Well I won't be driving my A this weekend after all. :(( I have found a few
problems. Firstly the car is getting too hot, even with my new radiator and
a not overly hot day. :(
The car is going past 190F, to up to 200F. If I switch her off, the needle
climbs further to say 212. At that level I think it is getting way hot under
the bonnet, and I'm getting fuel evaporation from the float bowls. If I try
to restart her a few minutes later, she splutters etc for a few moments
until underway where it cools down quite quickly to 180F. On the road,
moving, she stays a little under 180, which I hear is good.
Anyway, Bruce at Sportsparts told me that it is no use getting an upgraded
radiator with more fins, in fact it is detrimental. Apparently the airflow
through the grille is so poor, that a radiator with more fins provides LESS
cooling as the air cannot pass through the radiator (not enough airflow).
This has been proved here locally by MGA owners and a Radiator manufacturer
(I forget the name). I just wish I knew this before I spent the $350.00 on
the bloody recore! Apparently, with the *correct* radiator, the temp will
stay at normal levels even in the heat of summer. I also got a lesson on the
thermostat. The orig. thermostats are totally different to the replacement
types, and they have a type of sleeve attached - they look totally bizarre
compared to what I'm used to seeing. When the thermostat opens, it blanks of
the hole in the head that leads to the water, pump increasing the cooling
efficency by 10%ish. Apparently, this is also a cause of overheating - the
modern thermostat! The old Smiths thermostat is NLA of course. Well, what
Bruce has done, and apparently works a treat on his Magnette is to fit the
thermostat, AND the thermostat blanking sleeve, like they fit when racing -
except to drill a small 1/8" hole through the thermostat itself. I'm not
totally up on all this, but I'll certainly give it a go. The way he
explained it at the time made sense! <G> Apparently there is a mob in NZ who
still make the exact cores for the A, will find the info on that and get
back to the list.
Another way to improve the cooling on the A - there is two air feed
pipes/tubes that feed the heater (if installed), and feed the carbs. If the
pipes aren't there, as in my case, blanking pieces should be fit in the
'guide' pieces that support the tubes otherwise some of the airflow will not
get to the radiator. Also a piece of felt should be on the underside of the
bonnet, and when closed, this should mate with the top of the radiator,
preventing airflow spilling over the top of the radiator.
Welll... Before all this, I picked up a balancing tool from Bruce and went
to 3 places to try and get my wheels balanced, but no dice, all too busy.
Great.
Now for the worst news, the car is shaking quite badly, and there is
considerable play when I hold the tyre in the 3pm and 9pm position. This was
not here before I did the wheel bearings. :( I retightened everything up
again this morning, but it's back again, and I'm sure this is the cause of
the shaking. Ideas anyone? What could I have done wrong?
So, no drive to Bathurst for me this weekend, well at least not in an MG.
( *sob*
Cheers,
Neil.
|