Iain T

Thanks Ian my neck is deeper and the cap very similar to yours. Perhaps the simplest way to rectify would be an additional rubber washer placed on the rad neck seal face. I'm not sure a say 1mm steel ring would seal. More testing tomorrow! Iain

Ian, it's as my photos in previous post which measures the depths not diameters. This will determine if there is a bottom seal. Iain

Ian, can you measure neck to seal and cap? Ta Iain

Snap! Well almost

Kevin, there are big dimensional differences in repro manufacturing. The i/d of my rad neck is 41mm and the o/d of my cap bottom seal is 38mm. So there is a 1.5mm all round clearance. From the bottom of the neck outlet tube to the bottom seal is 6.5mm and the thickness of the cap seal and metal pressing is also 6.5mm but with clearance around the periphery water should still escape. I'll run the engine up to temp tomorrow and do the same check on my bottle. One (dangerous) way to check if the system is pressurised is to very carefully release the cap when hot. 🥵 Iain

Somefink wrong 'ere! The depth on my rad neck is more than from seal to seal on the cap! Therefore the bottom seal stands no chance of pressurising the system? Iain

I'm following this thread with interest as my expansion bottle doesn't seem to fill with any water when the engine is hot. I have a Bastuck rad and new cap. Anyone ever measure the depth from the top of the neck to the bottom seal surface? Iain

Kevin said he installed new hoses but worth a try. Kevin as to heat the engine naturally gets hotter when turned of as the heat cannot be quickly dissipated by circulating water and air.

Yes it does which is a real pain! Iain

It gets easier after the third or fourth time 😂 Don't forget the hardened washers and correct grade of nuts. Iain

We all learn by our honest mistakes. At least it seems as though the problem has been identified 🤞 Iain

Kevin's profile says mk3 so it should be the higher torque setting. This could undoubtedly be the cause. Iain

Just a thought, did you have spacers under the rocker shaft pedestals? If you did have you put them back on? Iain

The Triumph six pot head is a bit heavier than a mini💪 As to experience there's plenty on the Forum who are happy to help. However as you have disturbed things do check the tappet clearances........you never know until you measure! Good luck and let us know how things progress. Iain

Mmmm, I'd wait until the system is completely cool and see if you still have pressure in the coolant system. Also note the colour of the coolant. I would then do another compression test. It may be just an anomaly with your gauge. The testers are not necessarily accurate but helpful to show differences between cylinders. Does your gauge screw in or just push in to seal? Having said the above my worry beads would have me taking the head off! Iain

I've always refilled my Vitesse by raising the front to get the rad higher (drive it up ramps), opening the heater valve and filling. After a fill start the engine cap off and squeeze every hose I can then go for a spin, cool down and top up. Iain

For heat insulation I would have thought providing you can fit them the thicker the better. Iain

If you use deformed or soft washers you can loose pressure and dare I say it cause the head gasket to fail. Iain

Compression test procedure is take out all the plugs (less work for the starter) and turn over with the throttle wide open. It gives a false value with the butterfly's closed. Iain

Inspect when you take the head off. A good set of hardened stud washers is essential. Iain PS I had to change my rad cap as it didn't seal.

Try bleeding it again? Can you see if the slave is weeping fluid and/or level in master cylinder dropped? Iain

Haven't used them but I believe Tex wipers are good. They have the correct crank and instead of out 5.2mm wide blade they have a wider (7mm?) alternative. My arms have very little pressure and the blades don't really wipe correctly. It one of the things on my must do list. Iain

If it runs ok at lower temperature it must be vaporisation. Make sure you have the thick fibre heat spacer between to inlet manifold and carbs. Fitting heat shields is a must have. I used a rubber lined P clip that holds the fuel pipe at the front of the engine. I also found my pipe from the pump to the carbs was virtually touching the block. A small tweak to the pipe sorted that. Best of luck! Iain

In my view the pancakes are not the problem. Yes in hot weather they possibly can make the engine tick over rich but it shouldn't stop the engine. I would check the fuel pipe runs to see if the joins are tight and anything is too close to the block and getting toasty. I have heat shields fitted to my carbs which could well fix your problem. Iain

Yes they do! I bought one before I had my carbs rebuilt. However if you follow Pete's procedure I found there to be no (or at most 1/10th of a turn) difference between both carbs. I used a vernier to measure the depth of the jet to bridge (I like to measure). It's a nice toy to have and it satisfied my curiosity but not really necessary providing you follow the rules and are careful. Iain