[Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating

LH tadhyke at earthlink.net
Tue Jul 29 15:02:52 MDT 2008 

Joe Curto on the east coast is a superb rebuilder of SU Carbs and has  
been doing just that for an eternity......
Please tell him I said hello if you use him.

http://www.joecurto.com/

Lea Hyke

On Jul 29, 2008, at 2:00 PM, Paige, Dean wrote:

> Be smart with your money. Send the carbs to one of the Carb specialty
> shops available on the Monster list like Apple Hydraulics. Same  
> goes for
> lever shocks, brake and clutch master cylinders. That's what I did.  
> Left
> the heavy lifting for BEM putting a good block and head together and
> doing the details of installing the rebuild into the car. My cost from
> BEM 5K for all of his work... Maybe $500 for all the detaily stuff,
> powder coating intake manifold, ceramic coating for exhaust  
> manifold in
> a local shops. Bought electric fans, oil cooler and lots of other  
> stuff
> from valve cover etc. Those on the list that participate in the rides
> have seen the quality of work produced. I am well pleased with it's
> performance, looks and quality of work. No financial interest  
> except for
> paying for the work done.
>
> I used to do everything myself. Way to busy living life right now  
> to do
> that anymore. I now leave the REALLY big stuff to the experts. Brakes,
> suspension, shocks, clutches I still go hands on. Easy money on our
> LBCs.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nobbc-bounces at autox.team.net [mailto:nobbc- 
> bounces at autox.team.net]
> On Behalf Of Dawson Church
> Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 2008 11:21 AM
> To: North Bay British Car Club
> Subject: Re: [Nobbc] Xk 120 over heating
>
> 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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>>>>>
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