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Q & A: Losing Coolant

Good Morning John,

I have a 1979 MGB with an engine that’s been rebuilt 2 years ago. An issue that has come up this year is that I continuously lose coolant. I typically find a small puddle of coolant under the car after most rides which comes from the expansion tank overflow tube. I’m not having any overheating issues and I do not believe I have any leaks in the system. It gets to the point when I need to add a significant amount of coolant every couple of weeks. I do understand that it is challenging to eliminate the air in the system which I believe to be the problem. Any tips or tricks on filling in order to eliminate the air pockets? Also, when I check the expansion tank after it’s cooled, it spews coolant from the cap due to the pressure, even after a week. And I find the expansion tank to be filled to the top. Is this normal?

Also, on another topic, I have quite the delay on my tachometer. When I start it up, the tach will not show anything. It kicks in when I rev up the engine. I’m not sure what this may indicate. I thought you may have some insight on it.

My first two stops for troubleshooting are always your technical manual and your web site. Thanks for all your help!

Jorge

Jorge!
I'll put my money on a leak from the combustion chamber into the cooling cooling jacket -- at the head gasket. Suppose there is a tiny, and I mean tiny, leak between the cooling jacket and one of the combustion chambers. The coolan... read more