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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Silicone By Pass Hose

Follow on from "Hot Shower" thread on the general section. Has anyone got a supplier for a black silicone by pass hose other than Classic Silicone?
Pete Ottewell

You could try trawling some of the Mini sites.

Minispares only do blue, by the looks of it

http://minispares.com/shop/classic/Cooling~heating/Water/Hoses~fixings.aspx?070302
Dave O'Neill2

Found one on http://morrisminorspares.co.uk/shop/index.php?cPath=792_793&osCsid=fae80e62ebe78d1676f8e18764eb66eb

Anyone else dealt with these?
Pete Ottewell

ESM seem to have a good reputation on the Morris Minor forum
David Smith

Pete,

They were very helpful in finding for me some otherwise unobtainable parts for a smooth-case gearbox a few years ago.

Dennis

D Stanfield

I always found ESM by far the most reliable of the Morris spares companies
Dominic Excell

Thanks chaps, has anyone fitted a concertina type silicone by pass as opposed ti a strait one. Is it the same fit and forget scenario?
Pete Ottewell

I'd guess the concertina shape is to give a period look and make installation easier as the head and pump are bolted to the engine there's no movement between them so no need for the shape

and I guess to make it more than just a 2" length of hose to give you more perceived value for money

unless the concertina shape has a thinner wall, and then it would still be thicker walled than the normal rubber one I'd have thought but you'd know better than I as you have one to compare against
Nigel Atkins

I think the concertina ones are designed to be able to be fitted without removing the head etc. The rubber concertina ones had a reputation of being a useful idea but not as long lasting as the "real thing", so you'd put one on to get you out of a fix and then do the job properly next time the head's off or something.

Can't comment on silicone ones and I now don't run a bypass hose at all.

Philip Dodd

You can change the straight ones without pulling the head. It's just harder.
Lawrence Slater

For wat its worth... ive always used just a length of heater hose...its flexable and plyable and strong enough for the pressure

Plus ...ive never had any issues with the little springy coily hoses ither... there easy enough to install with the head on and do last for several years at.thr least....the only issue I have with them, is they cost around $3.99 but shipping and handling by its selfs is around $12.00 from the usual suspects ....so I just use the generic heater hose by the foot from the auto parts store

Prop
Prop and the Blackhole Midget

Yes, Lawrence, I agree, and have done the same in the past before I changed the head/pump. You can put a straight one on without any removal, but I suspect that the success rate is lower than with the concertina one. If I remember correctly it was a right pain in the a*se.
Philip Dodd

I've got a concertina type bi-pass hoe spare somewhere. It's a very robust item. Not the thin rubbery type that people are saying don't last long, but a quite thick walled canvas reinforced one.

Are they still for sale?
Lawrence Slater

Wish I'd seen that black bypass hose before I'd fitted the blue Minispares one. Grr. I might still pull the head to fit the black one.
Growler

Why bother with a bypass hose at all? I got rid of mine some years ago and then later when I fitted a MG Metro head it didn't have a bypass.

It is possible to buy a rubber cap for the water pump outlet pipe and head to blank them off but it is just as easy to make some.
Chris H (1970 Midget 1275)

Ah, but trusting 2x rubber blanking plugs is possibly worse than one bypass hose.

It is possible to get a proper screw-in blanking plug for the head - there is a BL part number for it. It can sometimes be a bu99er getting the pipe to unscrew though.

...and a Metro water pump is already blanked off.
Dave O'Neill2

Dave is correct - and I confess - I have a Metro water pump without the bypass to go with the Metro head (so no need for blanking plugs etc.). To be frank, I'm not sure why a bypass was fitted in the first place. Obviously BL agreed as they got rid of it.
Chris H (1970 Midget 1275)

Silicone hose arrived from ESM seems to be thicker than then the one removed. However, although it is roughly the same length, it seems to be too short. I would have expected it to but up to the head and the pump. I have fitted it and there is a gap top and bottom. Is this normal? haven't had time to re-fill the system yet as SWMBO called me in for Tea.
Pete Ottewell

A couple of mm either end shouldn't be a problem, as long as there is a decent amount on the stubs.
Dave O'Neill2

Later model engines had a long stub on the head end, the idea being that you could fit a short rubber hose by sliding it up the longer stub, then drop it down onto the water pump stub.

Longer stubs are avaialable from the usual places (Like Minispares and no, I don't get commission from them, I'm just familiar with their product range since they ship to NZ).

Growler

System re-filled and job done. clock now ticking to the next thing to break......
Pete Ottewell

This thread was discussed between 13/07/2013 and 20/07/2013

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