TC overheating a repeating topic, sorry!

[tone]

I have now exhausted everything [well hopefully not}

JHeads been off new gaskets, water pump overhauled new bearings. Radiator been off flushed through. Core plugs been changed so block cleaned.

All the above were being done anyway but I was hoping the overheat my be cured in the process.

On a run its all fine temp steady about 70 'isn, maybe dropping to 50'ish if a bit cooler outsid.

As soon as I hit traffic, which is always in London, temp starts to rise within a very short time.

Its got to the point that I will not use it at all at certain times of the day as I know I will be in traffic and the temp rises.

My last resort seems to be an electric fan but its going to have to be very slim as I was hoping to fit between fan and engine side of rad. don't particularly want it behind the grill 'cause it won't look very nice.

That said if there are any other suggestions I would be more than grateful.

Is it possible that there is still a waterway blockage somewhere

Oh and I have taken out the thermostat as well

[Steve Simmons]

This behavior certainly isn't normal! Have you rebuilt the distributor and checked the timing at idle? If the timing is retarded it will definitely cause overheating. You could try advancing 10 degrees and just see what happens. I wonder if incorrect cam timing could also cause this problem.

[Richard Michell]

You don't mention a thermostat - is there one?

[John Frederick Cockrem]

I run my TC with MGB fan blades, sort of helps
Are you loosing coolant, is the overflow pipe at the right height? Do you have an overflow bottle mounted low on the chassis? Mine is on the RH body mount bracket and I don't loose coolant much anymore
Fuel? try BP Ultimate, I get the feeling Brit petrol is not real good on old cars , not flash in Aust now either, and T Types now run a lot hotter on modern fuel .I would love a tank of old BP super grade leaded that we used to get in the good old days.I never got fuel vaporisation in those hays and it gets pretty hot down here.My TC used to run at 150F in the old days now it can quickly get to 180 odd but it never boils, then again i avoid the city jams.
Dose your TC actually boil ,and what are experiences of other TC owners in London traffic? Do they actually drive their cars in the city.
Steve`s suggestion is worth a try with the 10 deg advance.
On the flywheel about 10 mil before you get to TDC

[Steve Simmons]

Also should have asked, are you sure the temp gauge is accurate?

[tone]

Timing, never thought of that being a problem.

I think temp gauge is ok and it definitely gets near boiling you can smell it!

Will let you know my findings, thanks for the help

[John Frederick Cockrem]

Tone…How long have you had this car? Has it always overheated or is this a new issue?
Are Your radiator slats at a good angle to let maximum air through?

[tone]

Hi,
Had the car about a year now and its always been a bit of a problem but as time trucks on and I understand it more I realised that this was not normal.
I can't move the front slats [but haven't tried too hard as they may snap off I thought] but going along is ok its just slow moving in traffic.

Somewhere I read there was a rear small cross waterway at the rear of the block that may stop proper circulation but I cannot see anything obvious to undo.

I was wondering if there was anyway that some sort of power flush could be undertaken including the rad when I put a hose pipe through the rad water seemed to flow ok but thats not to say its flowing correctly of course.

[Gene Gillam]

Tone,

If the timing doesn't help then it's possible that you (or your mechanic) installed the head gasket front to back - it fits perfectly both ways - but if installed backwards it will block most of the water flow from the block to the head by blanking off the rear water passage. You can easily check by removing the four screws/bolts at the back of the head and making sure there's an opening there between the block and the head. I hate to say it but I did this to myself - car was okay while running but overheated in traffic - took me a while to figure it out.

