![]() Fit the Range Rover cap and this module.Drill and tap the reservoir with a bespoke level sensor.Wiring a Range Rover ECU into a Defender is not really worth it. Using the handy reservoir cap from a Range Rover helps, but its alarm is driven by its ECU. There is no off the shelf solution for the 300Tdi. Using a coolant reservoir cap from a Range Rover with an inbuilt float switch, we can create an alarm that we can wire up to a dashboard warning light that lets us know if the coolant level drops before it becomes a bigger problem. Not wanting my preferred 300Tdi to be outsmarted by the more modern Tdci, and with coolant loss a very real threat, I wanted to fit a gauge that would mitigate the issues of having a low coolant level. ![]() We made very slow progress that day, but at least we didn't have a cooked engine. In Botswana, we had overheating issues which would boil away 4 litres of coolant every 10km, but we knew when it was a problem as the Puma has a safety cut out if it gets too hot - the engine stops, the temperature gauge pings into the red and you coast to a halt. Later models such as the Tdci have inbuilt safety systems. In the UK, when the radiator on my 200Tdi sprung a leak on the motorway, it was only because the leak sprayed forwards and was blown back over the bonnet that I knew that there was a problem! The engine was gutless and couldn't go any faster than 100kmh (60mph) even though it was only 4 years old and had done 140,000km (87k miles). All of this could have been prevented by stopping the vehicle once it was known that the coolant level was too low. These had left the cylinder head warped and requiring skimming and resulted in numerous problems with the top end over several years. In Belize, one of our Defenders had had two previous occasions where the coolant had completed drained first due to a hole in the heater matrix (which was then bypassed) and second because of a split pipe. This can be a real threat if you're working the cooling system to the max on expedition in a hot country. Typical causes of coolant loss can be ruptured coolant tanks, head gasket failure, pipes bursting or radiator leaks. A relatively small loss of coolant can result in the pump sitting high and dry and the engine overheating. ![]() In the 300Tdi engine, the water pump is located quite high in the engine (near the cylinder head). ![]()
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