drawn in puffs rather than constant airflow, there is no sign of damage to the fan I think it is under rated for my job. Would anyone recommend an electric replacement fan e.g kenlowe?, have fitted one of these before and think they are great but would it solve this problem? Could there be a water pump problem?

My 88 track runs a little hot

My 88 track runs a little hot when under load i.e. pulling a fairly large caravan up a steep incline.However it soon returns to normal on the straight.The rest of the time it runs spot on normal.If your track is running hot even when you are not towing then I would say that there may be a reduced flow of coolant somewhere in the system.
These vehicles are designed to pull 3 tons so the fitted rad should be up to the job...I see them towing plant (heavy stuff).
Before investing in a Kenlowe I would get the system flushed out.
There is a thread somewhere in the 'problems' section of the forums which details how to completely flush the cooling system..I will have a look to see if I can find it and get back to you.

Found the thread...read this it may give you the answer to your problem :

http://www.daihatsu-drivers.co.uk/node/view/51

Good Stuff

Thanks Mike lots to try there in the thread, the problem seems common there's got to be an easier answer than going to the expense of a kenlowe. Its the inclines where it suffers most in towing. The gauge when running normally sits at about 1 O'clock, where does yours sit Mike?

It sits spot on 12 O'clock Ma

It sits spot on 12 O'clock Marty...I think I have been lucky with mine considering its age...I have never flushed it out in the three years since I got it.Last summer whilst towing the van in the wilds of middle England (having driven all the way from Glasgow) I inadvertantly found myself on some horredously steep climbs (down to first gear with no where else to go on one of them)Temp gauge was almost but not quite in the red.
Phew ! I was sweating I can tell you..not to mention the poor old Trak....as soon as I got to the top it returned to normal pretty quickly.
I think a flush and clean is the first step you should take Marty...lots cheaper than a Kenlowe electric.

Good luck with it m8

I've found more than one visc

I've found more than one viscouse fan that dosen't. The rad on a 4trak is so good that unloaded it'll coup quit well with little or no fan assistance, so the problem dosen't show up. Try getting the engine hot, then carfully push somthing against the fan blades. You'll probably find they stop going round with no great amount of interfirance. The fan isn't really doing anything.
This can be overcome by spliting the fan body, and jamming somthing between the two halves. (You can also bolt straight through the body, but this may unbalance the fans spin, causing damage to the water pump). This basicly makes the fan an old fashoned solid fan. I've found that this workes better than any electric alternative.

Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.