I personally run a 10 pound cap on my '71. Any old autoparts store cap will
work, they are pretty much universal. To my knowledge there is no problem
going higher pressure; especially considering that most of the time you
won't even have enough pressure to vent the 10 pound cap. As for mystery
coolant leaks, could be leaking out the heater. There are so many smells in
an MG that it is hard to smell it, but if you run the heater, while driving,
for a while and find a slimy film on the inside of the windshield that is a
good indicator. I think that the drop of coolant on the bell housing is
required to make the car run, so I'd be careful with that one :)
James Nazarian
71 MGBGT V8
71 MGB Tourer
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of David Councill
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2004 1:18 PM
To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: the mysterious leaking coolant
My 72B, in the 90 degree heat, is losing coolant. I did have a small seep
in one of the core plugs which I sealed off a week ago. But there is still
some leakage somewhere. Looking under the car using a light, I can usually
see a drop of green fluid hanging from the bottom of the bell housing. Now
that in itself is no big deal except that despite never seeing coolant make
it to the ground since the discovery of this problem, I have gone through
almost a gallon of coolant in less than two weeks, mostly city driving in
mid 90s. The car has never overheated although it has ran a bit hotter than
normal when it gets maybe 1/3 gallon low in coolant (50/50 water & AF).
So one area I suspect is the radiator cap. A cheap thing to check perhaps
and I suspect I can find a new one locally for a few dollars. Aren't they
somewhat universal? But what pressure rating? Haynes says 7 psi "older
cars" and 15 psi for "newer" but doesn't define what years that refers to.
Moss shows 7-10-13 psi caps with a gradual increase in ratings as the Bs
get newer. And my Bentley manual says 10 psi. Does it really matter much?
Any other suggestions or cap recommendations? Yes I know another problem
may be head gasket but there have been no signs or symptoms that this is
the case even though its a fairly new engine rebuild.
David Councill
67 BGT
72 B
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