1986 Vauxhall Carlton CDi, Cooling system overhaul.

[tooSavvy]

Would there not be an alternative fitting...?

Something that fits over the stat (std dia?) but 'clamp/bodgable' to fit tight....

🔨👌

[sutty2006]

10 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

What’s all the crap that’s congealed inside the alloy castings?  Anti freeze beyond its sell by date?

I take the path of least resistance with old VW’s.  You can get all this sort of stuff delivered next day.  I used to have to hunt around for Alfasud stuff.  It was always hard work finding parts and that was a decade ago.

More than likely. Or possibly mixed antifreeze as they congeal up when mixed. Odd how it’s all collected at the top of the thermostat (post thermostat) heading back into the radiator prior to cooling it down. It’s possibly been like that a while, as there’s a small hole through it where coolant has been passing. 
 

There’s a new one on eBay listed for a lotus Carlton. It’s the same apart from no bleed screw hole. This could potentially be drilled out and threaded. But £9.50 postage? Fuck me, That’s expensive. But it guess it’ll have to be purchased! 

[MJK 24]

The £42 would irritate more more than the £9.50 I think!

[sutty2006]

32 minutes ago, MJK 24 said:

The £42 would irritate more more than the £9.50 I think!

Yeah the price is high, but for a parts that’s pretty much unobtainable now, I’ve no choice, but postage on that should be a fiver max. It cost me £9.05 to send 4 pistons and a clutch cable to Northern Ireland last week first class signed for. 

[sutty2006]

Fuck sake I could kick myself sometimes. 
 

new stat housing arrive yesterday. Could have sworn I’d seen a new stat somewhere in the box of spares. Nothing in the box, looking through the car I found a bag, in the boot, with this inside 

 

 

52 quid lighter and I’d already got one in the boot! Need to give my head a shake. 

[stuboy]

13 minutes ago, sutty2006 said:

52 quid lighter and I’d already got one in the boot! Need to give my head a shake.

put the expensive one on the mantlepiece with the other ornaments

[Matty]

On 8/7/2022 at 11:15 AM, sutty2006 said:

Aaaaannnnnnnd it’s broken. 
 

the corrosion must have been keeping this together. It’s also gone thin in places and weak. Now the hunt begins for a replacement. That’s gonna set me back I recon. 
 

 

thought I’d clean it anyway just incase I end up having it ally welded back into place. 
 

 

this is some of the gunk that came out of it. 
 

 

finding parts for these cars proves difficult due to its undesirable status and because no one really restores them apart from a couple of us 🤣

One for the alloys don't corrode brigade 🙂

[camryv6]

23 hours ago, stuboy said:

put the expensive one on the mantlepiece with the other ornaments

Ebay it, there might be a Carlton owner looking for one............................oh that was you 😆

[sutty2006]

Well it’s nearly built up now. Had to remove the radiator then loosen the crank pulley to allow me to get my fingers in to put the bottom bolt in. Which I lost somewhere, luckily I have a box full of CIH nuts n bolts so a spare was easily found. 
 

the radiator is drained and flushed with a hose pipe, a little orange gunk came out but not too much. 
 

all I’m waiting for now is the thermostat housing to be drilled and tapped for the bleed screw and fingers crossed the cooling system should be good to go.