work starts

17th January, 2006 by Jonathan

Finally started work on reviving Midgie. Although perhaps not the most logical place to start, the cooling system was the area I felt most comfortable with, having had previous experience of replacing a radiator in a muddy field.

Not wanting to take chances with hoses that look ok on the outside, but may not be on the inside, I ordered a new set from MGOC Accessories. Having drained the system, I replaced each old hose, one at a time, with the new Kevlar re-inforced set.

I also replaced the thermostat and gasket at the same time. The old gasket was in a sorry state, which reassured me in my decision to replace all the items rather than hope the old ones were good enough.

Finally, I refilled the system. First in was a bottle of Water Wetter, which may be snake oil, but my research found some good reviews. Having had overheating problems with Land Rovers and a blown head gasket on my 406, I want any advantage I can get. I then filled up with a 25% mix of Halfords ‘advanced’ coolant. This bright pink coolant is supposed to last 5 years and, although I don’t really intend to leave it that long between changes, because the MG will not be a daily driver I wanted to pick fluids with some extra life in them.

Today’s drugs of choice

Total… £168.60