MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Recommendations

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG MGF Technical - Coolant Loss

My F wouldn't start this morning (ignition not even turning over), so I did the old remove the grill in the boot, reach down and tweak the lower lead going into the solenoid trick. She then started first time.

Bit of an imbuggerance you might think, but I was quite glad this happened this morning as I noticed that my coolant level has dropped quite sunstantially since I last checked it about a month ago. There is still some left, but I need to top it up.

So, questions are:

(a) No air will have got into the system so I should be ok to top up without using the bleed valves, right?

(b) What coolant should I use, and where's the best place to get it from?

(c) Why would the coolant level have dropped so much in a month? I'm guessing it could be down to corroded coolant pipes, but need to get my head under the car to check this. Any other possible cause that anyone can think of?

TIA,
Jim
Jim Hosking

a) Prob OK
b) use water
c) Leaky HG/Inlet gasket, leaky radiator, crap clips between hoses
Will Munns

Thanks Will

(b) Will I need to add any antifreeze to this? If so, in what ratio?

(c) Cr@p clips between hoses sounds viable (and less expensive than the other options!). I'll check this out as well.

Cheers,
Jim
Jim Hosking

b) nope, the anti freeze in the car is diluted by 1/2, sticking a pint or two into the system will make very little diffrence to the concentration of the antifreeze.
Will Munns

Lovely job. Thanks (once again) Mr Munns!

Jim
Jim Hosking

Jim,

After topping up as Will suggests, keep a very close eye on the level. If you are losing water then you have some sort of problem, the loss coming from

1) clips, hoses, underfloor pipes or the radiator - which should show if you can search effectively for drips
2) the water pump - which if small, may not show immediately as it is well covered and a small weep may evaporate before showing externally
3) gaskets - which may not show an external leak.

Obviously, the latter is the most worrying as this could soon become a HGF.

I had a small water loss over some months, which seemed to be getting worse. There were no obvious leaks under a pressure test. Checking the water pump, showed a small weep. The pump was replaced, but the water loss continued. Clouds of steam in the rear view mirror told me what it was before I had chance to do any more investigation. Just to complete the magic number, shortly after the HGF was fixed, I had a third water loss. This time it was an obvious leak and the source was a 3mm gash in the engine return hose.

If you aren't under warranty, my advice is to get it into TechSpeed (very close to you) immediately and let them sort out the problem.

Dave
Dave

But don't check the level whilst the car is warm, or you might introduce steam bubbles in the head (which arn't good)

Will
Will Munns

Thanks Dave,

In a perverse kind of way, it would be really good to get a HGF within the next month (bet I'm the first person to say that! The reason being this is what I have left on my warranty). I know there are no hard and fast rules, but I guess with 45k miles on a '96 MPi I could be a prime candidate.

There are a couple of other things I'd like to get sorted while I'm still under warranty, but as I've never had to make a claim under warranty before, I'm a bit of a novice to the process.

I bought my F from a dealer (non MGR), and it came with a 3 month warranty through a company called Warranty Holdings.

The things I'd like to get fixed are:

(a) Duff microswitch in the drivers door resulting in no interior light or lights on alarm when the door is open.

(b) Leak through the drivers side window seal resulting in soggy ar5e after a downpour.

(c) Coolant loss resulting in worry about HGF.

Without wanting to encourage responses saying "read your small print", do you think I'll be covered for these things, and any handy tips for how to deal with warranty companies when they try and wriggle out of their obligations?

Thanks guys,
Jim
Jim Hosking

Jim, your car is the same age as mine. Mine had coolant loss last year that turned out to be a corroded radiator.

Definitely worth getting the whole cooling system thoroughly checked out now - you are unlikely to have damaged the head gasket so far, but now is a good opportunity for some preventative maintenance!
Rob Bell

Jim,

I had mine with warranty form Warranty Holdings. They didn't cover the cost of a new cylinder head when mine had a HGF. They don't cover damage caused by overheating. They did cover the replacement of the head gasket but they only pay labour at a rate of £35 per hour. At least, that was the case when I cancelled my cover.

Bruce
Bruce Caldwell

Thanks chaps,

Topped up with water for now, but booked in to get it checked out early next week.

Rob, how much did your corroded radiator set you back last year?

Jim
Jim Hosking

Had mine done earlier this year, though I can't remember the exact cost. Speak to Mike Satur about his ali replacements, they're better and probably cheaper!
Darren

This thread was discussed between 27/11/2002 and 28/11/2002

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG MGF Technical BBS now