Skip to main content

Changing cooling hoses

Last Friday, I had my first issue with the MG...

Coming home from work, the engine temperature has suddenly started to get really hot, close to the overheating. 😨
I just had time to park the car at home, and seen after opening the bonnet small bubbles and vapour on the hose going from the heater valve to the heater:


Of course, there was not enough liquid remaining in the radiator :s
Oh c**p! 😨😨

So no choice but to change all the cooling hose, as the other ones were probably in the same state than the perished hose and could split at any time.

I have ordered silicone cooling hoses from mgocspares.co.uk (here). Similar kits are available at Moss:
Silicone cooling hoses MGB 72 > 76

Those silicone hoses are more resistant than the rubber ones to hardening, cracking, ageing and to chemicals. Yes, they are more expensive too!

Regarding installation, no real magic trick: drain the old coolant, remove the perished hoses, fit the new silicone ones, fill in with new coolant, start the engine and let it warm up, stop and let it cool down, check for leaks and check the coolant level, top up if necessary.

For detailed explanations, please have a look to this good and clear video from John Klatt:

Just be aware you may have trouble while removing the old clamps, as they may be very rusty.
On my oldie, the one at the bottom of the radiator has been a real trouble. After 30 minutes of a long fight, I have finally managed to make it slip between the cooling hose and the radiator, allowing me to remove the hose first and the nasty clamp after.

When refilling the radiator, be careful with our classic cars, prefer IAT coolant with silicates, they are better at protecting copper/brass parts. OAT coolant are designed for modern cars with no copper/brass.
And most of all, DON'T mix different types of coolant, sludge could appear in the cooling circuit and act like bad cholesterol. If you are unsure, drain the old one and fill with new one.

In the end, except the rusty clamp, that was easy to change those hoses, and my daily is back on the road, with a happy me driving! 😃🚗






A bientôt!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Rebuild of a Solex carburettor 26AIC

I am always keen to rework old mechanical parts, not only to satisfy my thirst for knowledge but also for the pleasure to bring back to life an old thing long forgotten. In this article, we will review a Solex carburettor 26AIC. Here is the thing: I have been happy to discover that mobile parts were not seized :D A bit of history: This carburettor was initially fitted on Renault Juvaquatre (1938-39): Photo from Lars-Göran Lindgren (Sweden)/ Wikipedia Another variant exists for Peugeot 202 , with a slight difference however: on the top, the 26AIC for the Peugeot has two holes to attach a protector on top: The Solex 26AIC has also been used on this models: Standard Flying Eight Side Valve 1938-48 Reliant 3 Wheeler Regal 1952-58 Reliant Export 1952-62 And also on industrial engines: Coventry Climax FSM2 & FSM3 Engines 1939-49 That's all for the history bit for now, the next step is to strip it down! 😄 Stripping down the ca

Remplacement du tableau électrique... Episode 1 !

Hello, hello! Encore un long moment sans billet. Les travaux me prennent pas mal de temps, et lorsque je peux écrire un petit quelque chose, la flemme se pointe et m'agresse sauvagement! Avec cette nouvelle année (meilleurs vœux!!), je vais essayer de tenir mon blog un peu plus à jour. Et non ! Ce n'est pas une "bonne résolution"... Je n'en prends jamais, comme ça, pas de déception, pas d'échec. ^-^ Pour inaugurer 2011, je profite de ne pas être chez moi pour écrire un petit billet sur les premiers travaux de l'année. Sujet: le remplacement de mon tableau électrique, "épisode I: la mise en sécurité." La maison a été construite avant 1840 (la dernière grosse modification structurelle daterait de 1841). Ne s'agissant pas d'une réhabilitation totale, j'essaie juste d'être au plus proche de la norme NF C 15-100, mais sans que ce soit une obligation absolue. Je n'ai pas posé de GTL, par exemple. J'ai également une can

Headlights/ Parking lights warning buzzer

On modern car, usually a buzzer warns you when you leave your lights on while leaving your car. Unfortunately on our oldies, such devices were not always available. That could result in a discharged battery... After having left a couple of time the lights on (but been lucky enough to not have a completely flat battery when returning some hours later), I have decided to install a warning buzzer. Theory: I am using the wiring diagrams from Advance Auto-Wire (document here ). My MGB GT is a 75 UK model. The correct wiring diagram is the one on sheet 31 (page 32 of the pdf file). We want to add a buzzer that detects the parking lights are on when the door is opened. That means we need to connect a buzzer between the parking light feeding wire and the door switch. The parking lights feeding wire is a red & green (RG) starting at the "HEADLIGHT SWITCH", the door switch wires are the purple & white (PW) "COURTESY LAMP & DOOR SWITCHES".