Here I sit buns a flexin' givin birth to another ..........
OOPS wrong story. Last night (Friday) I had to put a new water pump in
the Midget prior to the MG on the Rocks Meet. First I pulled the old one,
rad and all, in about 30 minutes. Cool. Then I took the fan off the
clutch and opened the (Forgive me MOWOG) PepBoys rebuilt I ordered. You'd
think I had learned after the alternator died on the Skyline trip. BUT
NOOOOO. The pulley had no compatibility to the old pump. But Hey I can
get a Flex fan and bolt it to the new pulley!!! BUT NOOOOO!!! They only
make fans in 18 - 20" models. Anybody with a 12" fan these days has a
longitudinal mounted engine with an electric fan. So I figured "Hey Why
Not?" less drag on the engine - better cooling, and running out of time.
So I bought an electric. Mounted it as a pusher inside the shroud - fits
great! Now comes the tricky bit - the thermostatic switch (snap switch in
Hayden terms) You get a little brass rod that you are supposed to push
between the vanes for full contact with the fins of the rad for temp
sensing. OK the rad is out of the car so go ahead. Everything is going
fine now. Next out, the relay and assosiated wiring in ( these things
come with their own fuses) cool slick as snot on a doorknob. Reattach the
hoses and belt (no fan to fight with) fill the rad and fire it up. Starts
on the first crank. Wait for it to warm up while filling through the
little hole on the top of the thermo housing. Hey I can see water
movement with the green of the coolant - pumps working. Then as it gets
hot and I am waiting to see if the fan starts. I notice a little steam
from the rad. Pull the trusty trouble light (new LUCAS bulb) over to see
(and if you haven't figured this one out go back to beginning MOWOG
classes) water running out of the rad in a stream as thick as the
silicone on Carol's ni (shut up you male chauvinist pigs) right where the
little brass rod for the thermo sensor is. Close the hood (after a few
choice words and throwing the pitcher across the road), go inside, have a
beer, go to bed set the alarm, get up, write a note to the list, and
drive to Baltimore in a Neon. With the top up (No choice, it's a hard
top) :-(
See ya there
Larry Macy (on the way to:The Rocks)
78 Midget (anybody know a good rad shop in Lansdale?)
Going to have to give it a name someday - How about Snickers?
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