johny

Hi, I imagine it would be the same as for a 2L which, if checking with the carb on the engine, is 18mm from the lowest part of the float to the bottom face of the carb body while the float is held upwards keeping the needle valve closed.

Think thats the standard cap pressure (Spitfire went to 13 later on) and anyway 111ºc should be sufficient shouldnt it? Certainly one possible cause I forgot and which made mine run much hotter was the fuel mixture. I had leaking carb spindles which allowed extra air in to give a very lean mixture so the engine ran hot although this of course was worse at higher loads and not when trundling along. Our cooling system being 'open' does tend to slowly lose a little by evaporation from the overflow bottle especially at higher coolant temperatures.

I suspect a lot of sludge build up is in the block waterways low down so opening the drain valve on the lower RH side to flush through is probably a good idea. However the valve can be seized and/or blocked.....

They dont sound bad at all. Ok its not a new engine but no worse than mine and my oil consumption is fine so whats the next step? Possible worn valve guides?

Hi Paul, well on boil over the temperature of the water becomes higher than the boiling point of the system as dictated by the pressure rating of the radiator cap. In your case with a 7psi cap the water will have to reach about 111ºc when it starts to turn to steam which, having a greater volume than water, means the rad cap will open to release it (to protect the system from over pressurisation). This steam then leaves the radiator via the overflow pipe to the bottle where it will usually exit to atmosphere producing the usual steam cloud from under the bonnet. This is all good because its protecting your engine from the damage that could occur if you continue to drive. You obviously havent reached this temperature , although rad caps ratings arent exact, however I think this indicates that your cooling system is close to its limit which on a 50 yr old Vitesse isnt anything unusual and is something Ive been fighting for a while. The problem is that if the engine temperature increases too much, apart from poor running, the lubrication of bearings etc can suffer which could result in major damage. Assuming that your system hadnt lost coolant and as the main external components have been replaced recently the cleanliness of the engine internal waterways is more likely to be the issue. You can try to flush these out in situ but I think cleaning during an engine rebuild is probably the definitve solution. Until then, as Pete asked, the type of fan you have fitted affects cooling, especially when stationary, and there are alternative set ups that could be more effective.....

Ive also had some luck with penetrating oil on difficult jobs but it needs a lot of patience with days if not weeks of applying it. Its no good using it and 5 minutes later trying to free off stuff.....

Sorry to repeat but is it taking all this effort even with heating of the flange? Cherry red isnt necessary but a good warming with a gas torch before carefully attaching the puller should have made all the difference.....

Blimey and was that using heat on the flange as well?

I still think its easier to get to the speedo end (it certainly was on my Vitesse but maybe that has more room behind the dash) but if you are going to remove the tunnel again it will give a chance to have a look over the gearbox if you didnt do that recently. Theres checking all bolt tightenesses, gearbox rubber mount condition, oil level, gearlever linkage, bleed clutch etc

That sounds reasonable. How many miles has it done? Anyway let us know what you find and how the work turns out......

I used to use a grease gun with oil but found it very messy so have gone over to a syringe like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150ml-Large-Big-Plastic-Hydroponics-Nutrient-Disposable-Measuring-Syringe/372702708217?hash=item56c6d001f9:g:r64AAOSwE~pdHG4N A lot cheaper and cleaner as I just free off the nipple sealing ball and squirt in oil using a flexible plastic tube pushed on to it....

Can I ask Haggis why youre so keen to get the head off?

In industry the closest analogy to trunnions Ive come across are the very common bronze drive nuts used to operated the threaded steel shafts of rising stem valves. With these grease lubrication has always been used quite successfully although its not ideal as it has to be wiped off and replaced regularly because of dirt contamination. Of course it would be impossible to use any type of oil.

Dont forget that if you do get a low reading putting a little oil in through the sparkplug hole and repeating the test can help indicate if its a valve/gasket problem or worn bores/piston rings. Also these engines arent particularly prone to head gasket failures so as long as the surfaces are in good condition and the correct replacement procedure is followed you shouldnt have any problems....

you've got to start with the easiest checks first: disconnect cable at speedo and check its turning when the back wheels are driven. And if you get the rear of the car in the air check prop and half shaft u/js and prop sliding joint play. Then move onto the more difficult stuff.....

I found my old rad had deteriorated externally as well with the thin copper fins rotting so not making good thermal contact with the tubes...

Hi Chris, how old is the rad, has it been recored recently? Even with the best flushing out (not tried caustic soda though?) Ive never managed to get them back to the performance of a new core/rad and Ive read that a recore is recommended every 20yrs. However those cheapy aluminium jobs available look great and do have good reports on here......

Coolant should come out of the vent pipe otherwise you either have a air in the system or something is expanding (hoses?) to accommodate the volume change. The rad level is obviously critical and it should be brimmed with the engine running although any air their should be pushed out during warm up. The pipe itself is best off being clear and rigid enough to not collapse under the vacuum produced when sucking the coolant back on cool down. Ive suffered with hoses, including the the overflow, not being tight enough so they dont leak liquid (but maybe steam when hot although its so little you cant see it) and then on cooling allow air to be sucked in. It results in always finding the rad level a little low and not being able to keep the overflow pipe always filled as it should be....

well its been a bit of a marathon but at least now you can relax in the knowledge that youve got the best possible standard Trumph box fitted but, of course, in none of the changes did Triumph ever address the problem of that layshaft☹️

For me it's just a case of elimination as with points I'm always wondering if the gaps right and the condenser OK (especially if it's not running right) where as, in my experience, electronic usually works or doesn't.....

+1 got one on my brakes, brilliant and I'll get another one instead of overhauling it! Then theres sellers on ebay with the same thing on as 'uprated' items at more than 3 times that price

There's aluminium rads on eBay at very reasonable prices which although copies seem to be pretty good apart from poor alignment on the top hose connection

Funny I was going to say it doesn't look very worn as you can still the original surface. Difficult to tell from a photo how far off the rivets it is but I know even a brand new plate doesn't have a lot of meat on it....

Or try driving the car with the gearbox cover removed😳

I believe somebody has used the later Dolomite 1850 internals in your box as they are better. The clutch friction plates are interchangeable so you need an 1850 one....