At long last....

Nice one Paul, hope all goes well

That is good news Paul.  I assume both you and the car will be "running in" this weekend.  Don't forget when that white van overtakes you just give him a cheery wave and hope he can't lip read.

I picked up the number plates for the Cobra this morning so I guess I will christen it as well very soon. Must confess to being a little nervous about actually taking it on the road.  At present there is no oil pressure gauge or tachometer fitted so am running a little blind I guess.  It will be a keen eye on the temperature gauge and keen ear listening for knocks that should not be there.

I'm sure you'll be fine Byron. As I've said before, these aren’t complex engines and while all Cobras had oil pressure gauges and tachos in period, the vast majority of cars using these engines had nothing more than an oil pressure warning light and tachos were only generally fitted to top-end models or as optional extras.

Paul

I wouldn’t describe them as complex, personally. 

Anyway, the curse of the capillary gauge strikes again. My water temp gauge now no longer reads above 60C, checked against a thermometer at 100C, so it’s back to Speedycables for repair. That’s the 5th Cobra temp gauge I’ve had fail, so I wouldn’t rely on yours too much!

Sorry Roger, that’s a typo, it should have been “aren’t complex engines“.

Now corrected.

I suppose an electronic gauge is out of the question for you?

Paul

Posted by: Paul Blore

 

I suppose an electronic gauge is out of the question for you?

Paul

OK - I'm going to let you have a minute to think about that question, and then decide whether you want to ask it again or not.

I've got to the point with these now where I have two identical gauges, so one can be in the car whilst the other's away being repaired.

I can't see it's anything I'm doing as the capillary pipe has two turns to the sensor bulb, of about 4" diameter, and is then held firmly but gently every 9-12" or so by a rubber-lined P clip.  It goes near no sharp edges or very hot components such as the exhaust.  I've had these things in my cars since 1973 (Frogeye Sprite) and never had an issue with them, but in both my Hawk and my present car they have been a nightmare.  The transmitter liquid is clearly different from old which may have something to do with it.  It's hard to know how many others have this problem, as when the gauge fails it simply won't go any further than 70-80°, so most owners just assume everything's OK and leave it alone.  I was talking to someone the other day about it, and he said he'd never had any problems with them, his engine coolant temp was always fine and safe at 80°C.  I suggested he test the bulb in a kettle - guess what?  His kettle boils water at 80°C, apparently.

Posted by: Roger King

Posted by: Paul Blore

 

I suppose an electronic gauge is out of the question for you?

Paul

OK - I'm going to let you have a minute to think about that question, and then decide whether you want to ask it again or not.

Even though it had a question mark at the end, it was more of a statement really as I definitely already knew the answer.  😉

I must step in here as I seem to have sparked this discussion and confess that my temperature gauge is electrically driven. Hence reliable lets hope !

Regarding capillary gauges I take your point Roger they were reliable in period. I think I did change mine on the Healey in the eighties but only because I broke it. The replacement has been going strong for around 30 years now.  When you switch off the engine after a run then the temperature showing always goes up by ten or more degrees with capillary gauges, which is a good indicator as to wether or not they are still functioning properly. 

It’s been a very good day. 😁

It started with David Beck taking me over to RH Classics in his lovely 289 to collect my Dino Ferrari from its winter hibernation. Richard had given it a good polish and it looked fabulous sitting in the sun waiting for me.

It had been running for a while before we got there, so it was nicely warned up by the time we left. It was great to get behind the wheel again and enjoy the beautifully balanced handling. The run back was fantastic and we arrived back home safe and sound.

We then pulled the Cobra out and headed off in a two Cobra convoy with Dave & Jo to a nice pub for lunch on the edge of the Vale of Belvoir. This was the first run out in it for over 10 months and I was immediately reminded of what a great car it is. The new cam is great with really sharp responses and an endless torrent of torque when asked.

The pace picked up a bit on the return journey as I settled back into it and it ran faultlessly.

The final bit of good news is that my arm was fine throughout, so we’re good to go for next weekend’s trip.

Paul

Posted by: Roger King

I've got to the point with these now where I have two identical gauges, so one can be in the car whilst the other's away being repaired.

I can't see it's anything I'm doing as the capillary pipe has two turns to the sensor bulb, of about 4" diameter, and is then held firmly but gently every 9-12" or so by a rubber-lined P clip.  It goes near no sharp edges or very hot components such as the exhaust.  I've had these things in my cars since 1973 (Frogeye Sprite) and never had an issue with them, but in both my Hawk and my present car they have been a nightmare.  The transmitter liquid is clearly different from old which may have something to do with it.  It's hard to know how many others have this problem, as when the gauge fails it simply won't go any further than 70-80°, so most owners just assume everything's OK and leave it alone.  I was talking to someone the other day about it, and he said he'd never had any problems with them, his engine coolant temp was always fine and safe at 80°C.  I suggested he test the bulb in a kettle - guess what?  His kettle boils water at 80°C, apparently.

Could it be the Evans coolant Roger?

I can't see how, Colin - the capillary sensor is just dipped in it, there's no contact with the transmitter fluid.  And I've been getting failures with the oil temp gauges, too, which obviously don't see any coolant.  I hope.