Hello,
I am new to this list but not to MG's. I am the original owner of a 67
MGB (built in 66) that has an overheating problem. It runs great(always
has), but will overheat (sometimes up to 212) in heavy traffic and when
pulling some of Colorado's higher passes. The last time I flushed the
radiator I removed the drain cock in the engine block(which of course
was plugged) and found that there was so much crud that no coolant would
come out of the hole even with the engine running. I used screwdrivers,
wire, compressed air, etc but was not able to get it unplugged. I
assume the radiator is probably full of the same stuff, which I assume
is rusted iron. The car has 53K miles on it and all major parts under
the bonnet, including the water pump, are original.
Things I have done to reduce overheating: tuned the car (points, plugs,
timing, adj carbs), adjusted the valves, replaced thermostat (to a 160,
which was probably dumb to do in Colorado), flushed cooling system.
My questions are: Will rodding out the radiator most likely fix the
problem?( A friend has offered to sell me a later model radiator for a
good price, but I am trying to keep the car as original as possible)
Can I get rid of the crud in the engine block without an engine
overhaul? Is the crud likely blocking part of the coolant flow in the
engine?
Your suggestions/advice will be appreciated.
Thanks,
Bill Dudley
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