Discovery 2 Cooling

Trevor explains why your air con fan needs to be checked, and fits a package of new heat exchangers

166 Trevor Cuthbert replaces radiator, intercooler and air con fan

Afew years ago I visited a Land Rover breaker’s yard on the lookout for an air conditioning (AC) fan for a Discovery 2 that I was working on. I was pointed in the direction of five or six scrapped D2s and each and every one of them was seized solid. The reason for this is the AC fan does not have a motor that is waterproof.

At around 14-years old, the radiator from my own D2 has become quite flaky and powdery – the fins are corroding away in places, and the intercooler is in similar condition.

My AC condenser, although still capable of holding refrigerant, is probably in the worst condition.

Having carried out performance upgrades to the Td5 engine in my D2, it is vitally important that my cooling system is in the best possible condition. I had always planned to upgrade the intercooler at this stage, to best work with the new hybrid turbo charger that I have fitted – and a remap of the ECU – so I purchased a package from Allisport Ltd which included a high capacity coolant radiator, upgraded intercooler, ECU remap and silicone hoses. I also sourced a new air conditioning condenser and replacement fan from Britpart via my local Land Rover specialist supplier, BLRC Ltd.

REPLACING THE HEAT EXCHANGERS

The coolant radiator, intercooler and air con condenser are all heat exchangers designed to allow air through the fins and cores to lower the temperature of the fluids inside.

On the Discovery 2, all three are attached together as a pack mounted in front of the engine and, when dismantling them, it’s important not to damage the fins and cores of all three units.

The job of replacing one or more of the heat exchangers on a rolling chassis is very much easier, with a virtually unrestricted working space where the pack is built up.

TREVOR CUTHBERT General workshop tools, very fine screwdriver or spike

4 The coolant hoses are clamped to the new radiator using new compression clips, ensuring it is held safe from falling forwards until the body is fitted.

This new intercooler is positively 5 huge in comparison with the factory fitted item. Note how thick the air channels are, running across the width.

The air conditioning fan is very 1 rough and partially seized, while the condenser radiator has become flaky and powdery with aluminium corrosion.

The radiator and intercooler bolt 7 together, as per the originals, using an M6 nut and bolt instead of a captive nut, with OD20 penny washers.

The coolant radiator and the 2 standard sized intercooler are also showing their age, corroding in a similar fashion to the condenser.

This new high-performance coolant 3 radiator from Allisport boasts a higher cooling capacity thanks to coolant channels with a greater surface area.

The Allisport intercooler fits onto 6 the new radiator, with the radiator’s vertical header sculpted to give space for the intercooler’s rear-facing stub pipe.

8 The new Britpart AC condenser’s lower brackets slot into the chassis, while the upper brackets are adjustable to fit the width of the intercooler.

11 Finally, silicone hoses (supplied) are fixed with new compression clamps. Silicone hoses will not collapse like the originals often do when old.

The output pipe from the condenser 9 fits neatly into the top of the drier, secured with M6 set screw. Inlet has 8 mm screw. O-seals renewed on both.

The fan brackets are fitted to the 10 condenser. The heat exchange pack is now assembled, ready for the AC fan to be fitted.