[Mg-t] Overheating

[Charlie Baldwin]

Stu, It would help everyone to make better comments to know some more of 
what you have done already.  Have you had your radiator recored with a 
modern core with more tubes?  Have you removed the radiator previously 
and had it professionally flushed out and tested?  I seem to recall a 
hole inside each of the core plugs in the block that are under the 
manifolds that if they are not cleaned out could cause overheating.
Do you run antifreeze or just the water wetter?  Up here in PA, I always 
keep antifreeze in my radiators because it gets cold in the winter even 
though I do not drive the TD in the winter.  There could always be a 
possibility of doing so, though, so I keep antifreeze in all of my 
cars.  I have heard that antifreeze makes the water wetter less 
effective, but don't know which helps the most.  Water Wetter helps the 
transfer of heat, but antifreeze actually raises the boiling point.  It 
may be best to do one or the other, whichever does the most to help.
You are correct about the timing; either severely advanced or retarded 
could cause it to run hotter, but if it is pretty close which is easy to 
do, it should be all right.
Another thought would be to open the slats in the grille a bit.  
Sometimes they may get pushed shut or rotated so they do not allow a lot 
of airflow.
I wonder if anyone has made a fan shroud for TDs to make sure that the 
airflow does not go around the fan.  It may be worth checking that out.  
Moss shows one for the MGB, but not the TD.
Keep us informed of what you do and good luck on the trip.
Charlie

On 3/9/2011 10:54 AM, Stuart Keen wrote:
> In the summer heat here in Venice, FL my TD9s water temp usually runs in the
> 90 - 95 deg C range. I am concerned that the Rallye to Reno might be a
> problem when crossing the Nevada desert. When I drove through the Mojave
> Desert  in October 7 years ago, the air temp in the shade was 110 deg F. It
> caused my water to BOIL. This resulted in putting a hole in #2 piston. Don9t
> want to do that again; though, I do not think the desert of Nevada will be
> quite so hot mid June. So I am wondering what can I do to get the
> temperature down. I have already removed the many car badges in front of the
> radiator (they were there when I went through the Mojave). Also, I am
> already using a MGB 7 blade plastic fan.
>
> What should I do and not do. Here are my thoughts:
>
> 1) Have local Leyland trained Brit garage  professionally set the timing. I
> may have been running high all this time. Should I have them set the
> carburetors? The plugs are brown, not black or ash white.
>
> 2) Should I remove the radiator and have it boiled out or is just flushing
> and refilling with antifreeze and Water Wetter sufficient? Somewhere I read
> about a caustic solution you could run through the radiator, but I do not
> know what the product was called and I wonder how safe it would be on the
> engine components and fittings. Comments?
>
> 3) Should I install an oil cooler? Are they really that beneficial? I
> question doing too many mods on the old gal before a long trip. It has been
> running fine except for possibility of overheating.
>
> 4)  I think there is no room for an electric fan in a TD.  Are they really
> that beneficial, anyway?
>
> 5) Any other considerations?
>
> Cancelling out of the Rallye is not an option. Glutton for punishment, I
> plan to drive from Venice to Ocean City, MD so I can start on the East
> Coast. That will mean an additional 1000 miles for the total trip.
>
> Thanks
>
> Stu Keen
> 1951 MGTD Mk II
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