:: Diary - September 2026 ::
:: Tuesday, 1 September 2026 ::
Three things ticked off the list today, and nothing added on!
First, this heater valve. I remove the operating cable, and also the emission vacuum tube into the manifold, just to ease access. Then I unscrew
the hose clip and remove the hose - as I expected, very little water comes out, as long as I keep the free end of the hose up high (tucked against
the back of the manifold).
Then I can turn the heater valve by hand, because it's not tight enough at all. First I try turning it inwards, to see if it has just come loose -
but when it's tight, the hose and cable connections point upwards, and that's no good at all. So I unscrew the valve, and it only takes 2 and a
bit full turns.
The threads in the valve itself seem to be ok, but the threads in the manifold seem to be damaged, so the valve is only catching on the last 2. I
try screwing the valve into the vacuum inlet, just to check the threads - it needs far more turns, so that confirms it's the valve threads in the manifold
itself that are damaged. So, note to self - don't overtighten it unless you want to end up replacing the inlet manifold!
I clean up the threads with a wire brush, and then wrap them with a couple of turns of ptfe tape, and replace in the manifold. It's still not in
the right position when it's tightened. After a few goes at trial and error, I get it near enough right, tight but not too tight, with the
connectors pointing in the right direction, and refit the hose and the vacuum pipe. Make sure the radiator is topped up, and start the car with the
heater valve open, to circulate water through the heater as the car warms up.
After idling for 10 minutes or so, the car is up to temperature (well, slightly above normal) so I check that the valve connection isn't leaking,
or even weeping. Then I reconnect the heater valve operating cable.
That seems to be sorted!
Next task - I lift the car and lower the back of the exhaust by about 5mm, just to give a little more clearance from the chassis.
Time for a wee test (any excuse for a wee drive)!
Temperature is all normal, no drips from the heater valve, no exhaust vibration, it's all just rather marvellous old chap!
:: Wednesday, 2 September 2026 ::
So now the Vixen has a mixture of manky water, with an unknown concentration of antifreeze in it. Well, I wasn't going to waste antifreeze topping
it up, when it was just pissing it out again, was I? So there's no better time than now, to flush it out and put in a fresh coolant mix.
I might use a proprietary flusher, but first we'll see how manky this coolant really is...
I lift the car so that I can get a big storage box underneath. The system takes 8 litres, so a 5 litre bucket isn't big enough. Then I undo the hose
clip on the bottom hose, and wriggle the hose off, and let the system drain. Once it's all out, I can see that it's not that filthy, and there are
no bits or flakes in it. I think I'll give the system a flush through with clean water, and see what comes out after that.
This is where I find that I can't get the bottom hose back on - the stub is almost on top of the front chassis tube. I loosen the radiator mounting
bolts and wedge it up by about 5mm, then replace the hose and clip.
Then I refill the system with plain water, and start the engine with the heater valve open and the radiator cap off, to let it "burp" any air out
through the filler neck. I leave it like that until the top hose is hot (so the thermostat has opened) and there's slight steam coming out of the
filler.
I'll leave that to cool, while I nip off to the shops to buy some antifreeze.
Easier said than done! The only concentrate that Halfords sell is that OAT stuff. Now I might be wrong here (except I'm not), but my understanding
is that the OAT stuff isn't good for older engines - it has a particular acid in it that buggers up older rubber and composite gaskets. It can also
eat your soft metals like brass, copper and even the solder in radiator joints. So no...
The alternative is IAT antifreeze - but Halfords only sell it "ready to use" and I don't want that because it's an expensive way to buy it, and also
because I want to put in 4 litres of concentrate and then as much water as it takes to fill the system up, so that I know that it's not over-diluted
by any water that's still in the system after I drained it.
I head off to the local motor factor, but they don't have IAT concentrate either. While I'm mesmerised by all the shiny tools on display, I notice
that they do have a long queue, and only one guy on the counter, and 4 others on phone duty. Counter guy is dealing with a customer who has a
Renault of some description, and he has a list of bits that he needs. He's struggling to explain what they are though, because he doesn't appear to
understand technical words like "gasket", "oil filter" or "brake pads". He does seem to be very good at punctuation though, with various "fucks"
and "bastards" thrown into his non-explanations.
Once has paid for his pile of bits, he asks innocuously for a fuel injector seal for said Renault. This prompts another extensive search of online
parts catalogues and blow-up diagrams, which neither of them seem to really understand. Meanwhile the queue grows, and grows impatient. I decide
to leave before civil disorder breaks out. Not from me mind, - I'm not buying their shitey antifreeze anyway.
I find the right stuff in a motor factor in Edinburgh, so order it for collection tomorrow. So that concludes Vixen activity for today - I'll get
the antifreeze, then change into the old togs to drain the water out, see how manky it still is, and put the antifreeze in.
I use my free afternoon to clean a stainless steel sink in the utility room - it's in a hell of a state after having paint brushes, rollers,
sprayers, air brushes and (shhh - don't tell Mrs Git) some bits of car cleaned in it. After half an hour, though, it comes up nice. Definitely worth
doing once every 20 years or so.
:: Thursday, 3 September 2026 ::
I go and collect the antifreeze, and then drain out the clean water that I put in yesterday. Well, like any good beer, it doesn't come out the
same colour as it went in.
This is what comes out... Still a fair bit of mank, so I think I'll give it another clean water flush (at least one!).
So I reattach the bottom hose and refill the system with clean water, then run it with the cap off until it's up to temperature again. Then I leave
it for a while until it's cool enough to drain without scalding myself.
After letting it cool for an hour or so, I drain it again, and this is what comes out... cleaner than last time, but I think it's still worth a third
clean water flush. Refill, run engine to hot, then leave it another hour...
This time it's a lot cleaner than last time, although far from clear. I've taken darker samples to the doctor though. It'll do.
Now, it was a bit low on antifreeze to start with, and now, after 4 drains and refills, there's probably next to no antifreeze at all, still in the
system. The system has 8 litres capacity, so if I put in 4 litres of antifreeze, and then top up with water, I should be near enough to 50:50 mix.
Once it's full, I start it up and run it to hot with the cap off. Then I refit the cap and tighten up the radiator mounting bolts before I take it
out for a wee run to check that all's well.
After it has cooled, I remove the cap and extract some of the mix in a wee coolant tester. I have a big one that tells you the exact temperature
that your coolant mix will protect you to. It has always been bloody difficult to read though, and it hasn't got any better as my eyes get older.
I've got 2 of these wee mini-testers though - I got one of them free on the cover of a "Practical Motorist" magazine in around 1984, and the
other one as a freebie somewhere else. They're not very accurate, but they're close enough and - main advantage - they're very easy to read!
You put the end in the tank, suck up some coolant, and see how many of your balls are floaters. No balls means no antifreeze, and so on until, if
you have 4 balls, you have a 50:50 mix, and protection down to minus 37 degrees.
Also, you can see that the mix now looks pretty clear (yellow, but not dirty or cloudy). I'm as happy as a dog with 4 balls!
I clean up the threads with a wire brush, and then wrap them with a couple of turns of ptfe tape, and replace in the manifold. It's still not in
the right position when it's tightened. After a few goes at trial and error, I get it near enough right, tight but not too tight, with the
connectors pointing in the right direction, and refit the hose and the vacuum pipe. Make sure the radiator is topped up, and start the car with the
heater valve open, to circulate water through the heater as the car warms up.
