It’s been a fairly busy week from my car’s point of view. Of course there were the extensively covered issues with the leaking water pump and the parts suppliers. But it seems that since yesterday evening I have again a functional TR7. First there was another check of the coolant system for leaks. Again there were none, though the coolant level needed topping up a little. Probably caused by some air in the system that escaped over the past 24 hours. And after a quick check of the other fluid levels (oil, brakes and clutch) it was time for a short test drive. The car behaved quite good, though by the time the thermostat opened the temperature rose slightly and started wavering a little! But it never got over the ½ mark. It actually looked like a small pressure loss and as the coolant level light stayed off, I decided to enjoy the drive a little longer.
And when I got back home after an hour or so it was time to investigate the engine bay. And sure enough there were two small leaks. Both around the thermostat cover. First one being the thermostat cover gasket. This didn’t come as a surprise as it is a cardboard gasket. With the coolant system fully topped up and the engine getting on temperature the gasket gets soaked and gets soft. As a result the two mounting bolts came lose a little. Easy to rectify with a ½ AF ring spanner. And while I was at it I also checked and tightened all inlet manifold bolts. They all could be tightened a little. The second leak also came from the thermostat cover. From the hose between thermostat cover and the radiator. Turned out the jubilee clip also had come slightly lose after everything had warmed up. Again an easy one to rectify.
Next call was for the car’s biennial APK (or MOT for those in the UK) early this morning. I usually stay with the car, but this time I dropped of the car at a friend’s workshop and APK station. After which I immediately headed home with one of his cars to pick up the next car in line for its APK and a full annual service, my little Landy. And when I returned at his workshop I found ‘t Kreng waiting outside in the shade. Another clean pass with no necessary repairs or advisories.
Time to head to the office through dense commuter and holiday traffic caused by major road works on and closure of the main motorway running through the area. And here ‘t Kreng managed to live up to her name. With the temperature gauge in its normal position, the coolant level warning light decided to brighten everything up a bit by switching on and of several times. Not good for my stress levels. Luckily the temperature gauge stayed were it should, so I decided to give my trust to the gauge instead of the light. About half an hour later I reached the office where the car could grace the parking area. The temperature gauge still showed just shy of the ½ mark.
I made a mental note to check everything before I would leave for an appointment outside the office. But the various schedules ran into each other. So I got into the car and drove off. And sure enough the coolant level light came on a few times. But again the temperature gauge remained rock steady, just shy of the ½ mark. Upon returning home I decided to let everything cool down a little before inspecting the engine bay ones again. And again no visible leaks though the coolant level in the header tank was on the low side, though not worryingly low. That combined with some possible light corrosion on the coolant level sender might explain the random behaviour of the coolant level warning light. But that should be fairly easy to rectify. Time will tell!
And over the past week both my road going cars were also subjected to their triennial appraisal for the insurance. ‘t Kreng was still immobile when the appraiser came. Luckily he knows the car so the value remained the same. But the appraisal gave me a good reason to spend some more time on my cars. And it was a nice opportunity for a little photoshoot of my Defender.
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