Fully paid up at last

["Slack Alice" Simon]

When I ground away the stops the steering drop arm would then go over centre, and you then get reversal of the steering with respect to the wheel movement.

Very disconcerting.   

The stops went back on.

[Dave Wortley]

Simon, just had the same problem on my Cheapskate Special on the morning before the new owner was collecting it. Very disconcerting as you say. Brown trouser moment as I was just driving down into our yard and nearly hit the house wall. Fixed by welding a 5mm plate on the radius arm.
Cheers,
Dave.

[PedigreeChummy]

Thanks for all the info, gents, this really is a great source of help and advice, and a very community centric forum, much like the spirit intended for our little cars...

Thanks for the comments, Ruairidh. They say there's a novel in everyone, maybe mine is itching to get out. And dare I ask how you pronounce your name? Is it a Celtic version of "Rory"?

An update on the "rubbing"... certainly only occurring on turning left, but is at its worst nowhere near full lock, so I've discounted the tyres (no signs of rubbing anywhere) and any extended lock modifications. It starts probably at about 10-15 degrees of turn of the wheel to the left and is like a woof woof woof sound (in the key of B flat minor.... joke), so I'm wondering if it's a wheel bearing on its last legs, graunching a bit under sideways force. There doesn't appear to be any play in the wheel when rocked by hand. Anyway, I'll dismantle the hub later today and see if there's anything amiss.

Just looking in the parts diagrams, there seems to be a lot of use of felt washers around the car, including in the hubs. Is that something characteristic of the era, before plastic bushes and seals etc. came in?

As for the rad, definitely going to have a good long flush of that and put the uprated "tropical" fan on. It's blowing a little through the cap after a long run uphill, and slightly patchy in terms of heat distribution. With a lot of the inclines round here, an efficient (by 30s standards...) cooling system is a must.... takes me back to my youth again and the mentions of "Parbold Hill" if that means anything to anyone out there.

Whisper it, but is anyone using a modern auxiliary fan on a thermostat? A couple of small bike ones might do the trick.

["Slack Alice" Simon]

You shouldn't need more fans, Austins with standard engines are, if anything, overcooled.

As others have said, almost certainly the cooling system has detritus in it.

The timing being wrong can also cause overheating.

Yes, felts are the early version of oil seals, modern replacements are available for the felts, I tend to stick with the originals.

Can't help with the rubbing noise, if it was the drum rubbing the backplate it wouldn't be a deep tone.

I'd check wheel nuts, hub nut and spokes and keep driving until it became obvious what the cause is.

[Howard Wright]

Hi and Welcome

Remember you should use the proper hub puller to take the hub off (although front hubs do tend to come off more easily than the rears). A three arm puller can easily bend the narrow flanges of Austin hubs.

I use lip seals in place of the felt ones if only as they don't need soaking in oil overnight before using!

Strangely enough electric fans are allowed under VSCC rules which always seems a bit odd to me. I would take things one step at a time.  You'll probably find a good clean out of the rad solves everything.  Oh and invest in a Boyce Motometer temperature gauge that fits in the rad cap.  You can then tell quite accurately when the engine starts to run hot (or cold).

Finally noises that seem to come from one part of the car often come from another, particularly in an open car.  Make sure you've narrowed the noise down to the front!  It could be the rear tyre rubbing!

Cheers

Howard

[Bob Culver]

A thooughly ovrheated modern alloy head engine is usually terminated but boiling was not considered abnormal years ago. The trouble starts when water level gets very low or nil. On one of the more arduous and remote routes here had water troghs on the hills to the late 40s at least. (Napier-Taupo)

[Chris KC]

I have given thought to clip-on fans in the past but as others have said they are really not necessary, or at least don't address the root of the issue. My car was transformed by a proper flush. When I say 'proper', I mean it was stripped down and bits of wire poked around inside the block and so forth. I'm glad I did strip it because the chemical flush I had done before dismantling more or less blocked the side water manifold completely (just thought I'd say that again for emphasis...) My car has a 'small' radiator and the whole system is barely 5 1/2 pints but it now runs cool.

With apologies to Howard I don't quite share his faith in Motometers, many's the time I've been forced off the road with plumes of steam spouting from the radiator cap and my old calormeter blithely indicating 'normal'. At the very least test it and make sure it works! In the mountains it will be constantly pointing at 'hot' anyway and when a boil happens it comes up upon you fairly fast.

An old trick was to get the engine hot then mist water spray over the front of the radiator, you can then observe whether any areas of the core are running hot or cold by observing the rate of evaporation. It can flag up a blockage or otherwise compromised area of the core.

[Duncan Grimmond]

Where in the Pyrenees? I've just come back from a rally there, we were based in Arreau and spent a few days going over cols and round windey, climby roads. Saw very few period cars, just the odd 2CV and 4L

[Charles P]

Whisper it, but is anyone using a modern auxiliary fan on a thermostat? A couple of small bike ones might do the trick.

Yes a modern "fake Kenlowe" but not with a thermostat. I have a temperature gauge and a switch.
The blown engine creates prodigious amounts of heat and slow moving traffic in town centres after a fast run can be a boiler, as can an unexpected delay in the paddock queue when properly warmed up.

Charles

[PedigreeChummy]

   
Thanks for all the extra tips, gentlemen The rad flush and extensive clean out (thanks Chris!) will be on the list, along with an upgrade to the 4 blade fan, then we'll take it from there on the cooling side.

Rain has stopped play on the exploratory work so far, but we are due a 30+ degree heatwave so will need to get on it with it next week.

Bob, thanks for the anecdote about the Napier road... weirdly I was an ace away from moving there about 10 years ago, until the house price crash in the UK in 2008 put paid to it. I was looking forward to it... the art deco surroundings and the beauty of Hawke's Bay.

Hello Duncan... glad you enjoyed your trip. I am further over than that... more to the east towards Andorra but not a million miles from where you were. The roads are a dream... especially on a bike. You didn't come across THIS 2cv did you?