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!

Club Triumph's Coast-2-Coast Run 2025

Last weekend saw the 2025 edition of Club Triumph’s Coast-2-Coast Run. I hadn’t done this event till date. So when I was asked by Howard to co-drive with him in the course car I couldn’t refuse. Initial plan was to use his TR7-V8 (the late Paul Darbyshire’s car). But it turned out the wiring on that car wasn’t fit for purpose yet. Long story short; the course car was a bland but reliable modern Japanese car, a Suzuki Vitara. Which was a good thing! Being the course car we set of 2 hours before the start of the event. And as such we got the full brunt of a rain/thunder storm while traveling through the Yorkshire Dales. But the Suzuki took it all in its stride. Glad that the entrants traveling two hours behind, missed it!

But the biggest disadvantage of course was that being two hours up front, we missed the start at Ulverston and the cars at the half way stop in Doncaster. So only a few pictures of the cars arriving at the start (at the Lakeland Motor Museum in Ulverston) and the finish at the East Anglia Transport Museum in Lowestoft. To begin at the start of the event in Ulverton;

And a few from the finish at the East Anglia Transport Museum in Lowestoft;

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

35th edition of the LTV Nachtrit

It’s that time of year again; Autumn, Halloween, All Souls, Saint Martin's Day. But most importantly the “LTV Nachtrit” of course. And yesterday evening (Saturday the 26th of October) saw the already 35th edition of this night time navigational rally.

Last year we had a pretty strong field of participants, with 39 teams heading into the night. Sadly this year we were down on entries, but there were still 26 teams that set off into the night for a very nice selection of roads through Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. It was a rather international entry list, with entrants coming from the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands!

Contrary to previous editions there was no official halfway stop. Though the 264 kilometre long route could be split up for a meal and a rest wherever the teams wanted. And as in the previous editions, the navigation was with the help of a roadbook that used tulip diagrams.

But first there was the final check of the route for any last minute road works or diversions. Which meant an early start of the day for my navigator and me. Luckily there were no real problems there. Also no signs pointing in that direction. Though it later turned out that, due to a Halloween procession, traffic was held up for a while in the village of Theux. But that was still a few hours in the future. In the meantime we were able to enjoy the fine weather and the beautiful autumn scenery!

And the participants were lucky with the weather too, clear skies and dry. So no slippery roads to catch them out! And of course being dark they missed out on the views. But that should give them a good excuse to return and drive the route in day time! A few pictures of the varied field of participants at the start at the Abbey of Rolduc;

1954 Triumph TR2

1959 Triumph TR3A

1960 Sunbeam Alpine

1967 Porsche 9121

1978 Renault 5 Alpine

Two original Dutch 1982 Triumph TR7 Coupés

1993 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS U9

And few pictures of some of the other entrants in the parking area on the grounds of the Rolduc Abbey:

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.