Ran my 6.2 without coolant for 20 minutes at full throttle

[LtFuzz]

Well, here's my story.

I'm running a J-code 6.2 in a Land Rover Discovery. I was out wheeling and forded a stream... bow wave presumably sent the fan blade into the radiator (custom built), severing about a million veins in the core. Lost coolant.

I had to self-recover out to where a wrecker could get me. 1.5 miles through deep sand. No coolant.

My Sunpro gauge hit 250F within ten minutes, and then looped all the way around to hit the 0F peg (on the underside :eek: ).

I'm currently stranded in Alamosa CO trying to shoehorn an OEM 6.2L radiator into the Disco. We're cutting the hell out of the subframe to get it to fit and now we're going to have to trim the radiator down to fit under the hood.

Question: My motor was SIZZLING when I stopped. Water on the block was boiling. Last full thrust through the sand it was absolutely belching black smoke. Good sign, right? I'm guessing I was running well past 300F for a good 5-10 minutes, in low range at full throttle.

It starts, idles, and responds to throttle well. No significant head gasket weeping/leaking, etc. No oil leaks. Oil is clear. No weird noises. What would a cracked head sound like? Or a busted crankshaft?

Did I dodge a bullet? Once I get this radiator business sorted I have to make the 1600 mile trek back home to GA.

[flomulgator]

Not sure how much this helps but when I blew a 6.2 (different reasons) it had bent a rocker arm due to a worn crankshaft. Different mechanism but the salient point is that when something mechanical started going wrong in the engine, I KNEW. In fact, everyone on the highway probably knew because it was that loud.

Sounds like you may have gotten lucky here. Iron blocks can take a lot of abuse, but no one here would say those temps were anything but scary. (If it was my old VR6 VW, however.....). Might want to check compression when you get the chance, see how the rings fared.

Also, have you considered just McGyvering a solution with another radiator (like a Disco one) to get home rather than hacking apart your subframe? They make crappy flexy tube and size-adjusting couplers at any parts store. Just pop in a low-temp high flow thermostat (or none at all) and take it easy on the way home. Your vehicle is quite a bit lighter than stock 6.2 vehicle weight so the engine should have an easier time of it.

I love the idea of your rig. I saw a cherry Disco Isuzu commercial diesel 4T transplant for sale a while ago that required considerable drool-mopping afterwards.

[More Power]

Saw an article in a mag recently where a Duramax 6600 powered land speed record streamliner lost its coolant at 300+ mph. It melted the aluminum heads in the bridge area between each pair of exhaust valves, and the pistons swelled till they heavily scored the cyl walls. It was rebuildable though, with new heads and pistons.

Hope for the best and plan for the worst...

Jim

[HH]

I am running the stock radiator in my Jeep Grand Cherokee, aluminum core and plastic tanks. The days I have driven it it does not get near hot.

[LtFuzz]

Thanks for the feedback.

Found a radiator from a '90 Chevy 6.2L that fit with some creative solutions employed.

We tried 3 thermostats and they all refused to open, so no thermostat for now.

We let it idle for a good 15 minutes then got on the throttle hard to heat it up -- coolant is circulating well and she's not running hot. Couple little pressure issues here and there with the radiator cap and the overflow tank, but nothing serious.

Nothing to indicate motor damage beyond the funky thermostat/thermometer issues. I have a mechanical thermometer and it baselines at 150F now, not 100F ("Zero" on the Sunpro gauge I have).

Looks like I might be on the road here shortly...