After my little burst cooling hose nightmare, the new hose is fitted (fun job?!) and trans filled. But, it obviously didn't loose anything like the amonunt that we thought (based on the complete mess it made of the underneath of the car!) so the 3 1/2 pints I put in has taken it to over the "full hot" mark (dipped while running of course!). Should I try and removbe a little to bring it back down to somewher near the level? And if I should, is it likely that I'd be able to pump some out of the dipstick tube with my drill mounted pump and a long (thin) tube?

Thanks.

 

Too much fluid will cause the fluid to foam and could cause other problems which could lead to damage. Just a little over probably won't hurt but I would adjust the fluid level if it is more than a pint over.

 

:iagree:

 

Hi Stephen,
You could always disconnect the cooler line at the rad, run the engine up briefly & pump the excess fluid out into a bucket. But you didn't want to hear that did you? ;)
I dropped my fluid level by using a long length of clear pipe (as used in wine making) & just sucking it out using lung power (no jokes please!). A drill mounted pump should have no problems.
Good luck
Paul

 

Hi Paul

No, I don't think I ever want to be under the car doing that job again... best part of 5 hours, once it was all back together! As we suspected, I had to remove the top rad supports to lift it/push it forward to get to the pipe. In the long term I think it might need to be re-done and the metal tube angle slightly altered. It seems to point inwards more than the AIM shows it, and it would make the pipe route easier. But that's a job for next year at the very earliest!

Jet washed the car underneath afterwards, which cleaned it up nicely. A bit concerned about getting too much water everywhaer, but i ay go back and do the centre of the car again. Then took most of the day to clean, polish and wax the rest of it! MOT next week..... fingers crossed!

I think I'll go with the wine making pipe.... just happen to have a few feet of that! Guess that'll be this weekend's task!

Hows the trans swap going? You going to have the car ready for Duxford d'you think?

Stephen

 

One concern with overfilling is that if the tranny gets too hot it will burp fluid out either the vent tube on the case or sometimes through the filler, which puts transmission fluid on your exhaust manifold, creating a fire hazard. I'd get the level closer to correct before driving it.
Jeff

 

At risk of going waaay off topic, the tranny swap is as follows:
200-4r is in place & bolted to engine (would you believe 5 hours to just get one bolt in?!!!!!). I was hoping that I could modify the existing x-member to suit, but no way. New x-member is now on its way (postage was more than the x-member & no doubt Customs will want their cut). It was a risk that didn't pay off :( Oh well, you live & learn.
Driveshafts & halfshafts are off the car & in pieces for painting & new UJ's (once we can work out what an L81 Auto uses!).
As I'm fitting Headers :eek: I thought I'd remove & renew the engine mounts (one at a time!), clean the block & give it a good covering of paint. Doing just the d.side has taken all week & taught me some good Yoga positions ;) Have just recieved new engine mounts (made in Korea?!!!) only to find that my original d.side mount shouldn't be in 2 pieces! :) Haven't looked at the p.side one yet, but I'm glad I decided to change them.
Interior is in pieces, still. New shifter gate fitted, centre console repaired, console side covers made (from Foamex, not hardboard) & I'm waiting for a couple of parts to arrive before fitting it all back together. Seats, hinge covers & kick panels stripped of bad paint & are with another painter to the original one who did such a bad job 3 months ago. For the 2nd year running I might just skip fitting the new front carpet set as summer is nearly here & my Vette looks well on it's way to a full frame off restoration :(
Have found a place in Woking who specialise in tube bending. The owner is very knowledgeable about Vettes & is keen to bend me up some 2 1/2" pipes to plumb the Headers in. I might even try for a custom system. Watch this space. The great thing is that he can bend according to a pattern, so I'm going to make an exhaust system out of 1" plastic waste pipe & he'll copy it in 2 1/2" stainless. At last, somebody willing to do exhaust work :D
There's far, far more, but I won't bore you! Suffice to say "while-I'm-at-it-itis" got it's teeth into me during the cold, dark evenings :lol:
Oh yes, part of changing the tranny involves fitting a temporary filter in the return line from the rad. I heard that you were an expert at those fluid lines.... doing anything over the weekend? :lol:
:cheers:

 

:eek: :eek: :eek: :cry

:seeya Paul

 

Hi Alwyn :)
It got better! After getting that bolt in, I went home relieved & with great plans for the next evening: bolt the x-member in, get the jack & pile of wooden blocks out from under the tranny, remove the pan, set up the shifter, lower the car down so I could get to the engine bay, get the carb off, install the TV cable.....
What happened was that I found the x-member was so far off from the mount that no easy modification would do it, so I phoned Bowtie & ordered a custom one. "What can I do now? Ah-ha! I can bolt my new Headers on :) Better check the engine mounts first" 1/2 hour later, having got that darn awkward bolt out that holds the PS pump bracket to the mount, I got the d. side mount out as 2 separate pieces, "Bugger, that's not right. Hang on? What's that wet patch on the inside edge of the tire? Bugger it, there's brake fluid pouring out of the calliper. Aaaarrrrghhhh". And not only that, it's melted the paint that I so lovingly put on last winter, flowed down the tire & set hard again so that I've got silver Hammerite all over the tire. Hope I don't get many more evenings like that :lol: Since then I've just contented myself with painting the block as not to much can go wrong. Or can it? :rolleyes:
:cheers: