She wants to tell me something

Over the past few weeks I have been using ‘t Kreng as much as possible to see how the engine and in particular the cooling system behaved. And on that note I took the car for a longer trip into neighbouring Belgium last Saturday afternoon and evening. This 370 kilometres overall trip turned out to be rather enjoyable. The car really came back to life again during this trip. And most importantly the cooling system looked like it was fully functional again. But after driving through some rather dark patches of forest I found that the temperature gauge had risen noticeably. My first thoughts were that this might be caused by the moist and cool air inside the forest, providing cool dense air to the fuel mixture and as such giving a leaner mixture. That wasn't really a satisfactory answer to the problem, but the only one I could come up with at that moment. Until I switched of the lights while coming out into the daylight that is! As soon as I flicked of the light switch the temperature gauge would drop back to its normal reading. So over the next few kilometres I did switch the lights on and of several times. And sure enough switching on the lights would increase the gauge’s readings. While the needle would drop immediately after the lights were switched of. And the clock also had a mind of its own, switching on and off rather randomly during the day!

It looks like the few years of idleness have had some impact on the cars electrics. So the first items to check will be the earth points and connectors of earth wires directly related to the lights and the light switch. This check can be combined nicely with a slightly overdue regular service. And of course use her more often! With that I already made a start, as I have covered well over a 1000 kilometres so far since fitting the new water pump. Which equals the mileage of the past two years together!

Stress test for ‘t Kreng’s cooling system

Today saw the final test for the cooling system of ‘t Kreng. And to be honest I wasn't looking forward to it! The weather forecast predicted temperatures off up to 32ºC in the area. Not very appealing from a driver’s comfort perspective. And with a measured maximum outdoor temperature of 31,4ºC it indeed was rather hot in the car. Though I needn’t have worried about the car itself or the cooling system. She behaved as if nothing had happened. With the water temperature gauge’s needle sitting rock steady at its normal position. But while waiting in a traffic cue at some roadworks I decided to capture the temperature gauge’s normal position. Guess what I noticed. And another pointer that I should use this car more often! (Since fitting the new water pump I have been using the car on a weekly basis. Covering on average 100 kilometres per week)

For the rest the driving even was fairly enjoyable despite the heat. And I decided to make a stop to take some pictures at an often used location for my cars;

‘t Kreng’s water pump

p.s. the damage to the spark plug caps was caused many years ago by a stone marten.
He/she was handled properly without any animals being harmed in the process!

The last time I reported on this subject there still was a small leak from the slot underneath the water pump. But it looked like it was starting to seal better after each drive. There was no noticeable drop in the coolant level every time I returned home. Though there would always be a tiny trace of coolant from the slot underneath the water pump. At least the driving always was nice!

On the driveway to the former fiefdom “Jongenhof” near Lerop - St. Odiliënberg.

A for the Euregio typical large carré farmhouse and former seat for a feudal lord.

Today I took the car for a 2½ hour drive, but not before I wiped of all traces of coolant from the slot. During this drive the temperature gauge remained rock steady at its normal position, with the needle just touching the ½ mark. The coolant light only lit up briefly when starting the car. And when I returned home late in the afternoon, there again was the mandatory check for any leaks. The slot and the area underneath were completely free of coolant traces. Success at last I hope. Time will tell!

Testing ‘t Kreng’s water pump

Over the past two weeks I have been using ‘t Kreng a few times for some local trips. So far the car has covered well over 200 kilometres since the new water pump was installed. There still is a slight water leak from the pump. But that has been gradually decreased over time. Though when I returned home from a longer drive last Saturday there again was a small trickle from the slot underneath the pump when I switched off the engine. The coolant level hadn’t dropped visibly though.

Another positive point is that the coolant light hasn’t come on during the various tours. That might partly be due to the fact that I polished the coolant level probe in the header tank before filling the system with coolant. And the temperature guage is fairly stable too. This might point to a better sealing water pump, causing less pressure changes in the coolant system. Fingers crossed!

Time for a tank full of RON 102 octane fuel

A TR7 filled weekend

Last week I managed to fit the new water pump. And this weekend I found some time to fill ‘t Kreng’s coolant system. And after leaving it overnight I found no leaks. Looks like a result!

So the final job for the Sunday morning was refitting the carburettors and the strut brace. After which it was time for a short 50+ kilometres test drive. And the car certainly did her name proud. After only a few kilometres the Low Coolant warning light came on! As the temperature gauge wasn’t even at its normal working position I decided to ignore the light for the time being. And sure enough the light switched off again a few seconds later. And the temperature gauge rose to it’s normal working position and remained there for the rest of the drive.

