Andymoltu

Great that's exactly what I was hoping to hear as it means mine is on right! The workshop manuals don't show the orientation and all I've found on the net is a hazy "sketch" that shows the adjuster as a dotted line behind the shoe. It was seeing the photo that made me question myself as I'm shure I looked a the shoes & adjusters in the past and came to the same conclusion as you did about the pull off spring. Many thanks.   Andy

Ever since I've had the car the handbrake has been pants which I gather is par for the course to an extent. Shoes fine, wheel cylinders fine, new cables and now new levers. However the cable is at it's max adjust. Set the cable after removing cables and can hear the self adjusters ratcheting after backing off and stomping on the pedal. Left puzzled as to why it is at the extreme of cable adjustment. Been looking around and found a picture of the adjusters on the net which certainly differs from mine in that the lower adjuster (as in the posted image is the opposite way round to mine) Which way is correct? The shoes in mine have been on for years having been fitted by the previous owner to get it through the MOT. Andy

Images attached. Ignore the old expansion bottle - the bolt has seized and needs removal in due course.

My experience was that when the bottom of the header tank was connected into the bypass hose (and the top connection to the rad bleeder) there was sufficient flow to push coolant into the bottom of the header tank and air from the top to be drawn into the rad. This reduced when I moved the upper connection into the top hose rather than the rad bleeder pipe which was connected into the O/S of the ali rad. This put both connections closer in the circulation so the pressure differential was less. Having had the water pump out 3 times and never got it dry I gave up and had an electric water pump fitted. (I was so cheesed off with the car I couldn’t face taking the damn thing off again and went against my usual habit of doing all work myself) The changes to the plumbing they did, along with moving the alternator meant they put the temp sensor in the top hose and  simply connected the top of the header tank back to the rad bleeder. The electric pump seems to generate more flow and by inference the pressure differential between upstream and downstream of the pump greater. (Notionally the system pressure is 20 psi but there are differences upstream and downstream of the pump) Being a clear header you could see the coolant rise in the tank and the air being pushed or sucked back into the rad. It wasn’t just expansion as I connected the overflow into the original expansion vessel (with rad cap removed of course)  For me the solution was to weld a boss into the near side of the rad, put the upper connection back in the top hose at the highest point. Effectively both connections are close to each other so no pressure differential. (There might be a minimal one cause by the Bernoulli effect but this seems to nil in practice)  I will try and attach images to make it clearer.   Ignore the old overflow as The securing bolt has seized.

Re plumbed the header tank. After a bit of thought had a boss put into the lower near side of the rad. Put a breather/return into the top hose. Unlike the previous plumbing which, like most have the lower part of the plumbing going into the bypass hose and the air bleed using the existing one on the offside of the rad. The impact for many of the header conversions they blow fluid into the bottom of the header and suck the air into the circulation from the top of the header tank. By having the air bleeder at the top and the bottom of the tank on the same side of the pump stops the air being drawn into the coolant circulation. Looking at the commercial options only then EJ Ward one has the top and bottom feed on the same side of the pump. However theirs has both pipes connected to the top hose which doesn't make great use of the reservoir. The others like the Stagweber connect to the bipass hose and the radiator bleeder. Again the bottom of the header receives more pressure than the top so draws air into the circulation. The shiny commercial headers lack the translucent properties of the Ebay Mercedes tank which also has a low water level switch. Will wire that in tomorrow  so far so good.

I found half throttle does the trick when warm.   Andy

Haven't updated things for a while but as you might guess the pump still leaks. Hoped it had reduced with time but had a short week on the Isle of Wight and got through a gallon of coolant in just over 500 miles. Have a header tank so able to monitor the level and avoid overheating. But enough is enough. If it hadn't stopped leaking after 3000 miles it clearly wasn't going to. Decided to nip up to EJ Ward who are only a few miles from me and seek their advice. This was enlightening. We all know of the concerns regarding the repro pumps and their propensity to chew up the drive gear and ultimately the jackshaft, however what I wasn't aware is that the only seals that have been available for some time now are a pile of poo. Every one talks about the seal that benefits from the ceramic insert but the real problem is that the repro seal is the wrong shape. The originals were cylindrical and have to be carefully inserted with a fair amount of pressure. The current supplied one is conical so only really has a small contact area to make a seal. Apparently they are looking to get the original remade in India so that customers can rebuild their own original pumps but until that time it's a case of hope the kit seals, try a repro pump and hope it doesn't root your engine or fit an external water pump and blank off the block where the original fits. They don't fit the repro pumps as they don't want the risk of destroying an engine. Booked it in for early October for an external electrical pump to be fitted as I can't face taking the manifolds off for a 4th time and doing the job myself.  

