-
Hi Guest!
You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
There are some perks with a member upgrade!**Upgrade Now**
(PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Hey - did you know if you click on the title of a thread it will take you to the first unread post since you last visited that thread?
but were afraid to ask: 
STOP!! Never post your email address in open forums. Bots can "harvest" your email! If you must share your email use a Private Message or use the 
smilie in place of the real @
Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
Need to fix overheating issue this year
- Thread starter JordanB
- Start date
Share this page
G
Guest
Guest
Guest
Offline
if you have an overheating issue, first check your thermostat, they go bad and check any new one you buy, they are all suspect. Do this by immersing it in boiling water to see if it opens. Use a candy thermometer to check the temp of the water, don't tell your wife. Next check the hoses to mahe sure they aren't collapsing, then have the radiator boiled out at a shop. If you are still overheating I would suggest a 10" electric fan mounted to the radiator, followed by a Flex type fan, as a second choice. Either can be purchased at a local parts store, which will be cheaper than Moss or Vicky Brit. As for a shroud you may be on your own and have to fab one yourself or maybe someone else can give you a source
tony barnhill
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Replacing the factory cooling system with aftermarket pieces is just putting a bandaid over the problem...I've driven MG's since the '60's & whenever I had an overheating problem, I just corrected the factory system...you don't need to add any other fans, etc.
....here are things that are probably/possibly wrong:
1) thermostat
2) radiator needs boiling/pressurizing/repairing
3) engine fan might be put on backwards (believe me it happens!)
4) block & its water ports need to be cleaned of all the gunk in there since 1967
5) a hose or hoses may have collapsed from within
6) heater core/valve/hoses may be restricting full water flow
7) water pump not flowing as it should
...or, you could simply have a sending unit/guage misreading...
...I'd solve the problem, not hide it!
....here are things that are probably/possibly wrong:
1) thermostat
2) radiator needs boiling/pressurizing/repairing
3) engine fan might be put on backwards (believe me it happens!)
4) block & its water ports need to be cleaned of all the gunk in there since 1967
5) a hose or hoses may have collapsed from within
6) heater core/valve/hoses may be restricting full water flow
7) water pump not flowing as it should
...or, you could simply have a sending unit/guage misreading...
...I'd solve the problem, not hide it!
G
Guest
Guest
Guest
Offline
I had most of those
I rather agree with Tony on this one-a lot of times a good going-through is all the cooling system needs on these cars. Gunk accumulates, and the efficiency of the system is compromised. Clean it all out and maybe replace the hoses and thermostat for starters (as well as the coolant!) and see how it goes. Chances are, at most, you'll need a new water pump-I did on my Midget, then things worked fine! If you really want the added insurance of an extra fan, I understand the Kenlowe kits are very nice.
-William
-William
Kim de B
Jedi Warrior
Offline
Word of warning: I put a plastic radiator shroud from Moss on my '66B last summer, because I was headed to Texas in July, and it seemed like a good idea. Four miles out of town, I hit a hole in the road, a fan blade hit the shroud, bent, and carved a hole in my radiator.
That's not to say the shrouds are bad; I've seen them in use on other Bs. But they're not efficient unless the tolerance to the fan is very tight, wherein the problem I had.
Anyway, I initially bought a new radiator, but wasn't happy with it, as the car immediately ran 10 to 15 degrees hotter. Turned out the new radiator was a cheap three-row model. I sent it back and got my old radiator recored with four rows, and now it runs fine.
That's not to say the shrouds are bad; I've seen them in use on other Bs. But they're not efficient unless the tolerance to the fan is very tight, wherein the problem I had.
Anyway, I initially bought a new radiator, but wasn't happy with it, as the car immediately ran 10 to 15 degrees hotter. Turned out the new radiator was a cheap three-row model. I sent it back and got my old radiator recored with four rows, and now it runs fine.
thegoodbeamer
Jedi Warrior
Offline
I would go straight to an aluminum rad from Griffin other than spending more on the original rad.It was one of the best things I did to help cooling with the 351 in the Tiger and is a single core which Griffin recommended for tigers.
Shrouds must be complete and not top half like the tigers were originally. There are different opinions regarding clearances but I run 2/3rds in with a good 1/2 inch plus clearance between shroud and blades.I also have 3.5 inches space between the fan and rad.There is no spacer as I wanted to move the fan as far back as I could. This was accomplished using an after market 6 blade fan with uneven blade pattern. These will move more air.The blades on this fan are more to the rear of center which also helps. Remember you want only fresh air going through the rad and not engine air being allowed to exit and re enter through the rad.
and it is sunny but cold
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: thegoodbeamer ]</p>
Shrouds must be complete and not top half like the tigers were originally. There are different opinions regarding clearances but I run 2/3rds in with a good 1/2 inch plus clearance between shroud and blades.I also have 3.5 inches space between the fan and rad.There is no spacer as I wanted to move the fan as far back as I could. This was accomplished using an after market 6 blade fan with uneven blade pattern. These will move more air.The blades on this fan are more to the rear of center which also helps. Remember you want only fresh air going through the rad and not engine air being allowed to exit and re enter through the rad.
[ 02-04-2003: Message edited by: thegoodbeamer ]</p>
tony barnhill
Great Pumpkin - R.I.P
Offline
Goodbeamer....you may have hit on another problem I didn't discuss: hot air getting around the radiator...
...another thing to check is the seal between the radiator and its support & the seal between the radiator support and hood....on most older MG's I see, they're non-existent....
...&, depending on where the car is presently located, you might just have the wrong thermostat...
..hot weather requires a 165-degree (F) thermo
..cold weather requires a 190-degree (F) thermo
....you may have the later generic thermo that was supposed to work at both ends of temperature range (but didn't quite make it in hottest or coldest)
....&, don't put a 14lb radiator cap on it....it should have a 10lb cap
...another thing to check is the seal between the radiator and its support & the seal between the radiator support and hood....on most older MG's I see, they're non-existent....
...&, depending on where the car is presently located, you might just have the wrong thermostat...
..hot weather requires a 165-degree (F) thermo
..cold weather requires a 190-degree (F) thermo
....you may have the later generic thermo that was supposed to work at both ends of temperature range (but didn't quite make it in hottest or coldest)
....&, don't put a 14lb radiator cap on it....it should have a 10lb cap
I am a rather simple person when it comes to cars compared to some on this forum, but one idea that comes to mind is flushing the cooling system. I had to replace my heater valve last year, and took the opportunity to reverse flush my entire cooling system...I was amazed at the amount of gunk (another technical term) that came out into the bucket after draining the system and flushing it. I am sure that it runs cooler now.
Bruce
Bruce
