Topic

Having just moved house to a fairly remote part of Scotland I couldn't wait to get my MG up here - it made the 260 mile journey like a dream....

However!... once I got here I attempted to get it into its temporary home of a large shed (which I now know has a larger lip on the entrance than I first realised.). I soon found it isn't going to fit in there but in my failed attempts to try and squeeze the car in there I suddenly noticed a trail of liquid coming from under the car. A quick inspection revealed it was coolant so it was park up quick and engine off.
I've finally managed to get a quick look under the car this morning (not easy on a slopping gravel drive!) and I can see I've split the rubber hose coming from the back of the stainless steel pipe to the engine

So my question to begin with - is it safe to start the engine at all without coolant? I need to try and move it to a safer place to try and work on it or possibly try to get it to a local mechanic but don't want to damage the engine in the process.

Definitely do not attempt to run the engine to a local mechanic. If the leak is bad enough especially if its low down it will depend on how quickly it drains the system as to move it safely it would have to have repeated stops to keep the level topped up in the header tank and it doesn't have to drop by much to stop circulation . The K series engine is of aluminium construction and doesn't take kindly to overheating where the circulation of water is interrupted. Try and do a temporary repair if it's possible and refill the system making certain you bleed it correctly.

Agree with Mr Sworkscooper dont run the car far, but you should be able to manoeuvre it about your drive or onto the back of a flatbed from stone cold.
The hose should not be that hard to do from ramps once the front bumper is off, especially if its the lower hose on the passenger side. If its the hose that goes into the top of the radiator, then the slam panel will probably have to be removed. Mark up the positions of the bonnet catches etc before removing so you get it back as close as possible.

Sundance

Thanks. Unfortunately the pipe is split at the lowest point at the rear of the car so not much chance of it holding fluid for long.. I'll need to move the car to a flatter firmer surface to get underneath it safely so will need to run the engine for 2mins to shift it..

How far do you have to move it?

I can get it to a flat solid surface if I run the engine for a few minutes

Screwfix do a self-amalgamating rubber bandage can't you bodge it with that just to move the vehicle? if you can I suggest you leave the cap off to stop pressurisation.

When considering moving the car with no coolant in it bare in mind that the K series gets to full heat within 5 minutes of start up when stationary.

If it is an early car without a PRT the system holds a bit longer than a car with PRT before opening the cooling system.

You think you've got a disaster now? Wait till you've run the car without coolant for seconds, let alone minutes. Parts of the head will reach over temp in no time and you'll need a new one. If not a new engine. Please don't ruin your engine trying to save yourself a bit of time or money.
My '55 TF dumped all its coolant on a track once when it popped a frost plug, and a few hundred metres was enough to cost me $NZ6,000. And they're cast iron.

In addition to the problems mentioned above.
If you really must move it under it's own steam (in this case I really do mean steam) take note that the temp senders won't be in water, which means the engine ECU won't be getting the temp input to run properly and the temp gauge will be useless.
You would probably need to move it in a few goes from dead cold......nah I'd find another way.
Can you push it, perhaps with the help of some glamorous assistants.
Tow it with a tow rope, this would need to be carefully done at a slow speed as these cars don't really have any great strong tow points.
Better still treat it to the ride of shame on a tilt tray tow truck! (it shouldn't cost all that much) and as a bonus the humiliation the car suffers from this will act as a deterrent to further breakdowns!

After a couple of near death experiences I managed to get a close enough look under the car. It seems the jubilee clip holding the hose to the under floor pipe has bent back on itself and gone through the hose. I'm going to get the assistance of some lucky volunteers to help push it to a flat solid surface so I can get some axle stands underneath and get the hose off.
I'm slightly confused by the diagrams I've seen as to which pipe I need to order but hopefully it will make sense once I get it off the car.

The unfortunate thing is this car hasn't seen a wet road or rain for around 10 years so it's frustrating to see it sat there outside (all beit under a cover) and there has been rain everyday so far since I parked it up!

Cobber wrote:

Better still treat it to the ride of shame on a tilt tray tow truck! (it shouldn't cost all that much) and as a bonus the humiliation the car suffers from this will act as a deterrent to further breakdowns!

I like your thinking