Haven't updated things for a while but as you might guess the pump still leaks. Hoped it had reduced with time but had a short week on the Isle of Wight and got through a gallon of coolant in just over 500 miles. Have a header tank so able to monitor the level and avoid overheating. But enough is enough. If it hadn't stopped leaking after 3000 miles it clearly wasn't going to. Decided to nip up to EJ Ward who are only a few miles from me and seek their advice. This was enlightening. We all know of the concerns regarding the repro pumps and their propensity to chew up the drive gear and ultimately the jackshaft, however what I wasn't aware is that the only seals that have been available for some time now are a pile of poo. Every one talks about the seal that benefits from the ceramic insert but the real problem is that the repro seal is the wrong shape. The originals were cylindrical and have to be carefully inserted with a fair amount of pressure. The current supplied one is conical so only really has a small contact area to make a seal. Apparently they are looking to get the original remade in India so that customers can rebuild their own original pumps but until that time it's a case of hope the kit seals, try a repro pump and hope it doesn't root your engine or fit an external water pump and blank off the block where the original fits. They don't fit the repro pumps as they don't want the risk of destroying an engine. Booked it in for early October for an external electrical pump to be fitted as I can't face taking the manifolds off for a 4th time and doing the job myself.  

Lucars are in place so looks like wire broken or inhibitor switch flaky but the former the more likely as I have just had the gearbox out to rebuild.

Had the box rebuilt (J type o/d box) and just put it back in. Reversing lights not working now. Does their wring go through the multi-plug or is the wiring separate tot he plug that connects up the o/d inhibitors?

Never settled so out again. Tony Hart checked it over and pronounced pup fine. Reassembled, multiple helicoils and still leaking. Will run it for a while and see if settles. In danger of losing the plot.

Never settled so out again. Tony Hart checked it over and pronounced pup fine. Reassembled, multiple helicoils and still leaking. Will run it for a while and see if settles. In danger of losing the plot.

Update - took it all apart as it seemed to be the water pump. Sent the pump back to Tony Hart who checked it over and replaced the top seal although he was unconvinced there was much amiss. Put it back together - this time just a bit of wet in the v but settled by the time I had done a 90 mile round trip.

Update - took it all apart as it seemed to be the water pump. Sent the pump back to Tony Hart who checked it over and replaced the top seal although he was unconvinced there was much amiss. Put it back together - this time just a bit of wet in the v but settled by the time I had done a 90 mile round trip.

Bars leaks has slowed it but still dripping. Can't be sure where it's coming from - pump or gasket. Any way of being sure? Looks like it's pump out again!

Bars leaks has slowed it but still dripping. Can't be sure where it's coming from - pump or gasket. Any way of being sure? Looks like it's pump out again!

Mintex 1144 got mine from eBay

I hope there isn't an O ring or I have missed it!

I hope there isn't an O ring or I have missed it!

Bit difficult to see under the manifold. A carton of Bars Leaks seems to have pretty much stopped it so I presume that it must have been from the manifold as I doubt sealant would do much for a pump leak?

Bit difficult to see under the manifold. A carton of Bars Leaks seems to have pretty much stopped it so I presume that it must have been from the manifold as I doubt sealant would do much for a pump leak?

All back together with ceramic seal insert pump from Hart (LD out of stock) Ran it up to temp and there's coolant in the vee! Time for sealant!

All back together with ceramic seal insert pump from Hart (LD out of stock) Ran it up to temp and there's coolant in the vee! Time for sealant!

Ignore previous message - came out undamaged with bush puller.

Ignore previous message - came out undamaged with bush puller.