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MG MG Y Type - Water Temp Gauge

Can anyone tell me if there is a correct place to fit the sender for a water temp. gauge on the XPAG.
Michael Nicholson

Best place is the hottest part of the engine and that would be in the back plate on the cylinder head (opposite end to where the top hose thermostat goes in). Disadvantage - you wont be easily able to see if it leaks and you will have to haul the engine out to fit/change it.
Paul Barrow

The correct place to fit a temperatur guage is not at the back of the engine, this is where the water pump feeds into the block, and is therefore one of the cooler areas. ( The water pump feeds into a gallery that runs from its exit, under the manifolds, to release up into the head via the rear of the block. You can see this gallery as a square tube cast into the block. ) A sender needs to go in just under the thermostat, the housing can be modified by wedling in a threaded boss, but then a modern thermostat needs to be fitted. This is the 'exit' of the cooling water and is the hottest part of a running engine.

Note that the XPAG is a water-pump-assisted, thermo-syphon cooled engine. That simply means the water goes round by the fact that hot water rises, and the pump helps. Modern cars use power pumps and the water flows through the radiators sideways to keep the front low and streamlined.

I fitted a calorometer in the radiator cap, as that really is the hottest part.

Neil.
Neil Cairns

Michael, my suggestion, which is a little easier than Neil's, is to use the blanked of fitting that should be in the back of your header tank. But because the water level in the header tank can drop below the sender unit I also suggest you make sure you have the O Ring in the filler neck so you get a good seal with the radiator cap and then extend your overflow pipe with some tubing into a plastic bottle. I find a one litre bottle is big enough to catch any overflow which is sucked then back on cooling. This is expansion and contraction not pressurisation so don't worry about damaging any part of the cooling system. You will find as I have that you will go for months and never put a drop into the radiator and it will always be full,unless you have a leak somewhere.
Cheers Richo YT3208.
Richard Prior

I stand corrected - I had been misinformed a long time ago but acknowledge the wisdom in what Neil says about the temperature of the water there. Thanks for the correction.
Paul Barrow

I agree with Richard as to the positioning of the Water Temperature Sender. The problem is that on Ys unlike Ts there is no blanked off fitting on the rear of the header tank. You have to find the fitting drill the header and braze in the fitting. I am going to do this next time I have reason to remove the radiator. Terry
Terry O'Brien

This thread was discussed between 20/05/2005 and 24/05/2005

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