Spider Waterpump/head gasket

[jonathang@domain.elided]

Hi Jeffrey...
>Subject: Waterpump/headgasket diagnosis, '84 Spider...

In my experience the oil pressure sender is usually the suspect if the gauge doesn't read - but check the electrics have good continuity.

>When I open the bleed valve on top of the throttle body, I get almost NO flow through the heater circuit.  Seems to run hot and will eventually vent coolant into the overflow reservoir.

I have seen a couple of heater cores almost completely choked with scale  - probably from the use of hard water in the cooling system and a dose of corrosion. One 1600 twin cam I dismantled had about 3 inches depth of gungy scale in the water jacket around the liners - not conducive to effective cooling. I'd previously flushed the engine as far as I could and was getting clear water out before stripping it down.

If it's overheating then do check that the ignition timing and mixture are correct - if it's too lean it'll cook.

My race car ran for a while with a high pressure cap and no expansion tank - and lost a lot of coolant several times - luckily without damage. Adding a small expansion tank and using a fixed cap on the rad cured the problem completely.

Jonathan Griffin
2.0 Super race car "Il Mattone Bianco"




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