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that little drive with Steve_S today in Malibu was a hoot! there was quite a bit of traffic including cyclers to contend with today though. I got to see some really nice cars, including a brand spanking new Lotus Exige /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

My B did pretty good on the drive. I still have some wierd condition with the car where it wants to act lean after prolonged driving. The B stalled at a couple of the stops we made to let everyone catch up.

The engine got *really* hot on the way home. It was all up hill at freeway speeds 70-80MPH. I've never seen the temp guage climb that high before. It got to within 2 needle widths of the final tick mark next to "H".

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I wish I could have come for the Monday drive. Our daughter was in town from Philly and in the process of moving to Frisco so I could not wake up early enough to make the 9:00 am meeting.
I met Steve the other day. What a pleasant guy to hang with.
I'll definitely make the next one.
As far as the temp getting really high I have the same issue. Darrin had my radiator rebuilt but it still goes above the 1/2 way point if it's hot out there, and I'm in a traffic jam. He said that the only way to get rid of that is if you get a ...4 point.... I can't remember what kind of radiator /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
He claims that you can drive to Vegas and be in serious traffic and you'll still NOT get near the H.
 
I was talkin' to one of the guys on the drive and he was sayin' the fan shroud for the radiators from the pre '70 MGBs will fit B's up to 1976. He was also saying that once he installed it his stop and go temps stablized. If that's the case, the shroud might have helped me in the stop and go traffic on PCH before I got to I-10.

I don't think the shroud would have helped me on the drive back once I got on the freeway. It was around 45 miles and nearly all of it was up hill. The last 7 miles was the most brutal (the 2 freeway going into La Crescenta/La Cañada). I started to worry a little and backed off on the speed to about 60MPH, and the temp finally started to come down after I got off the freeway.

Switching to a 4-core radiator, might help I guess, but I think I need to stuff foam into the gap between the radiator and the radiator support frame to force all the air through the radiator and not around it.
 
That'd be of some help but the coolant "system" may need flushing and a check where the fans come on (what temp) may be in order too.
 
BTW, To you and Steve: /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/savewave.gif
 
Originally there was foam packed in that gap from the factory and it does make a small difference. If you really want to cool things off, go with a 5-row radiator. You will add about 10 pounds to the car but it's "good weight". An elevtric fan will also help in heavy traffic.

I'm still running the stock radiator in both of my Bs but they do get pretty hot in Summer traffic. I've had to get off the freeway and find smaller roads on occasion just to get some air flow. If it weren't for the cost involved, I'd get the biggest, fattest aluminum radiator I could find!

That said, the original factory radiators were actually quite good. But unfortunately no one makes that type anymore. Plus, these old engines even when freshly rebuilt do not have the same wide open cooling passages as they did when new. Acid dipping doesn't even seem to clear the passages completely.
 
Too true. They were designed to run in England. A four-core rad and an auxilliary fan alleviated my "in-traffic" overheat problems, even with a Crane Cam and the 40 DCOE Weber.
 
eh... I may have to add an electric fan to my car. I currently have a belt driven fan.
 
I have 2 electric fans, but they are unplugged at the moment... They get plugged back in when the temps go above 85 permanently for the summer. I really need to get a thermostat too before I put her back on the road again. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
I used to run cooler plugs in the summer, on the interstates. I'd change the plugs before leaving and change 'em back again afterwards. They were worth about 10 degrees, are there any negative implications to this?
 
I'd have to vote - no problems with the colder plugs... but definately do not run without a thermostat as I have done for the past 5000 miles. The temperatures will hardly ever get above middle ground on the gauge, but I hear it will wear out the engine a lot quicker than having one in.

I also have a bottle of redline water wetter in there too.

I'll let you all know how well it works after a year in a sealed system, during the summer, in the fall - heheheheheheheh
 
[ QUOTE ]
I was talkin' to one of the guys on the drive and he was sayin' the fan shroud for the radiators from the pre '70 MGBs will fit B's up to 1976.

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I may have to add an electric fan to my car.

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A four-core rad and an auxilliary fan

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All the above & any modifications you make to the cooling systyem are "band aids" but - while fixin your immediate concern - they don't solve the problem! MG's were designed to be driven anywhere in the world where cars were imported. The stock cooling system works well - when operating properly.

