Topic

Hi guys and gals... anyone along the way to Liverpool from London (via M11/A14/M6) that has weather updates woudl be most helpful.... Taking Meg so hoping for no snow! LOL

You should be OK. You don't have to drive through Border Patrol territory.

there has been snow in the west midlands, more due tonight i believe, but the motorways are fine just watch out for ice.

rayb wrote: wrote:

there has been snow in the west midlands, more due tonight i believe, but the motorways are fine just watch out for ice.

Has there? We haven't seen any snow in Cradley Heath!

well it snowed here in b-ham on sat morning and its stll here on the ground. were expecting some more either tonight or tomorow according to that sexy weather girl lucy kite

rayb wrote: wrote:

well it snowed here in b-ham on sat morning and its stll here on the ground. were expecting some more either tonight or tomorow according to that sexy weather girl lucy kite

Ah I prefer Shefali! But yeah snow tonight and tomorrow.

Well no sign of snow here in Chester but its bloody freezing and Meg is already all white and crystallised!

Well been driving around in the snow and ice, and apart from a very hairy moment in the Premier Inn car park(!) Meg has performed very well. Especially as she started every time and warmed up nice and quick with the recycled air now working... while other newer, posher cars had the AA out to start them! Hehe

Well did I speak too soon (kind of!)!!

Woke up this morning in Crewe and after brekkie de-iced the windows, jumped in Meg, Turned the key, woohoo she starts - drove off.....

2 mins later needle was aiming for the red! ARRGGG So switched off - waited a mo - switched on - same after a minute....

Heaters were still cold - so after 20 mins wait I managed to get back to hotel car park before she went into the red again. After much swearing etc I realised the pipes FROM the engine to rad/heater had frozen!! Called the RAC and was told 'see in in 6 hours or so'!

Anyway went back into hotel and had a cuppa and generally palmed my days work off onto colleagues by email. So went back out to Meg and started her again - heaters still cold... GGRRRR. Water wasn't being lost etc so I did this on/off ritual for a minute at a time for half hour, then popped in for a cup of hot chocolate to warm up.

Went out again and she started - this time with heaters! Then after about 10 mins the rad pipes started to warm up, and within an hour I was on my way home. She drove all the way from Liverpool to London without a hitch.

Anyway I found out why she froze when I was drinking my hot chocolate - it was apparently -14 over night there! Guess tomorrow I'll add some more undiluted OAT to the header tank while letting mixed stuff out of the rad and hopefully that will stop the freezing again! I am sure glad I had the new MLR gasket as I am sure the old silicone crap would have burst open if it had been there still!

A lot of people are finding out that their coolant isn't up to the job.
50% coolant will cover you to -38 degrees.

I was caught out many moons ago when the added cooling factor of driving into icy winds froze the bottom of the radiator. (In a mk2 Cortina 1971 vintage).
Ever since then I have made sure the coolant is up to it!

Hopefully you can get a litre or so of undiluted coolant in and circulated before the next episode of Siberian weather.

david aiketgate wrote: wrote:

A lot of people are finding out that their coolant isn't up to the job.
50% coolant will cover you to -38 degrees.

I was caught out many moons ago when the added cooling factor of driving into icy winds froze the bottom of the radiator. (In a mk2 Cortina 1971 vintage).
Ever since then I have made sure the coolant is up to it!

Hopefully you can get a litre or so of undiluted coolant in and circulated before the next episode of Siberian weather.

Sure will - tomorrow morning I am off down the car shop to get some then no matter how cold it is I'll whack it in!

adamelphick wrote: wrote:

david aiketgate wrote: wrote:

A lot of people are finding out that their coolant isn't up to the job.
50% coolant will cover you to -38 degrees.

I was caught out many moons ago when the added cooling factor of driving into icy winds froze the bottom of the radiator. (In a mk2 Cortina 1971 vintage).
Ever since then I have made sure the coolant is up to it!

Hopefully you can get a litre or so of undiluted coolant in and circulated before the next episode of Siberian weather.

Sure will - tomorrow morning I am off down the car shop to get some then no matter how cold it is I'll whack it in!

Just been looking at the forecast -not nearly so cold tonight, thank God!