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MG MG Y Type - Oil Cooler

After fitting TF valves and camshaft 8.6 compression the YA can now keep up with motorway traffic [legal limit], the problem is the oil pressure drops to 30 lbs although on normal roads it remains above 40 lbs at 2500 revs. So that's the reason for fitting the oil cooler, I hasten to add its position in front of the coolant radiator is according to instructions the preferred position. Question - has anyone fitted such a device and how does it perform in winter, does it need to be bypassed. Bryan

B Mellem

hello,i drove my mg y down the m1 to nottingham on sunday, its a standard engine as far as i know, at 60mph the oil pressure was down at about 25 psi and later on the a6002 at 40mph it was back at almost 50psi, i have 20/50 multi grade in it, unless anyone on here says i have a problem i will not be concerned, graham
Graham Sharpe

Hi, when hot at tickover my oil pressure is about 25 to 30psi but at 50/55mph it shows approx 70/75psi, even after a 100 mile run. This seems very high but is this a faulty guage or does anyone have any suggestions. I do use quite a lot of oil, which I think is going down the valve stems, as after being on the overun down hill or after a spell ticking over I get a puff of blue smoke, but no smoke on normal running,
John Y4895
J Foster

I suggest John you replace the pressure release ball and spring which is located under the oil pump, at least this will check the pressure to the system. Bryan
B Mellem

Thanks Bryan, I will give that a go. What are the consequencies if the oil pressure is too high? Could that have a bearing on the high oil consumption, as although it uses a lot of oil it actually runs very well and pulls strongly,
John
J Foster

Bryan
With your oil cooler, -normally they are fitted with the fittings and hoses on the top
With them on the bottom like you have them there ,it's almost impossible to get the cooler filled with oil without an air lock and working properly
willy
William Revit

I have thought about this mounting problem Willy. First the pipes supplied by 'Moss' are for the TC/D and so similar to the YA, and will not reach far enough for top entry. I quote fitting instructions from 'Think Automotive Ltd' The cooler may be mounted in any position ie horizontally or vertically with connections pointing upwards or downwards'. I can only consider that the hot circulating oil will in time absorb the air. We will see, and if not I will mount the cooler between the dumb irons which may be a bit more exposed to damage. Bryan
B Mellem

John I'm not sure you have high oil pressure most of us are struggling to get 45 lbs. First the engine was not designed for multi grade oil. is the engine dripping oil and a smell of burnt oil on the exhaust pipe. You can check the compression of each cylinder which should I think be about 170 lbs +/- 5 lbs cranking on the starter motor and throttle wide open. Halfords used to sell these testers but the local garage should be able to help. If its oil down the valve stems then you will have to wait until the head is off when you can fit modern valve stem seals. Neil Caerns is the consultant. Bryan
B Mellem

Regarding filling the oil cooler with the in/out pipes underneath, surely it is no worse than refilling the filter housing after changing a replaceable element filter. Any air bubbles will get pushed through.
R A WILSON

John F,
You may be able to renew your valve oil seals without taking the head off, have a look at Sealy tool VS160 valve spring compressor and Sealy tool VS1601 Cylinder pressurising adapter they were designed for a wide range of engines with seal changing in mind and you must have a source of air up to 125psi. can give you more info if you are interested and pictures engines covered are ohc/ohv/cvh, engines with the valve springs in very deep wells may be a problem.
John YB0362
JC Jebb

John reporting on very high oil pressure is of interest to me In the YT when the engine is hot (ie fully warmed up) the oil pressure is around 40-45 psi and then drops to 20 psi when ticking over. Neil Cairns has mentioned that the key is ensuring that the oil is reaching all those critical parts. My oil consumption has been fairly high around 1 pint per 200-250 miles. It was rebuilt in the beginning of 2014 and has covered just 2500 miles in that time. However, on the Spring Run I topped up at the Hotel and then with the run to Nuffield Place and a few deliberate detours, followed by a 90 mile trip home to Warwick we covered about 190 miles and the oil level is okay.

I acquired a TC last Summer and the car and engine had been rebuilt in South Africa in 1981/82. It had done less than 7500 during that period. The owner in SA had the car from 1985-2013 and probably did little more than 5000 during that length of ownership covered less than 200 miles a year. The problem with this is fuel pipes, brake hoses and most rubber durables. The car was even fitted with Dunlop B5's with great treads but had been on the car for 25 years and were horrible and duly changed. The engine is excellent and pulls well (though the carbs are being rebuilt as they are a bit of a dogs dinner. I fitted an external oil filter and changed the oil at 250 miles (in my ownership) and have used no oil and the oil pressure (hot) is 75 psi and drops to 39 psi on tickover. I am a tad concerned but there appears to be no problem to date. Brian's idea of an oil cooler is interesting. I must have chat with Neil about oil pressure at Silvo next week!
J P BIRKBECK

Typo Guys - 'drops to 30 psi'!
J P BIRKBECK

John To reduce the problem of excessive oil down the valve guides is to restrict the flow of oil to the rocker box. I was faced with the same problem way back in the 1960s. I removed the oil feed banjo screw on the head and filled it up with soft solder, then drilled a 1/16" hole in the centre. It is then important to ensure that on idle when hot oil is dribbling from the No 1 rocker. Now here is the down side that it is possible that the excessive flow to the rocker box was to ensure a form of oil cooling - I don't know. Anyway my car has covered some 100,000 miles now without any problems. Bryan
B Mellem

Thank you all for your help and suggestions. Bryan, your thoughts about excessive oil flow to the rocker box is similar to what an old-time mechanic (nearly 80 and still running an E Type plus 3 other cars) told me last night. He had similar on a TD and made and fitted a restricter valve so he could alter the flow until just right. I have just got a new rocker gasket so shall look at this when I fit it.
JP, I wish I was using a pint in 200 miles, I think mine is over double that but, as I said, the car is running really well so I am hoping that it may be as simple as the oil flow to the rocker box,
John F
J Foster

Bryan,
Interesting to hear that you can now keep up with motorway traffic, but can you stop in the same distance as the mod car in front. Although my brakes are as good as spec my Discovery will stop in half the distance of my Ys at 70. Or have you fitted disk brakes.
Peter
Peter Vielvoye

I have owned a motorcycle since 1953 and driven my Y now for 57 years so now I am aware of its capabilities, I was taught to drive in the days when road craft was important, when you were expected to recover from a skid and brake on untreated ice covered roads, to take extra care for wet leaves beneath trees on a bend or ice on the summit of a bridge. I still try to look beneath a stationary bus for signs of disembarking passengers, look several vehicles ahead for stop lights, and keep sufficient distance behind other traffic. I have a period car and I am a period driver. By the way I consider trundling down the motorway at 50 mph more hazardous. Bryan
B Mellem

By the way Peter if you feel in need of a master class in Y Type braking I will explain how to bring a heavily laden caravan outfit down the several hairpin bends of the Col de Brouis and Col de Braus in the Alpes Maritime Bryan

B Mellem

Don't doubt your experience and driving skills Bryan but have you experienced braking a top spec modern car, ABS and all that bring them to a very quick stop in all conditions with very little driver skill. If you keep a safe distance there is always someone who can't resist overtaking on either side these days. Hope you don't have to use your skills to swerve around the car in front. I only use use the the motorways as a last resort our cars are much happier on the roads they were built for.
Peter
Peter Vielvoye

Sorry Peter I'm afraid in common with most British male's any question of their driving abilities challenges their inflated ego and I'm no exception.

By the way I generally need to replace my modern car disk pads every 90,000 miles. Bryan
B Mellem

This thread was discussed between 06/06/2017 and 10/06/2017

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