[Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating

Dawson Church dawson at authorspublishing.com
Tue Jul 29 12:21:13 MDT 2008 

I got a $400 quote for rebuilding the carbs on my Lotus.

Then when I went to pick it up, a bill for $1500!

I could have bought remanufactured carbs and bolted them on myself for  
less....

Dawsno


On Jul 29, 2008, at 10:58 AM, wendell bain wrote:

> Hi Charlie,
>
> I had the shop in Rohnert Park, British European, make up a brake line
> for me when I didn't have the flaring tool for the Morgan. He did a  
> good
> job and it wasn't very expensive. It was also more than ten years ago.
> I understand from others that the shop is quite expensive to have them
> do repairs. Other than that I have no experience with them. There are
> frequently very interesting cars in their parking lot.
>
> Good luck,
> Wendell
>
> On Jul 28, 2008, at 8:55 PM, Charlie Saul wrote:
>
>> Robin,
>>
>> Thanks so much for your very constructive suggestions.
>>
>> If being a mechanic was a prerequisite for buying and appreciating a
>> classic, I would be banned. I know just enough to be dangerous.
>> Therefore, I shall take up all of your suggestions with a mechanic;  
>> in
>> fact I'll print out this stream and we'll go over each any every  
>> point
>> to be sure.
>>
>> I used to bring my car to a chap in the San Rafael canal area. I know
>> there is a rather expensive shop in Greenbrae. Does anyone know about
>> the shop along the highway in Rohnert Park?
>>
>> Thanks a bunch,
>>
>> Charlie
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:nobbc-
>> bounces at autox.team.net]
>> On Behalf Of Robin Jackson
>> Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 5:03 PM
>> To: North Bay British Car Club
>> Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating
>>
>> Hello Charlie - My gosh! before you add fans, an oil cooler, or
>> have an
>> overhaul, consider this: Your Jag  was not designed to overheat;  
>> altho
>> it was for a cooler climate and shorter runs than we do in CA. All
>> mechanics in the car being good, it should not overheat and coolers
>> and
>> fans will not fix the real problem, whatever it is.
>>
>> I don't know what you mean by overheat. Does it reach 220, 240?
>> Does it
>> "boil over", hence the overflow tank? Does it blow steam like the
>> Edinbrough Express?
>>
>> First things to check are: coolent level, slipping fanbelt, defective
>> water pump, sticking/closed thermosat, rust and scale clogging the
>> system, airflow through rad, external leaks.
>>
>> If these elements are right, then start thinking about hot gases
>> getting
>> into the coolent through an internal leak.
>>
>> Thermstat check is easy: let it idle and watch the temp gauge. it
>> should
>> rise to as much as 200 and then drop back to 160 or 180 (whatever  
>> your
>> thermstat is). You can put your hand on the top hose and feel the  
>> warm
>> coolent flow when it opens.
>>
>> When was the last time you flushed and changed coolent in the rad?
>> (Always run 50/50 coolent and distilled h2o). Just a few tubes
>> obstructed can cause a loss of cooling.
>>
>> Do a pressure check on the system. Pump it up to 15psi and see if it
>> leaks down.(Napa has this tool.) Yes? look for external leaks -  
>> hoses.
>> No? Maybe an internal leak, but let a pro test for it,(you could  
>> scald
>> yourself.)
>>
>> Any water bubbles on the dip stick?
>>
>> Have you had to fill the system lately? When filling a cooling  
>> system,
>> it is usually necessary to "burp" the system as air pockets can cause
>> problems.
>> Again, this can burn you if you don't know what you are doing.
>>
>> Too much retard and lean carbs, as someone else said, can
>> contribute to
>> heating, but I think you would have been concerned about poor  
>> running.
>> It is always good to frequently check timing, dwell and carb mixture.
>> (part of the fun of our old girls is fussing with them.)
>>
>> I am not an automotive engineer, but these comments come from 55  
>> years
>> of working on Brit cars and 15 for a livelyhood.
>>
>> Although I don't think I have suggested anything whereby you can hurt
>> yourself, I just need to remind you that hot cooling systems under
>> pressure are very dangerous and can cause you severe injury. Be
>> careful.
>> I don't know what your experience is.
>>
>>
>> BTW, overflow bottles are a good addition and will help to preserve
>> the
>> environment, drip by drip.
>>
>>
>> Robin
>>
>>
>>  From: Charlie Saul<mailto:csaul at noleak.com>
>>  To: North Bay British Car Club<mailto:nobbc at autox.team.net>
>>  Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:12 AM
>>  Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating
>>
>>
>>  Thanks so much Dick,
>>
>>  I'll be sure to have the advance checked.
>>
>>  Hope to be cool running soon!
>>
>>  Charlie
>>
>>  -----Original Message-----
>>  From:
>> nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net<mailto:nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net>
>> [mailto:nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net]
>>  On Behalf Of Richard Anderon
>>  Sent: Monday, July 28, 2008 7:34 AM
>>  To: North Bay British Car Club
>>  Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating
>>
>>  Hi Charlie,  I have a '67 XKE and agree with Dawson on both.
>>  Hopefully the raised bottle will help.  If needed, fan kits with
>> shroud
>>  are available from most Jag parts houses.  Mine runs cool and have
>> found
>>  that the tune of the engine helps that.  Don't be to lean and check
>> the
>>  advance.
>>
>>  Dick
>>  On Jul 27, 2008, at 5:28 PM, Charlie Saul wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Dawson,
>>>
>>> You got it; the bottle is mounted too low. Great suggestions; will
>>> check it out!
>>>
>>> Thanks a bunch,
>>>
>>> Charlie
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From:
>> nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net<mailto:nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net>
>>> [mailto:nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net
>>> ]
>>> On Behalf Of Dawson Church
>>> Sent: Saturday, July 26, 2008 9:47 PM
>>> To: North Bay British Car Club
>>> Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating
>>>
>>> Are you sure your radiator overflow bottle is ABOVE the level of the
>>> radiator. I had a mechanic "helpfully" install one in my Lotus, it
>> was
>>
>>> BELOW, and drained water from the radiator when hot!
>>>
>>> I solved the overheating problem in my 2 Lotuses by installing
>>> electric fans that come on a low temperature. Torqueflow brand,
>>> installs in about an hour, sold at Autozone, turned on by a sensor
>>> that goes through the radiator fins. You MUST get a sensor that
>>> triggers at low temperature, the regular ones trigger too high, the
>>> engine is already cooking before they signal the fans to turn on.
>>>
>>> Dawson
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jul 26, 2008, at 7:06 PM, Charlie Saul wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hi All:
>>>>
>>>> Trying to get my xk 120 back on the road:
>>>> I installed a radiator overflow bottle and it overflows a lot when
>> I
>>>> drive for 15 minutes and turn the car off.
>>>> One mechanic says car is overheating due to rings, valves, head
>>>> gasket
>>>
>>>> etc.; car engine needs to be overhauled.
>>>> Another mechanic says that since I likely will drive the car less
>>>> than
>>>
>>>> 1000 miles a year, I should just have an oil cooler installed.
>>>> Will this bring the temp down significantly?
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Charlie
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