MG-Cars.info

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

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 - HGF - remote thermostat

Apologies if this is old news, but it seems Rover were recommending remotely mounted thermostats for the Freelander in 2001.

See http://www.pagetraining.com/freelander/0026.pdf

I believe they only started fitting them to F(TF) in 2004!

jt
John Thomas

Interesting ! Bypassing the radiator with a 3-way Rover SDI-type external thermostat is just the way I did it some years ago. But I never blanked the original thermostat, but replaced it with an 82deg.C with additional 3,5 mm bypass hole. Rock steady temp at all loads and hopefully a step in the right direction to avoid or at least delay the dreaded HGF. Pictures of the instalation is on Dieters site./ Carl.
Carl

John,

this _is_ news.
There will be more earlier changes, I think.
Other interesting spares are known also. (Hose kits)

For sure the Ford guys had good reasons to introduce such product changes after they bought the brand in 2000.

Oh yes, and the MGR troubles with the beancounters again ?
;)
PRT, pressure relief thermostat introduced with 4D629951 in late 2004

... your's will have it.


Dieter

Oh Great Guru, late 2004?....my Sept 2003 has one.
Tony

I was told (reliable source) that all production line (engines?) from Jan 2003 should have the PRT. Mind you it still took a year before I managed to lay my hands on the parts to retro-fit.
Dave Livingstone

That the Freelander has a PRT is not news - and I think we all knew that the Freelander had the PRT before TF did. BUT that it was being fitted back in 2001 IS NEWS!

Astonishing.
Rob Bell

I liked one of the reasons for having the kit fitted

"difficulty in maintaining coolant level"

LOL
Tony

Had a PRT fitted to my car a while and what a pain. It makes it far more complicated to bleed than it was in the first place. I also had a hose failure when it was fitted that I believe was a result of the higher pressure within the shorter circuit.
Neil Stothert

Boohooo, we had this mad results already in a thread from April.
*Never believe in official MGR data* !!
;-)

OK, than 2003. *grawl*
Tony, I miss your TF VIN ... and also your earlier, old MGF VIN
:)
Dieter

Looking at the drawing, is it really a PRT?
Might just be an ordinary 3-way external thermostat .This type has been around for ages.
The one for the "F" (if I recall correct) is also really pressure sensitive. Looks a lot like an ordinary thermostat to me! Anyone seen one on a Freelander to compare ? BR, Carl.
Carl

Hmmm. Think I tend to agree with Carl, and confirms my suspicion that the thermostat on the R 25 Laminova diesel that I am toying with is just a straight three way thermostat, not a pressure sensitive one.
Many variations on the same theme?
Cost again I guess?
Jerry Herbert

The problems with the Freelander are different to the MGF/TF, and the PRT and cooling combination is different. Suprisingly (considering the size of the engine bay) the heat in the Freelander was a more significant problem than the F/TF, and this was a key driver for the PRT. Changes in the Freelander started to happen from the MY 2001 but were not done in a big bang (sorry poor choice of words with HGF :lol: )fashion. Some of the other changes were expansion tank cap AND the expansion tank (which was found to form micro cracks and leak when hot, then close when cool).
David M

Freelander definitely uses a PRT.

Interesting that the Freelander suffers more from heat David - not what one would expect at all!
Rob Bell

Rob,
yes the Freebie does use PRT, I was saying that that was not the only change in MY2001, and the changes were introduced in a bit of shambolic fashion.

Apparantly the engine bay get no airflow as the rad is so big that it drives the air around the outside. As a result the engine cooks in it's own juces so to speak. Certainly the Freebie engine bay fells a lot hooter than the TF after a long run
David M

The other aspect, I am told, regarding the installation in Freelander is the fact that the car is relatively big and heavy - what with a sizeable body and a 4wd transmission. As a result, owners put a considerable load on their engines, especially from cold: the K is pretty torquey, but perhaps not torquey enough.

Result: owners give their engines a fair bit of welly to get momentum going.

Consequence: there is a thermal gradient formed as cylinders one and two get cold, and the other two get hot, and, I am told, putting the long bolts between cylinders 3 and 4 under not inconsiderable stress.

Conclusion: head gasket failure...

Not sure quite how a PRT would help under these circumstances? But I am sure that the other detail changes may have addressed that particular problem.
Rob Bell

<The other aspect, I am told, regarding the installation in Freelander is the fact that the car is relatively big and heavy - what with a sizeable body and a 4wd transmission. As a result, owners put a considerable load on their engines, especially from cold: the K is pretty torquey, but perhaps not torquey enough.

Result: owners give their engines a fair bit of welly to get momentum going.

Consequence: there is a thermal gradient formed as cylinders one and two get cold, and the other two get hot, and, I am told, putting the long bolts between cylinders 3 and 4 under not inconsiderable stress.

Conclusion: head gasket failure...>

DING!

<Not sure quite how a PRT would help under these circumstances? But I am sure that the other detail changes may have addressed that particular problem.>

The PRT allows a much higher coolant flow through the engine at *any* temperature, compared to the standard thermostat.
This is the best thing you can do to kill the gradient.

Cheers
Carlo
P.S. welcome in the DVAed Club!
Carlo

Cheers Carlo :o) :up
Rob Bell

This thread was discussed between 17/08/2005 and 28/08/2005

MG MGF Technical index

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