Were it me, I'd backflush the system, clean/check the rad, put in a thermostat that the factory recommended for your climate, check to see that the water pump is operating optimally, and msake sure the hoses are not collapsing internally.

The "shroud" your friend talks about was something dealers put on AC-equipped cars when they added the engine-driven fan to cars without them...it was needed simply because the radiator wasn't designed to be blocked by the AC they installed.

Yep, the piece of foam & the rubber gasket the factory instaled above the radiator really does make a difference. I'd install it also, if its missing.

As you can see, I'm not a big fan of modifying the cooling system until the real problem is discerned.
 
I decided that I'm gonna double check my fluid levels this weekend. The engine is getting too hot for the 7 mile drive to my house from work. It didn't use to get as hot as it currently does on the same drive. So, I'm thinking that there might have been air bubbles caught in the system that have worked their way out since the clutch work was completed.

On a lighter note, I've noticed an appreciable increase in fuel economy since the new clutch was installed. 140+ miles and the fuel guage finally dipped _just_ under half tank. I re-topped the tank on Monday for the Memorial Day drive with Steve_S, and I'm still on the same tank. I had 100 miles on the trip Odometer prior to retopping, and it only took 4 gallons to retop the tank. I averaged 25MPG for those 100miles; a marked improvement from the 20MPG that I got prior to the clutch job. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

From looking at the remains of the throw-out bearing, it doesn't surprise me too much that my economy has gone up a bit. Hate to admit it, but I was a DCO on that last clutch... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif This'un will be happy to be under operation of a kinder, gentler, and *much* more thoughtfully aware clutch foot.
 
I thought I'd up date this incase anyone wants the follow up. I stuffed some green foam I'd purchased last weekend into the gap between the radiator and the radiator support. The gap was larger than I'd remembered, but luckily I'd purchased foam thick enough to fill the void. Driving the B has been noneventful the entire week following the change. In fact, the engine temps seem to be back under control, then again it's been surprisingly cool around here this past week (high 60s in the mornings with daily highs were high 70s). I guess I'll find out when it gets good and hot out again.

This weekend I decided to use more of that foam I have to McGuyver a makeshift seal between the radiator support and bonnet. Hopefully, this'll help force more air through the radiator or prevent the air from "leaking around" the radiator, and ultimately help with cooling the engine while under way. There wasn't one on the car when I got it, but I could see there should be one. In deed all the parts catalogs say I should have one too. I'll do it "proper" when I have the funds for another round of parts. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

On last comment to wrap this up. Ethanol laced gas sucks big time in my car. I filled up with 91 Octane a week ago Friday at a station with labels on their pumps that read "This fuel may contain Ethanol". I've logged roughly 140 miles on this tank of gas, and the gas guage is already at 1/4 tank. The previous tank, I used 91 Octane (MTBE fuel) and had 200miles on the trip odometer by the time the fuel guage reached 1/4. So, yeah... my wallet tells me to stick to the stations I know don't have ethanol in their fuel.
 
THe Unocal by my house has a sticker that states "This fuel may contain up to 10% Ethanol". It doesn't say which octane fuel has it and which doesn't.
 
any station that has those decals on their pumps is suspect to me anymore, no matter what octane fuel I plan to get. The last time I filled up was at a 76 in Chatworth and they had the Ethanol disclaimer decals. I filled up witn 91 at that station, and power delivery and fuel economy is severely hampered. If anything, it would appear that I'm getting lower power/fuel economy on 91 ethanol that I was getting with 87 ethanol.

On the other side of the coin, I think I may run through a tank or two of the ethanol stuff before my next emissions inspection, because it has the potential to lower my CO emissions significantly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
another thought

Never mind. I posted this before reading all the way through the thread. Glad you got everything worked out. :smile:

My guess would have been that the pressure plate, release bearing or the disc went out to lunch considering the description of the noise that it made before everything went south and the fact that you can select any gear with the engine running without messing with the clutch pedal. I would have guessed that the PP release pad had collapsed because the diaphragm cracked and allowed the release arm to "overthrow" letting the slave cylinder piston to come too far out of its bore, or, if that hadn't happened the entire center of the driven disc had separated from the outer friction ring area. :-( Jack
 
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