The 'E' Type Forum

My first question is about the way of the starter cable from the battery place to the starter motor: must it go Under the motor beetween motor and reaction plate or must it go upper in front the bulkhead and behind the motor ?






My second Problem concern the middle carb.: After filling for the first time 15 liters of coolant in the tank
the coolant arrived in the middle carb ( not in the front one and the rear one !!!!) Y don't understand how it's possible to have coolant in the carb?
there must be an explanation.....

The starter cable goes around the FRONT of the engine, along the lower engine frames.

Coolant in the carb means that you have a manifold leak. Most likely it is from a gasket but it is possible that the manifold is cracked and leaks internally.

Make sure the cable is secure along its whole length and cannot vibrate or chaff anywhere. It is unfused and a short would be spectacular and very bad. Not a bad idea to run it in an outer sheath of flexible conduit cable for an extra layer of protection. Julian

Hi Lataud, your coolant leak is as the others mention but check the gasket is the right type (ie not cut from exhaust gasket material - as I had in a new gasket set ! - I have mentioned this before on the forum)

Barrie

Hi Barry, my gasquets come from SNGB and they seem to be made with the right material......
Y think i'll take out and check the inlet manifold , and if it is with a leak Inside, y don't know how i'll fit it ?

:(

Y don't understand something.... If it is a leak at the gasquet , the coolant should bleed outside the manifold ! the coolant Inside result of a leak in the manifold metal ....am y wrong?

I doubt it is the gasket. The manifold can become porous or eroded and all it requires is a small hole for water to start seeping through. Ideally you need to pressure test the part whilst using some soapy water as a witness. Is the part new or original?

I have seen this twice before - once was on Angus' new Burlen manifold which had a casting flaw. The other, more serious, was where the cylinder head had become porous allowing coolant into the cylinder but that manifested itself as water vapour and drips from the tail pipe with the engine running. A new cylinder head was the only option.

The part is the original one that y have sand blasted before refitting.

Then my guess is you have a hole - the sandblasting will have removed all the scale and corrosion exposing any flaw. Not sure you will be able to get it repaired economically so you will need a new one I fear.

It Is possible to have a leak beetween 1 and 2 by a leak in the gasket 3 which is fitted beetween the manifold and the motorhead ? Except the porous metal as you say Heuer

Yves,
The leak might be at the interface between the manifold and the block, wrong seating of the gasket or damaged contact surface.

Do you know where y can buy a new one....? not at SNGB or Angloparts....

Ralph, y hope you'r right !

You could try Burlen but do the testing first.

Yves, if you have an endoscope camera: furst dry out the coolant then push the camera and pressurize the circuit slightly. You should be able to see the flow.

Y have opened the carb and that's what y see:

Y have taken apart the carb and the manifold and had a look Inside the motor...... and some coolant has gone Inside .... y don't know how much but y see some coolant deposit on the valves.


Y feel really down, until yesterday y expected to start the motor.....
Y'll go on my piano and play "in the mood"
Y must now test the manifold, may be with some fluoresceine liquid

Before getting too discouraged, lay a straight rule across the face of the manifold in several places. One of my E-Types suffered the same problem and the cause was a slightly warped manifold. A light pass with the milling machine cured the problem.

Not only is it possible, it is the most likely cause by far, through poor assembly causing damage to a gasket. Y assume it is what people meant who said 'gasket' because it happens on 4.2 engines as well. Y would be glad you found it before a cylinder filled up and the engine cranked...

Sorry but my knowledge of English is not as good to understand what you say by :lay a straight rule , may be you mean to verify if the surface of the metal is plane and so y must rectify it to be very plane and the other thing that Peter says is to be sure that the gasket is ok