Finally faced up to the need to change the oil on my MGA 1600 Mk II (don't ask
how long I've had it, or how many other project I did first to avoid this
one). Anyway I decided to go the spin on route from Moss and much to my
surprise it was a no probem operation. I loaded up 4 1/2 quarts of oil,
checked for leaks (no new ones) and the next day checked the stick which read
at the minimum line. No vast pools on the floor or in the oil pan which I
left under the site of the recent operation. The car has no oilcooler, it's
an early mkII, and a straight dipstick which goes down until it hits a ledge
on the oil pan. My parts book shows both a straight and an angled stick, but
gives no clue about when the change took place. Any suggestions?
Regarding the MGB with radiator overflow: Mine is caused by exhaust gasses in
the cooling system, but since compression is good and it doesn't overheat, it
will just have to wait. I went the overflow bottle route to save mess: Used
one from an older Volvo 122 or 144, its tall and thin and will fit next to the
rad (I strapped it to the overflow tube). This is a pressurized bottle so the
cap on the Rad is just a cap, no pressure valve, and the "real" cap goes on
the bottle.
Just thought of another question: I tried to do a flush of the coolant and
was surprised to find no drain on my Rad. It looks right in all other
respects. This made for a very messy project as the bottom hose fitting
cleverly points UP spraying antifreeze pretty much all over. (the project was
made ever so much more joyful when I then found the block drain blocked). Any
Ideas about the origins of the non-drain radiator?
Thanks.
Elia
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