MGB Register Forum

The hose looks like it's not fitted properly. It's best to renew all hoses including the heater and engine breather hoses.
It looks like you've got a healthy engine but it needs an oil and filter change and a cooling system flush through and of course a new thermostat. The thermostat housing may well be difficult to remove. Undo the nuts and dribble Plus Gas down the studs and leave overnight. A bar through the hose opening and careful levering should release it.New hose clips are essential and get the worm drive Jubilee ones. Replace the rubber fuel lines. I got my fuel lines from BFS in Salisbury as they are proofed against the modern rubbish called petrol.
Oh for 5 star. I have to run mine on V Power which is 99 octane but in the good old days of proper cars 101 octane was available.
The flexible brake hoses, wheel cylinders and front brake calipers are best replaced after the long lay up and check the metal brake pipes for rust and replace with copper ones.
The clutch flexible hose will also require attention as will the clutch slave and master cylinder and the brake master cylinder and servo
Don't forget the short flexible hose emerging from the offside rear of the engine to the bulkhead. This carries the engine oil to the pressure gauge and after hearing various failure stories I checked mine and although it looked OK, on closer inspection the unions were starting to separate. I ordered a replacement from Stevson in Birmingham. It's slightly longer and reinforced.
Best of luck. Recommissioning a laid up vehicle to roadworthy condition to take a lot of time. Don't skimp on cheap and nasty eBay parts. Use an MG specialist.

Hi Vic

The Top Hose was fitted properly but when the water started to get hot, the pressure in the system built up to such an extent that it tried to blow the Top Hose off the Thermostat Housing

Water Pump is working OK as is the Alternator which unless you can think of anything else leave only Two things it could be

(1) Thermostat Not opening

(2) Blown Head Gasket

The Bolts on the Thermostat Housing don't want to come undone, so I'm thinking of trying an Impact Rattle Gun

Many Thanks

John

Soak the nuts in Plus Gas overnight and then try a bit of gentle persuasion with a ring spanner. Too much and you risk breaking the studs and they can be difficult to extract. Patience is a requirement.
How do you know the water pump is working? In 2006 I was driving my BGT when the temperature gauge shot into the red sector. I checked the fan belt which was OK and there were no water leaks. I got home all right and on removing the water pump I discovered the drive to the impeller had sheared so the pump seemed to be working but wasn't. This can happen especially if the vehicle doesn't get used a lot and because yours has been laid up that could be a possibility.
It's probably a good idea to remove the head anyway and get it overhauled and converted to unleaded. Don't go for cheap gasket sets, get a well known make eg Payen.

Hi Vic

It could well be the Internals of the Water Pump as you say, although it might be best to take the Thermostat Housing off First as after 20 years of Standing the Thermostat could be seized up

This is theoretically the easiest job of the Two

So I'll try that first

John thermostats are designed to fail in the open position so that the coolant can still flow.
On the driver's side of the engine at the rear near where the pipe to the oil pressure gauge is, you'll see a hexagonal blanking plug. This is the drain for the coolant. Try undoing it and see if anything comes out as it invariably gets blocked with sediment which usually turns solid and can take some shifting.

Hi Vic

Cheers! I'll take a look

John

Mid-November and will be soon putting our ‘B’ to bed in our garage for the winter.
It’s been suggested by the Classic Cars specialist I use that I take the following precautions:

1) Fill the fuel tank to maximum to prevent any condensation build
2) To prevent causing tyre flat-spots and/or mis-shaping to inflate tyres to 60psi
3) Connect an auto shutoff trickle charger positive lead to positive terminal on fully charged 6v battery No.1 and negative lead to negative terminal on fully charged 6v battery No.2. Our B is negative earth.

All in agreement?

KR

Malcolm

There is nothing on your list which is unreasonable to do if you are laying up the car over the winter. However you should be aware that fuels with ethanol in them (which I think is now all petrol in the UK according to the new labelling on the pumps) have a shelf life and they degrade over time. Premium Unleaded is bad enough but should last around 6 months. Super Unleaded is about half that time according to Shell. You know if it has degraded badly as the engine won't run right when you start it up from its sleep. Usually people add some fresh petrol and all is ok but if you brim the tank there won't be enough room to put more fuel in. I try and leave my roadster with 1/4 to 1/2 a tank and add another 5 litres using a can when spring comes round.
Most people on here would recommend always using Super Unleaded - Shell and BP are 98 RON, Esso is 97RON and TESCO is 99RON but may not contain the full set of additives that the others have (so claim Shell, BP, Esso etc...)
Whilst on the subject of ethanol fuels do you know when the fuel lines, pump and parts of the carburettors were replaced? If not the ethanol will rot any rubber in the system (so flexible fuel lines, pump diaphragm, seals in the carbs) and absorbed water rusts the steel pipe from the pump to the bulkhead. If you don't know when these were changed I suggest you plan to do so when possible. All SU pumps and carburettor overhaul parts are now ethanol compatible, and replacement flexible hoses (including the braided ones) are suitable for ethanol and the replacement for the steel pipe is now copper (or something like that!). The risk is a serious fuel fire!

Thanks for posting Pete.
Along with several electrical wiring renewals and an electronic ignition installed that has massively improved starting - first time every time even after 2/3 weeks being idle, we also at the same time last month had all the fuel lines renewed but not the SU carburettors. I use regular unleaded petrol and add a measured lead substitute 1ml per litre.

Hi Malcolm and Julien
You don't need to change the carburettors. All you need to do is use a rebuild kit from Burlen Fuel Systems. Contact them on 01722 412500 and ask them what needs to be done to ensure the carbs are ethanol compliant. They might recommend an overhaul kit or just a gasket kit with new valves for the float chambers.
Easy to do yourself but if you do only take one carb to pieces at a time. That way you will have the other one to look at if you get a problem!
Pete