A slow week or two with the list so I will throw in today's MG problem.
Its been almost a month since I've driven my MGS due to cold weather or
snow, but today I finally decided to take the 67 BGT for a drive to
owrk. Temps have gotten above freezing enough that most of the snow is
melted and today was supposed to be nice, sunny, and mid30s according to
most weather forcasts (except for my Internet Weather Watcher program -
it said snow in the afternoon). It was a bit cold, 7 above when I
started my 67BGT. It took a little cranking but it fired up and ran like
a charm. By the time I got to work, I couldn't see my breath anymore but
I still had the characteristic ice in the middle inside of the
windshield.
But just as I was pulling in the parking spot, I noticed my coolant temp
was up to 220 and rising after running a teady 190 for several miles of
city driving. But getting out of the car, I saw no signs of leaking nor
any evidence that the coolant really was running hot (no sounds, no
steam, no smell). About nine hours later, the snow is coming down hard
as I started back to the car but al least it is in the high 20s outside.
Car starts right up and I head for home. But within a mile, the coolant
temp keeps climbing past 190, up to 210, and I figure a problem is at
hand. And then, the temperature guage within maybe 2-3 seconds drops
down to 170 (about where it should have been at that point in the
drive). That was weird in itself but just as I was getting to my
driveway, the temp starts climbing again, fairly rapidly, and hits 230
as I turn the engine off. I opened the bonnet and again, no sign of
overheating. But the radiator itself was cool to the touch. I suppsoe I
should have checked it out further but it was dark and snowing and I am
in no hurry. With the weather change, I'll likely drive the much warmer
Land Rover tomorrow.
I figured I can put in another thermostat. I am sure I have several
unused ones around. Can a thermostat completely close after it has
opened and temps are still warm? I have known for them to stick shut or
not open when they are supposed to. I might suspect the much more
expensive sender/gauge setup used in the early Bs but the cool radiator
indicates more on the lines of a circulation problem. The radiator is a
new one, about two years old. I suppose its theoretically possible the
water pump impellor could be slipping. So I'm just checking the list to
see if someone has had a problem similar to mine before I start tearing
into things other than the thermostat since thats a 15 minute $5 job.
David Councill
67 BGT
72 B
|