Brakes

[Pete Grey]

Anyone with a BOV or any vehicle that may be parked up for any time, leave in gear and chock the wheels, do not park with the hand (parking) brake on hard as the brakes may lock on, nearly caught me out.

[Mortblanc]

I had the same thing happen to me.

I have a little Japanese hot rod that has the big Brimbo brakes. I made the mistake of leaving it sitting for a month with the parking brake set.

I had to spray it with penetrating oil and work it over well before they would release and allow the vehicle to move.

[Pete Grey]

Have just ordered some “4 Life” radiator coolant, 180C boiling point and frost protection to -42C, 10years life. For a BOV or any vehicle that stands a lot it will eliminate a few worries.

[Mortblanc]

If an engine gets up to 180c it is cooked no matter what coolant is running through the pipes.

At 180c your oil is going to cook off and the engine will blow.

That is along with the transmission fluid boiling, but you guys do not use automatic transmissions so I suppose you do not have that problem.

Back in the 1980s we used to have a problem called "flash overheating" where the high reving engines, especially the Toyotas of that era, would suddenly shoot up in temp and cook the oil to sludge. It was a combination of small radiators and poor oil performance.

It usually resulted in a rod going thorough the engine block. Oil technology had not caught up with the engine capabilities. You do not hear about it much any more. We now have better oils and recommended maintenance schedules are tighter.

[Lightspeed]

BOV is Automatic here MB.

I stick with recommended coolant, and change it every three years or so as per service recommendation.

I'm not sure about the for life coolants. I'd be worried that they have the correct corrosion inhibitors for a particular engine, as this is the a crucial determinant of the manufactureres' original choice.

BTW at ten years its also a good idea to reverse flush radiators and replace thermostats, hoses and temperature senders.

While considering vehicles left standing for lengthy periods, we must also remember that brake fluid sucks in water content over time leading to corrosion in the disc calliper cylinders and pistons, and worse, vapour locking in use. A partial solution is to change the fluid for new when laying up the vehicle and to put cling film under the reservoir cap to seal the system (but remember to remove it before using the vehicle). Same applies to hydraulic clutch systems.

Also for stood up vehicles, tyre flat-spotting can become an issue quite quickly

[Pete Grey]

4 Life coolant is recommended by the MG owners club of which i am a member. It has the nesessary corrosion inhibitors and also indicates a blown head gasket. It boils at 180C so i know in a hot summer if i get stuck in a traffic jam the radiator will NEVER boil over. With -42C it will NEVER freeze, peace of mind.

[Mortblanc]

Sorry Pete, but never boil over does not equal never overheat.

Your engine is designed to operate inside a narrow heat band no matter what fluid is used for coolant. Your thermostat and the pressure cap do the most to control the temperature of the engine, not the type of coolant you insert into the system.

My Jeep operates at 98c in a system under pressure, just like a pressure cooker. It must reach a temperature above 125c to "boil" and it will only do that if the system leaks.

The temperature gauge shows the danger zone beginning at around 125c. Once the temperature enters that zone the parts are reaching their design tolerances and things begin shrinking, warping and leaking due to excessive heat and pressure. They can do that with no steam shooting out of the bonnet, no fluid leaking on the ground, nothing "boiling", and the system fully enclosed.

An engine with aluminum block and/or heads will be trashed on the first incident. The old cast iron block and head engines were a bit better at tolerating overheating but not by much. Usually their head gaskets went first followed by a warped head.

Sometimes the head gasket would blow across the divider between oil and water channels, allowing coolant under pressure into the oil system. That type blown gasket would not show a leak or steam. The water in the oil would cause it to foam up and a rod would soon be knocking or poking out the side of the block.

When the aluminum block engines first appeared in American cars, back in the 1960s, I remember my mechanic warning me that I needed a temperature gauge rather than the indicator lights on the dashboard. His explanation was that when the temp light came on it was telling me I needed a new engine!

Put what you wish into the coolant system but remember to keep your eye on that temperature gauge no matter what mixture you use.

Freezing is an entirely different matter and the worry there is simple chemistry. The coolant freezes when it is sitting and not running through the system. Almost any good coolant will protect to -40.

The real test is when you are at -40c, or even -10c, outside temp and heading down the highway at 90kph and the wind chill hits -90 against that radiator! That is why the lorry drivers have those zip up screens on the front of their rigs in winter.

I remember back during my childhood folks would use a cardboard barrier in front of the radiator to protect it from wind chill freezing. I once froze a Chevy pickup as I drove down the road. I also had the same thing happen in a big Buick Estate Wagon back in the 1970s. You guys would have a field day over that vehicle. 5 meters long, 2 meters wide, 7.5L engine and seated 10 in comfort!

I actually never ran into the freezing on the roadway issue until the temps were down below -20c when no sane person should be out anyway.

Now that I am retired I do have an issue with flat spotting tires. Sometimes I do not drive my daily use vehicle for several days at a stretch and often my Jeep sits for a couple of weeks. The Jeep usually behaves like it has square wheels for the first 5 minutes or so. The fact that is has huge steel radials on rough treads does not help. Sometimes I feel like I am riding one of those big bouncy balloons you sit on and hop. Boing...boing...boing...

My experiences with brake systems is that they are good for corrosion resistance for about 15 years. At that point they need complete system replacement. If you like to take risks you can stretch it to 20 years but bad things will be in store. At 20 years all that is holding the lines together is the rust.

A couple of years ago I hit the brake pedal on the Jeep and actually heard the line POP! Instant and complete loss of brakes!

I got under the vehicle and discovered the entire system was shot. It had to be replaced from the master cylinder to the wheels. New lines, fittings, calipers, pads and drum shoes. Even doing part of the work myself the cost was $600U.S.

Actually it was closer to $5k with the medical bills for the repair of my back, the doctor visits, medications,,,,, I am too old for this $h!t.

[Pete Grey]

All i want to know is on a cold winter morning i can jump in my vehicle and drive off and if i’m stuck in a traffic jam on hot summer day i will not have steam coming from the bonnet, this coolant betters my chances and gives me peace of mind.

[Straight Shooter]

Sounds good to me Pete, and makes sense for our UK mindset , equally MB has valid points (for here) but mostly where he is at ...by our standards ...his standards are extreme ......deep love !!