Gene

[dirk w dondorp]

super tip Gene in this jungle of possible reasons for overheating! Hope you hit the nail on its head!
Dirk

[Rocketsled]

Everything on my flathead Ford was new or rebuilt except the radiator, which looked perfect and flowed plenty of water, but after traveling 2-3 miles the engine would start to overheat. Finally, I brought the radiator to a shop in Maine where it got recored. The shop foreman told me that several tubes within the old core had been cut off, and the damage was not visible from the outside. No more problems after that.
I have the same shop rebuild my T Type radiators with extra-row cores.
Rocketsled

[John Frederick Cockrem]

Tone, regarding the advance I referred to flywheel, oops Its actually the fan pulley where the TDC mark is, apologies.
Gene`s suggestion is a good one, would definitely look at that and if thats OK I would bite the bullet and have the radiator recored.Could you borrow a known good radiator and see what happens be fore you go to that expense,I have a good spare but Oz is a bit far away.

[mgtamike]

The TA has a radiator bypass hose from the thermostat housing. It allows the flow to go round the engine when thermostat is closed. As the thermostat opens it blocks the bypass. If no thermostat the water always bypasses the radiator. You need to restrict but not close this flow if thermostat is removed.
I think the TC is the same layout.
Mike

[Duncan M]

Yes check the timing, and make sure everything to do with the mechanical advance mechanism is clean and oiled. Likely the two little advance springs will be slightly different, as they should. Sometimes the advance gets neglected, and oil can dry up and make the movement sticky.

A sort of obvious sounding spot people have been known to miss blockages in the cooling passages is right where the water pump fits in to the block. The openings get enough of a layer of gunk to stop flow, and with the gunk it is hard to even see where the passages are supposed to be.

[frenchblatter]

I had my rad re-cored in France for just over £200 plus tax. It wasn't blocked, the copper had become as soft as cheese and was spouting water all over. The car had been iun a garage for 48 years.

[tone]

mgtamike, so maybe having no thermostat has made matters worse? how bizarre, I was hoping it would increase the flow round.

Slightly hiccup today as the little tap on the side of the block [very handily located right behind the exhaust manifold., not!] has been dripping fr ages so bought a new one from Moss [about 5 miles away so very handy] water ran out freely but now struggling to get the new one in without taking of the manifold! crazy place for a tap.

Anyway i will persevere also put back the thermostat which I have checked is working and with all my other work maybe a fix will be forthcoming.

Just need to check the timing though.

Shame with the very mild days we have in London [14 today] can't go for a run out

Once again I am just so grateful for the really sensible, and practical advise from you all, thanks

[mgtamike]

Before you replace the thermostat it should look like this one.
The cylindrical band at the lower end moves up as the thermostat opens and closes the bypass.
The housing on the TA looks like this picture. Moss list it as the same for TA-TD.
If you use a modern thermostat you will need to reduce the diameter of the bypass.
I have run my TA for years with a broken open thermostat with out problems.
Weak mixture will cause overheating.

[Nick Fitzhugh]

Worth checking that the fan is on the right way round, sucking air in rather than trying to push it out through the front.

[Tom Lange, MGT Repair]

If it turns out that the thermostat is bad, or you have a Chinese aluminum housing that corrodes from the minute you attach it, I offer my stainless steel thermostat housing, that is guaranteed, and comes complete with all stainless fittings, thermostat, and new gaskets: see
http://mgtrepair.net/Thermostat.html

I strongly suggest you send your distributor to Jeff Schlemmer at Advance Dsitributor to be rebuilt; most XPAG overheating issues are caused by worn-out or non-functioning advance functions, causing timing problems. His rebuilds are the cheapest way to improve engine performance!

Your distributor should then be re-timed with an advance timing light to show 32 degrees at 3000 RPM, full advance.

Tom Lange
MGT Repair

[Clifford Jay Lockrow]

There was a tech article in the Sacred Octagon about ten or fifteen years ago about clogged water passages on the carburetor side of the block. If I recall you had to take out the freeze plugs on the boss that is just under the carbs on the block. With some sort of wire or ice pick of some sort there were some holes directly opposite the freezeplugs that can clog. If I recall the author used a metal drill in a "T" shaped handle and was able to clean the passageways. Seems they were at about a 45egree downward angle. He was successful in clearing up the problem he had had for several years, Hope his helps. I you need to I think I can find the article but might take a few days.