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[Mgs] A short tale of parts & service

To: "mgs@autox.team.net List" <mgs@autox.team.net>
Subject: [Mgs] A short tale of parts & service
From: Max Heim via Mgs <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2018 17:35:02 -0700
Delivered-to: mharc@autox.team.net
Delivered-to: mgs@autox.team.net
References: <CAK23Kv9oHmWrY9tKA3083enp4Wyfn9Cog8akm=7-_jVODX5Dfw@mail.gmail.com> <18d170e5-53bc-ecf6-b8bc-674093a8f7ad@twc.com>
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I haven=E2=80=99t said much on the list about my project. but I got my =
=E2=80=9Cnew=E2=80=9D 66 B roadster together in time for the start of =
the California Melee on Sept. 8. Unfortunately, a blade flew off the new =
Moss plastic fan within the first ten miles and punctured the radiator, =
so that was as far as it got =E2=80=94 from the San Francisco Presidio =
to Marin Civic Center.=20

I made the mistake of trying to get it to the next exit (it was a bad =
place to be on the shoulder, between the sound wall and 5 lanes of =
traffic doing 75+), which resulted in overheating and a blown head =
gasket. Total mileage to failure on this fan was 307 miles.

Subsequent examination of the stub revealed an air pocket in the plastic =
right at the center of the base of the blade. Moss accepted my photo of =
this as evidence of a manufacturing flaw. This model of fan was already =
out of production (and out of warranty) =E2=80=94 I had purchased it as =
part of a large order back in 2015 when the car body was still in the =
paint shop.

But regardless, they decided to send me a new fan ("new model" nylon =
7-blade fan) and a new aluminum radiator (the shop had told me mine was =
irreparable). I thought this was pretty decent of them.

I just picked up my head at the machine shop where they had skimmed the =
surface and cleaned up the valves. In the meantime I had inspected the =
lifters based on a tip from Dave at British Motorsports in Campbell and =
found a few of them were showing pitting. By replacing them now I can =
save the cam.

Now I just need to pick up the lifters and the gasket set and I should =
be able to have it back together this weekend.

A few tips based on my experience:

1. Just shut it down. If I had stayed out on the freeway verge I would =
have saved the head gasket, and AAA would have picked me up in a timely =
manner. But since I had reported myself =E2=80=9Csafe=E2=80=9D and off =
the highway, it took 4 hours to get a tow.=20

2. Check your lifters every so often. I had replaced the cam and lifters =
due to lifter spalling sometime between 1998 and 2010. The new lifters =
were just starting to pit in 2018.

3. If you have a yellow plastic 7-bladed fan from Moss USA purchased =
prior to mid-2015, you may want to consider retiring it. I suppose if it =
hasn=E2=80=99t broken so far, it probably doesn=E2=80=99t have air =
bubbles in a critical location. But they had perhaps a dozen reported =
incidents. The current product being sold as part #434-332 is a =
different pattern by a different maker in a different material, so =
should not be a cause for worry.

Buy British, Buy Best!

--
Max Heim
'66 MGB=

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html =
charset=3Dutf-8"></head><body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" =
class=3D""><div class=3D"">I haven=E2=80=99t said much on the list about =
my project. but I got my =E2=80=9Cnew=E2=80=9D 66 B roadster together in =
time for the start of the California Melee on Sept. 8. Unfortunately, a =
blade flew off the new Moss plastic fan within the first ten miles and =
punctured the radiator, so that was as far as it got =E2=80=94 from the =
San Francisco Presidio to Marin Civic Center.&nbsp;</div><div =
class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">I made the mistake of =
trying to get it to the next exit (it was a bad place to be on the =
shoulder, between the sound wall and 5 lanes of traffic doing 75+), =
which resulted in overheating and a blown head gasket. Total mileage to =
failure on this fan was 307 miles.</div><div class=3D""><br =
class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">Subsequent examination of the stub =
revealed an air pocket in the plastic right at the center of the base of =
the blade. Moss accepted my photo of this as evidence of a manufacturing =
flaw. This model of fan was already out of production (and out of =
warranty) =E2=80=94 I had purchased it as part of a large order back in =
2015 when the car body was still in the paint shop.</div><div =
class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">But regardless, they =
decided to send me a new fan ("new model" nylon 7-blade fan) and a new =
aluminum radiator (the shop had told me mine was irreparable). I thought =
this was pretty decent of them.</div><div class=3D""><br =
class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">I just picked up my head at the machine =
shop where they had skimmed the surface and cleaned up the valves. In =
the meantime I had inspected the lifters based on a tip from Dave at =
British Motorsports in Campbell and found a few of them were showing =
pitting. By replacing them now I can save the cam.</div><div =
class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">Now I just need to pick =
up the lifters and the gasket set and I should be able to have it back =
together this weekend.</div><div class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div =
class=3D"">A few tips based on my experience:</div><div class=3D""><br =
class=3D""></div><div class=3D"">1. Just shut it down. If I had stayed =
out on the freeway verge I would have saved the head gasket, and AAA =
would have picked me up in a timely manner. But since I had reported =
myself =E2=80=9Csafe=E2=80=9D and off the highway, it took 4 hours to =
get a tow.&nbsp;</div><div class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div =
class=3D"">2. Check your lifters every so often. I had replaced the cam =
and lifters due to lifter spalling sometime between 1998 and 2010. The =
new lifters were just starting to pit in 2018.</div><div class=3D""><br =
class=3D""></div>3. If you have a yellow plastic 7-bladed fan from Moss =
USA purchased prior to mid-2015, you may want to consider retiring it. I =
suppose if it hasn=E2=80=99t broken so far, it probably doesn=E2=80=99t =
have air bubbles in a critical location. But they had perhaps a dozen =
reported incidents. The current product being sold as part #434-332 is a =
different pattern by a different maker in a different material, so =
should not be a cause for worry.<div class=3D""><br class=3D""></div><div =
class=3D"">Buy British, Buy Best!</div><div class=3D""><br class=3D""><div=
 class=3D"">
<div style=3D"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); letter-spacing: normal; text-align: =
start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; =
word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: =
break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: =
after-white-space;" class=3D""><div style=3D"color: rgb(0, 0, 0); =
letter-spacing: normal; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; =
text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px; =
-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; word-wrap: break-word; =
-webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" =
class=3D""><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px;" =
class=3D"">--</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; font-size: 13px; =
min-height: 16px;" class=3D"">Max Heim</div><div style=3D"margin: 0px; =
font-size: 13px;" class=3D"">'66 MGB</div></div></div>
</div>
</div></body></html>=

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