BlankI own a 1968 Triumph Spitfire that I have had since I was 14. (I am 40
now) It is a daily driver, and this morning on the way in to work I notice
some steam or smoke coming from under the hood. A little smoke is normal
just after I start my Spitfire, since it leaks oil a lot, and that gets on
the exhaust and thus smokes for a little while after I start it. So, at
first I didn't think much of it until I realized it was steam, and it had
been quite a while since I started it, so it wasn't oil smoke. I looked at
the temperature gauge, and indeed it was going into the hot zone! I pulled
over just before I got on the freeway to have a look at it. It turns out
that the heater hose that goes from the engine block to the heater valve had
a hole in it and was now spraying coolant/steam!
As I waited for the engine to cool down a bit, I looked for my tools that I
normally carry in the trunk (boot for you purists). It was gone! I had
forgotten to put it back after taking the toolbox on my last four wheel
drive adventure. Oops. Fortunately, I had pulled over across the street from
a small used car lot that was open. I walked over there and was able to
borrow a pliers and a phillips screwdriver. The hose clamps call for a
standard screwdriver, so the phillips was no use, but I was able to use the
pliers instead. I cut off the hose leading to the heater, and just doubled
it back the return to the source so my heater was eliminated from the
circuit. I had a water container in the trunk but this wasn't enough, so I
was able to get some more water from the used car lot. All in all, it was a
pretty quick repair. When I got in to work I was only 20 minutes late!
I guess it is time for some new heater hoses!
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