So what of the hiccups on that first drive.
Well there were signs of the clutch problems to come – see my earlier posts.
However the more immediate issue was one of a water leak.
When parked after being driven, a small pool of water started forming under the car.
Upon further examination it seemed likely that a leaking radiator was the cause, and possibly a leak around the water pump. So with some assistance from a more experienced friend, out came the radiator. This wasn’t too bad a task, although we did managed to break one of the captive nuts off the radiator in process – no matter it was being replaced anyway.
I decided that whilst the radiator was out I’d also change the water pump and flush the system through to improve the performance.
I tested the radiator for leaks by connecting a section of old bike inner tube between the inlet and outlet and then pressuring up with a cycle pump via the valve. With the radiator in the bath full of water it was soon clear where the leak was as the bubbles poured out of the hole!
Order and install one new radiator – at least I managed to get one with a thread for the bottom drain tap, difficult to find – and a new water pump, flush and refill.
After a couple of adjustments to the hose clamps and everything is looking good, although with a non-working temperature gauge it’s still not easy to tell what’s happening temperature wise. A digital temperature gauge comes in handy and no sign of water loss is also promising!
The opportunity was also taken to clean up the fan and give it and the radiator supports a new coat of paint – photo to follow.
So now I had a car that was able to stay cool and not leak water, what next?
Well a few short drives and then…
mgb66 
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