Hello Healeyphiles -
I had a chance this morning to check the accuracy of my water temp gauge.
Having gone through the agony of removing the gauge from the car the last
time I checked it, I seriously re-thought that process. Although it made me
very nervous to have an open flame anywhere near the engine bay, I was able
to test the gauge in a pot of water at a rolling boil without removing the
gauge (fire extinguisher handy!). I placed a wooden board spanning the
fenders and sat a Coleman camp stove on top of that. After getting the
water boiling in the kitchen, I transferred the pot to the camp stove for
the actual test. The gauge went exactly to 212 stayed there for a
10-minute test without going any higher. A photo of the setup is available
to anyone who wants it.
So, since I live at sea level, the conclusion is that my gauge is exactly
correct and any problem is elsewhere.
For Dave Porter: I did the radiator drain test: First I back-flushed the
radiator with the garden hose and captured the "first flow" water in a large
bowl. There were only about five very small flakes of something visible.
Then I plugged the lower hose connection and filled up the radiator with
water. After removing the plug, I measured the draining time with a
stopwatch. It took only 6 seconds for the radiator to drain completely.
There is some damage to the radiator fins at the lower driver's side corner,
caused by catching it on the wind deflector during removal of the radiator
in the past. Because of the lower hose connection interfering with the
frame cross-piece, the clearance here is very close. Relative to the
undamaged area, I find it hard to believe this could in itself cause my
overheating problem. However, I'll have the radiator checked out by a
shop.
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC USA
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