TR2/3/3A coolant expelled

[bieda]

Hi all,
I recently inherited my Dad's 1960 Triumph TR3. My knowledge is limited, and the previous mechanic is now 2 hours away, but I would like to start learning about the car and work on it myself.
Can someone help me diagnose the following problem? After driving the car for 5-10 minutes, a decent amount of the coolant (liquid and steam) is expelled from what appears to be the discharge tube right next to the radiator cap. I initially found the radiator cap appeared damaged so I replaced it, but the problem persisted. I was considered testing the thermostat and possibly replacing if needed. What else could the cause of this issue?

Mike Bieda

 

[mgedit]

If you are filling the rad "full" in the long neck, the car will continue to spit out coolant. I believe the correct level is when you can just see coolant in the neck. The neck acts as an expansion tank. If too full, it will overflow due to regular expansion of coolant. Cheers, Mike

 

[Gordon_Dedrick]

+1 on overfilling. When you take the cap off you need to see just a very small amount of coolant in the bottom of the neck when cold. Any excess gets blown out !
Gordon

 

[bobhustead]

Did you get a cap with the long spring? The distance from the filler rim to the place where the cap seals is longer than Advance has in stock. Moss sells two pressure levels, I think a three and seven pound. Welcome to the asylum.
Bob

 

[PeterK]

Your TR3 takes a 4 lb pressure cap.

 

[bobhustead]

Thanks, Peter. I was too lazy to check the catalog. Moss sells 4 and 7 lb.
Bob

 

[TR3driver]

If getting the right cap and not overfilling it does not solve the problem, then you can start on the other usual reasons for old cars overheating. One of the first things I would suggest is to get a working temperature gauge, so you know for sure if it is really overheating. If money is a problem (you can expect to pay $150-$200 for either a working original gauge, or to have one repaired), there are some cheap aftermarket gauges that will fit and work until you have the money for the right gauge.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunpro-Ret...975-/221767189256?hash=item33a25ac308&vxp=mtr


Another possibility, that I have a lot of experience with, is a head gasket leak. They don't always "blow" and create an obvious leak all the time, but sometimes just leak combustion gases into the coolant while under load; which of course then blows coolant out past the pressure cap. There is a simple test for this condition, that any radiator shop should be able to do for you, for around $20 or so. Or, you can buy the tool and do it yourself.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/OEM-Block-...hash=item25a7124f3d&item=161716784957&vxp=mtr

(The ebay links are just examples, not necessarily the best deals or whatever.)

And of course, if you learn more about the problem, post back here and we'll try to help with the next step. TR3s are fairly famous for having overheating problems, but as I see it, the real problem is just that the original cooling system did not have a lot of extra capacity. So anything that is a little bit off can lead to overheating. They also were never designed to sit and idle for long periods of time.

 

[Kleykamp]

Already lots of good advise here. If you search ebay for "mechanical water temperature gauge" you'll find plenty. I'm using one right now from ebay that cost about 20 bucks. Just sent my original one to Nisonger to be repaired. I've been through each scenario at least once. If you have time or the inclination, go thru the whole gambit of flushing the radiator, new hoses, new correct radiator cap, bypass the heater,etc. to get it working as well as possible. Chasing a overheating problem can be frustrating. Also, If you have the radiator out of the car, run water backwards through it. I was getting clear water when running water from top down, then turned it over and ran water from bottom up and got a whole lot more crud out. Check your drain on side of block to see if water comes out of it. 4lbs of pressure is not much to keep crud pushed though the system..especially on a engine that has been setting and rusting inside for a long time. Welcome and good luck.

 

[TR3driver]

Also, If you have the radiator out of the car, run water backwards through it.

Just my opinion, based on personal experience : If you have the radiator out of the car, take it to a professional radiator shop and insist that they "rod it out" for you. They will remove the tanks and force rods through the cooling tubes, to ensure that there is no gunk built up on the inside of the tubes.

When I made the mistake of moving the "known good" radiator from my wrecked TR3A to my current TR3, I back flushed it several times and also had the radiator shop inspect it. They told me it "flowed fine" and I spent many months trying to solve my overheating problem. The fourth time I took it back to them, I insisted that they rod it and, much to their surprise, they found that all the tubes were coated inside with "mud" (their term for it) to the extent that they could not get the rods through! After finally forcing them through, a whole bunch of leaks opened up, so I just had them recore it. Worked like magic, no more overheating under any circumstances.

Certainly not the only possibility, but pulling the radiator on a TR3 is enough of a hassle that, to me, it's not worth taking a chance on installing a radiator that will have to come back out again. I also had the shop install reinforcements around the fill neck and upper hose fitting, as I've had problems in the past with cracks at those points. They just laid 1/8" copper tubing into the joint and soldered it on both sides. With a coat of paint, the fix is almost unnoticeable.

 

[mgedit]

Just went through overheating last summer. Recore of rad for me hopefully solved issue. Not overheating right now as stuck in garage with rear axle issues. As Randall says, you don't want to do rad twice if indeed you end up removing it. Cheers, Mike

 

[bieda]

All,
Thanks so much for the fast replies and great advice. I will start with the radiator cap and the correct fill level. If they doesn't work, I may be back on for more advice.
Also, does anyone know of a shop in the Philadelphia area experienced in servicing Triumphs?

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[bieda]

All,
Thanks so much for the fast replies and great advice. I will start with the radiator cap and the correct fill level. If they doesn't work, I may be back on for more advice.
Also, does anyone know of a shop in the Philadelphia area experienced in servicing Triumphs?

Thanks again,
Mike

 

[bieda]

Hi All,
I installed the right (1 inch, 4 PSI) radiator cap, filled radiator to correct level, and installed a new temperature gauge. I took it for a drive last nite and it did not overflow coolant immediately like before. After 20-30 minutes of driving, the temperature began to climb and around 220 degree F, some small amount of coolant was expelled, along with steam. SO i concluded the cap was doing its job, but that the car is still experiencing overheating. But the situation is greatly improved because at least i can drive it for some period of time. Any suggestions for next steps?

 

[mgedit]

Guess the next thing you could try is to flush the cooling system to see if you can get some of the crud out of the system as that sounds like what might be your problem. Cheers, Mike

 

[TR3driver]

Is the cardboard air deflector in place around the radiator? Fan belt tight? Has it had a major tune-up in recent history? Particularly valve clearance and carb mixture. I also try to (roughly) check the operation of the centrifugal ignition advance at every tune-up; just connect a timing light then slowly rev the engine up while watching what the mark does under the light. It should move gradually with increasing engine rpm, not jump around wildly or not move at all.

Here are a couple of documents you may find helpful
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2...M2U2LWJhYWUtMjEyZDgxMzUyNzUw/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2...NGUzLWE4NzMtMGRkODRkYzU3MDU1/view?usp=sharing