As it already was late in the afternoon the roads were fairly quiet despite the glorious weather. Time to enjoy the fine spring weather and the car’s still razor sharp handling.

And when I returned home early in the evening the much dreaded check for any leaks. There was a slight hissing sound coming from the hose connecting the header tank with the radiator. As that hadn’t been touched during the work carried out over the past few weeks, and there was no visible leak, that was ignored. But there was a tiny trace of coolant from the weep hole underneath the water pump. See how that develops over the coming weeks!

Another job on a rather TR7 filled weekend was preparing my last spare body for transport over to the work shop next weekend. This body is rust free but has extensive and badly repaired accident damage to the left hand front of the car. So this body will supply the necessary parts that will be needed to repair the various rusty areas of my DHC.

Fitting ‘t Kreng’s water pump

Two weeks ago I removed the water pump with the idea of reconditioning it again. But on closer inspection I found the new (after market) seal hadn't seated properly. This matched my hunch pretty well. So after exchanging some ideas with various people who should have knowledge on the subject, I decided to bite the bullet and go for a brand new water pump. And as these have become fairly expensive, I decided to also renew the water pump’s spindle bush. And with the correct tool, removing this bush should have been easy.

Sadly though that didn’t work. The available rim at the bottom of the bush was to thin the get enough grip on the bush, as a result the puller slipped through the bush constantly. And because of that the bush got damaged. As there was no way back it was time for a rethink and some appropriate brute force. Using an old reshaped screw driver as a cold chisel between the engine block and bush. It looked fairly crude and messy but it did the job without any damage to the block or the jack shaft. The bush did suffer though!

The remains of the original bush (#145022)

Halfway through the cleaning of the orifice for the spindle bush

After the bush was successfully removed and everything cleaned thoroughly it was time to fit the new bush. And with the aid of a small tool made from a damaged water pump axle and some lubrication, the bush could be gently tapped into position. At least that went quickly and without drama!

This also applied for the next job, fitting the water pump. Again all contact surfaces in the block and on the gears were lubricated. After which the pump slipped in without drama. I only had to help a little with a ring spanner on the impeller bolt (turned counter clockwise) to get the pump seated correctly.

Final jobs before the time ran out on Easter Sunday were measuring the required gasket thickness for the water pump cover, fit the cover and fit the inlet manifold. When I fitted the inlet manifold last year it felt like the threads of one of the mounting holes in the head was damaged. That's why I had mentally prepared myself for this job, and had a thread repair kit on hand. But I needn’t have worried. This time all (stainless) bolts went in without any problems!

Remain the final jobs for later in the coming week;

• Connect all hoses;

• Fill the system with coolant;

• Check for leaks;

• Refit the carburettors.

‘t Kreng’s water pump

Or the never-ending story continues! The last few times I drove this car last year, there remained a noticeable coolant loss. And unfortunately the leakage did not diminish, it started to get slightly worse. So I decided to bite the bullet and remove the water pump to check the condition of all the seals. Time to get the spanners out again!

The biggest advantage of working on a water pump that was fitted not so long ago is that everything comes of very easily. Even the pump itself could be removed simply with a ring spanner, turning the pump clock wise. Which meant that within an hour and a half the water pump was out again.

And with the pump out it was time for a first superficial inspection. I had hoped something obvious was wrong but there wasn’t. So somewhere in the coming week I’ll have to visit a friend’s work shop to use his hydraulic press to remove the impeller and check all parts in more detail. To be continued!

Daily duties for ‘t Kreng

Decided to try to use ‘t Kreng as much as possible to see if the water pump’s seal will finally “run in”. And as the weather forecast was rather nice for today I decided to use the car for my daily commute to work. And sure enough only a few kilometres from home the low coolant level light came on. Though it switched off within a kilometre or so, after which it came on every time I had to stop at traffic lights. Switching of when I pulled away from the traffic light. As the temperature gauge behaved normally I decided to enjoy the run to the office. And it was rather enjoyable, certainly helped by the glorious weather and autumn colours. And because it is the autumn holidays, there was enough space on the parking lot.

Spoorlaan Noord Roermond

The plan was to take the long way home after work. Sadly a project meeting scheduled for the afternoon lasted considerably longer than expected! As a result the journey home was limited to a 45 minute blast over some local country lanes. It again was rather enjoyable, and this time the coolant level light didn’t come on at all. Instead the temperature gauge rose to the halfway mark where it remained for the entire trip. I have a gut feeling that this subject will be continued here in the near future!

