I don't know if there anyone that help out here as it for an old lady of a car, a '69 Rover P6 3500 Auto.
I've noticed that after only about 10 miles, there's a sizable puddle of ATF under the radiator forming on the cross member. I can't for the life of me find where it's coming from. I know the car must have some kind of ATF oil cooler but can anyone perhaps point me in the right direction?
A Borg Warner 35 holds 9 litres of ATF and it was overfilled with new fluid only recently but if this continues, I'm going to need regular top-ups.
Can anyone help out with the likely cause so I can probably get my spanners out and hopefully just tighten something up?
I wouldn't normally ask but after shelling out 200 notes on a dodgy ignition circuit, things are a bit tight financially at the moment and I would like to avoid another trip to the garage.
|
Radiator has a gearbox oil cooler in so it might be from therer or one of the pipes going to it. Don't overtighten them they break, fairly expensively. Other option is a seal gone either in the rack or less likely in the pump. If it was the pump then you'd have ATF everywhere. Don't over fill auto's is blows the seals and massively increases the heat and causes seal failure.
If it is the rad cooler leaking don't replace it get a seperate Auto oil cooler from someone like think automotive.
Jim
|
Many thanks for that. To think I sold my 3500S for a 3500 Auto for the mechanic simplicity of it.
The chap I bought it from overfilled it but I figured as it was losing a drop or two it would balance out.
I left it to settle as it usually leaves a tell-tale sign of a few spots at the back of the ATF sump, I think from the sump top up inlet. Only a solitary drop today and checking the level it's spot on high from cold. Soaking it up with an bit of kitchen towel it's about 20mls tops
The 3500 doesn't come with a oil pump for the ATF. I'll get the workshop manual out to look at the radiator.
|
Had similar problem with my old 2.1/2L V8 Daimler. This used BW 35 box and had oil cooler integral with coolant radiator. Marston Radiator at Wolverhampton rebuilt my radiator for a very reasonable price. They took about 1 week to do the job. Have no idea how much aggro attached to taking rad out of P6 but was fairly straightforward on the 2.1/2L V8.
Hth Phil I .
|
Modern thinking is to disconnect the auto bit of the rad and use seperate cooler. A fair few cars of this period can leak coolant into the auto side and trash the auto box. You normally find out its leaking to late. If overfilled you can suck ATF up the dipstick tube using Fairy liquid bottle and thin tube. Keep it all very clean. I suspect that the box could do with an Oil & filter clean. If you live in the Kent area I can recommend a specialist.
Jim
|
Thanks guys,
I found the oil cooler pipe connections to the rad located in the deepest left hand corner under the rad hiding under the one of the two outmembers that connect the rad cradle and headlight/grille frame to the base unit. Pretty well hidden probably accessible by getting under the car using a small spanner.
They are brass octagonal connectors on the pipe so probably susceptible to heat and vibration loosening them off, I got back and had a feel after running it last night, one is just dripping the stuff out, not a major leak but it needs attention.
And the workshop manual has one tiny diagram and two lines of mention in the engine section (not the Auto box section) which is probably how I missed it. Even in the auto section it says 'remove oil cooler pipe' and that's it.
I've had no end of trouble with the ATF dipstick, the rubber stopper grommet came detached from the top and got stuck down the dipstick tube, I had to cut the thing out with a sawn down scalpel blade to cut through it and then bring it up which took hours. Checking the level takes about a dozen aggregate readings as a thin red oil doesn't show up great on grey anodised metal. There's only a pint between high and low so it can't be overfilled by much. It's right on the button now.
Hopefully careful tightening up should sort it.
As a aside, I've found the BW35 to be a pretty good gearbox, upchanges are smooth and the full throttle kickdown is instant (the loud pedal even has a 'click' to it beyond full so you know you are in kickdown territory) so the box is in good nick I feel. My only criticism is the half-throttle change up is too quick and change down too slow, I've found myself going round corners at 15mph in 3rd, I know the V8 has plenty of torque but that's a bit silly, there's no load kickdown either so I would really class it as semi-automatic as some stick shifting is sometimes required !
I did check out the Think Automotive website for a bespoke oil cooler but they admitted on there it's a tight fit in the P6B, after the experience of fitting a Kenlowe to it, I'm reluctant to do anything with the words 'tight fit' mentioned ever again.
There's 2mm of clearance on a 12B Kenlowe and the front valance.
|
Ah, the good old Daimler V8, what a machine.
I wonder where Mike Hannon is??
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
|
Said V8 cost me £125. Spent about £400 fettling engine, heads skimmed, new valves et.et. lots of skin + blood over about four months but when finished was a really super motor. SWMBO drove for six years till tin worm finally took over completely. Was broken hearted when it went off to scrappie. Self using 57 Conquest Century but SWMBO could not cope without power steer so had to buy DS19 which was an absolutely hopeless pile of rubbish. Looked good on the drive tho. Rarely went anywhere without breaking down. Happy days of mispent youth recalled....
Phil I
|
|
|
