Mystery Coolant Leak Solved!

[Bret]

Hey Gents,

Well off & on for the longest time I would see whiffs’ of steam coming from under the bonnet. But every time I popped the bonnet to have a look I couldn’t anything obvious to help me nail it down.

I checked & replaced the radiator cap and the bleed off hose on the expansion tank – OK. Checked the hoses & tightened the hose clamps – ok. Nothing? This was the same for the longest time. Until this afternoon. God this was annoying! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/mad.gif

Anyway I was prepping my 78B for it’s pending emissions test next month when I noticed some steam again and that’s when I noticed a faint drip trail from the hose that connects the radiator to the expansion tank.

Upon closer examination I removed the hose at the tank and discovered that the leak was from the little thingy that the hose connects to. It was actually floating and was hanging loose. I’m guessing that the leak was at this point all along and if finally gave way.

I ended up removing the expansion tank and cleaned it up the joint with some emery paper. I then reconnected it using my propane torch to re-solider it in place. Went through a lot of solider – but it looks like I got a great seal. I then took the opportunity to brush off the years of grime & neglect so I could primer and painted it.

Whew! I feel pretty good now. Time for a beer or two. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thirsty.gif

 

[Rick_Stevens]

Hey Gents,
Whew! I feel pretty good now. Time for a beer or two. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thirsty.gif

Or three! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/iagree.gif

It's sweet when you find and fix an ongoing problem.

R.

 

[tdskip]

Bret - does the MGB have a cat on it, or do you just tune the carb specifically?

 

[Bret]

Ooo- touchy subject for me.

My 78B's got a cat. If you have a gas analyzer (like I do) and follow the tuning instructions in the manuals (I use the Haynes & Bentley) it's real easy to prove that cat does work.

That said I’ve heard that you can tweak a ZS carb to pass emissions but the car will run like its on it’s death bed. In a past life – I know my MGB passed emissions with a blown out cat. But the tweaking involved was performed by a rather dishonest shop that did emissions & repairs. This involved tuning & tweaking while the car is on the dyno.

But if your car gets flagged to go to a state run “Smog Test Only” station (like mine does thanks to that corrupt mechanic) then you’ll have to make sure the vehicle is running properly yourself or take to a trusted & reliable mechanic before you take it to the test only station.