but this time with a bit of a twist!
I like my Land Rover. It’s comfortable and actually reasonably capable for a “soccermobile”. The engine of these vehicles is the weak point, and any D2 owner is aware that the throttle body heater plate leaks. It leaks right up until you replace the plate…then it doesn’t leak for 5 or six months — but by then the heat cycling warps the aluminum plate and it begins leaking again. I’ve replaced the plate about 3 times in the last three years, and I’ve replaced gaskets (with a variety of different materials) at least that many times. I’ve tried grinding the warped plate flat, tried gaskets ranging from RTV to neoprene (neoprene seems to last the longest).
I believe the permanent fix is to machine a brass plate, but that needs to wait until I add a mill to the tool collection. I’ve tried blocking the plate off with steel, and just bypassing the plate altogether. But I keep going back to putting a new OEM plate on and waiting until it starts weeping again.
This week, the other end of the coolant hose which supplies the throttle body heater plate started leaking. New hose…new hose clamps…fixed. For now!
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