Eind Swalmen

Eikenbroeklaan Beesel

Bakheide Beesel

686 Kilometres

686 Kilometres is the distance ‘t Kreng covered since the refurbished water pump was fitted to that car a few months ago. So far the water pump has gradually started leaking less and less. Though it kept leaking noticeably, with the level in the header tank dropping by as much as 50mm after an almost 200 kilometre round trip. Also the coolant level light looks like it has a mind of its own. Often coming on when the engine is idling.

And during a short tour last weekend the low coolant light came on less than 5 kilometres from home. Not good! First thought was to return home and give the car a Viking burial, but I managed to resist the urge!

Instead of returning home, I stopped a little further down the road at a safe spot to check under the bonnet. And sure enough there was a noticeable trace of coolant from the slot underneath the pump. But removing the pressure cap, from the still fairly cold header tank, revealed a perfectly normal coolant level. So I decided to ignore the light and carry on!

Fast forward and I returned home over an hour and well over 60 kilometres later with the temperature gauge constantly sitting between the quarter and halfway mark. And the paper tissue I put in the slot underneath the water pump was soaked with coolant.

Time to let everything cool down properly and check the coolant level in the header tank the next day. Turned out the level had only dropped by 1 or 2 millimetres. So it looks like the new after market seal is starting to work at last. Though I am still not impressed by its design and build quality.

Remains the coolant level warning light to sort!. Which means looking into the way this works and why it comes on with the coolant in the header tank at a normal level. In short there is a steel probe sticking into the coolant. It uses the coolants conductivity to close the low level warning light’s circuit. When the level in the header tank drops below the probe, the resistance will increase, the circuit will be cut and the low coolant level light will come on. Inspecting the connectors from the wire running to the header tank’s coolant level probe, clearly showed some oxidation and dirt that had accumulated there over the many years the car’s been used. This was tackled with a few squirts of contact spray. Maybe I need to do the same with the wiring from the alternator. But that is for after the next drive, though that might be a few weeks away.

And to conclude this inspection, I had a look at the coolant level. It was still the same as last week. Also the tissue paper I put in the wheep hole underneath the water pump was completely dry. Compare this with the picture of the completely soaked tissue paper after last weekend’s drive when the coolant level dropped only marginal.

So it looks promising. Though I still don’t trust the car enough to take her on long runs. So the final control of the route and roadbook for next weekend’s “Nachtrit” will be done with the Land Rover again. So no pictures of a lovely dirty TR7 in my report next week!

After the final control of the route and the roadbook for the 2021 edition of the “Nachtrit”.

The Land Rover during the reconnaissance of the route for this year’s edition,

near Gouvy-Rogery, just north of the border with Luxemburg.

’t Kreng’s cooling system

Over the past few weeks I have been able to take ‘t Kreng out for a few short circa 100 kilometre drives. All to see how the coolant system developed with some regular use. The first two tours were not encouraging. The temperature gauge was rather erratic, with the needle constantly moving around. Though it never went over the ½ mark, it wasn’t very confidence inspiring! It might point to a small coolant leak or pressure loss. But it might as well be an electric problem. Also the low coolant level would light up when stopping at traffic lights. That could be explained by the slightly low coolant level, combined with some oxidation on the coolant level probe and the lower voltage when idling.

But first things first; checking for leaks again. And sure enough there were some traces of coolant visible on the radiator.

Luckily no visible leaks from the radiator itself, just some coolant hoses that could again be tightened a little (I have a tendency to tighten them only as much as is necessary to prevent damage to the ageing hoses). And a fair amount of roadkill on the front of the radiator!

And with that done I got in the car yesterday to drive over to a friend’s workshop to help with a problem with our car of choice for Club Triumph’s 10 Countries Run that starts Tuesday morning. This time the temperature gauge went up till the needle touched the ½ mark. And there it remained. Result! But during the outward journey the low coolant level light would lite up every time I had to stop at a traffic light. But the temperature gauge’s needle wouldn’t move.

And while going home via a long detour, after the work was finished, everything went quiet well. The temperature again stayed constant and the low coolant level light only came on ones, when negotiating a fairly tight and long 180° right hand corner at considerable speed! Hopefully all she needs now is a little top up of the coolant system. Time will tell. But first Club Triumph’s 10 Countries Run!