Work Starts

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Finally started work on reviving Midgie. Although perhaps not the most logical place to start, the cooling system was the area I felt most comfortable with, having had previous experience of replacing a radiator in a muddy field.

Not wanting to take chances with hoses that look ok on the outside, but may not be on the inside, I ordered a new set from MGOC Accessories. Having drained the system, I replaced each old hose, one at a time, with the new Kevlar re-inforced set.

Old set taken off…

…new set ready to go on

I also replaced the thermostat and gasket at the same time. The old gasket was in a sorry state, which reassured me in my decision to replace all the items rather than hope the old ones were good enough.

Nice clean engine bay…

…with nice clean hoses

Finally, I refilled the system. First in was a bottle of Water Wetter, which may be snake oil, but my research found some good reviews. Having had overheating problems with Land Rovers and a blown head gasket on my 406, I want any advantage I can get. I then filled up with a 25% mix of Halfords ‘advanced’ coolant. This bright pink coolant is supposed to last 5 years and, although I don’t really intend to leave it that long between changes, because the MG will not be a daily driver I wanted to pick fluids with some extra life in them.