Land Rover Repair: fan stays on, land rover discovery, coolant system

Question
i have 97 land rover discovery 4x4. the fan stays on after i turn off the engine, also the temp gage goes up high even though the car doesn't seem to be overheating.  thank you  for any guidance/suggestions that you may have.

Answer
Hi Hortencia,

although rare, it has happened when the temperature sensor has failed.  Usually, when it fails, it just does not work.  I've never seen it measure high temperatures even though the engine is cool.

I would error on the side of caution.  If the temp gauge is high, have a coolant specialist (radiator shop) test out your coolant system.  Perhaps it's just a sensor BUT it could be something more serious.

What you wan to avoid is having a overheated engine cause a cylinder sleeve weld to loosen, resulting in a dropped sleeve and a ruined engine.  Extreme heat can cause the sleeve welds to soften and then the protective cylinder sleeve to drop down.  Once this happens, your engine is ruined - only fix would be a new or rebuilt engine.  ouch.

Have the coolant system (Radiator, thermostat, fluids) inspected and repaired as soon as you can.

Best of luck,

JohnMC