FAT
BLOKETM's TOP TIPS
Provided in Good Faith but based only on my experience- check yourself if in doubt!
Fat Bloke Tip of the Decade:
replace your flimsy concertina bypass hose with a carefully cut length of oil cooler hose (1/2" bore) this is good to 160c and 120psi, guess water at 120c and 15psi won't damage it!
Lacking clearance between your metro rad conversion/oil cooler and the dizzy cap?
The dizzy cap off a Maestro 1600 will fit on a Lucas 45D4 dizzy, the HT leads on this cap exit from the side reducing the height of the space needed out from the dizzy by up to 3 inches! Any contact between HT leads and metal objects like coolers or rads can kill a spark.
The 1600 cap needs to have the projections obstructing the locking clips carefully cut off using a hacksaw, better to cut less off than more, if the cut is not done parallel to the existing "clip fastening area" the spring clips won't work and a cable tie will be needed to hold the clips in place.
Is your car overheating?
If a severe cooling problem happens just after you have done a job on the car- suspect you have dislodged something…..
gauges can read wrong if connecting wires, voltage stabilisers and senders go toes-up- IF THE GAUGES SAYS BOILING, IS THE WATER, CHECK THE RAD!
Lack of anti-freeze can lead to "gunging" up of the water system, regular flushing can keep the water flowing.
Number plates and oil coolers placed in a way that stops air flowing to the rad do have an effect.
Pressure caps stop the water boiling at 100c by raising the pressure in the system, they won't stop overheating.
Is your engine blowing water out of the radiator?
If your engine blows water out of the overflow pipe on the rad violently when the engine is run at high revs, consider a compression check for a blown head gasket, exhaust gases blown from a bore into the water jacket will blow the water out of the rad.
Engines naturally lose a bit of water out of the overflow pipe as the water expands when hot, with "cooking" minis, the use of a proper expansion tank off an Allegro or 1300 saloon can catch the water thus "pressed" out….when the engine cools down this water is then sucked back into the rad so NEXT RUN the rad isn't low.
Natural expansion of the water is progressive, a blown gasket will SUDDENLY blow water out when "more than X revs is reached". An expansion tank will not make this situation better as a volume of exhaust gas will exist in the top of the rad preventing the back-syphon of the water as it cools down. A boiling engine will fill with steam, event this will cool back to liquid, contract and create suction to take back the water from the expansion tank.