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MG MGF Technical - A word of warning - TF pipes

Hi all, something worth checking if under your TF - The 2 big rubber cooling pipes that connect to the underfloor pipes run really close to the exhaust downpipes(how many times can I get pipes into one sentence!)When I had my MOT recently I had a good look around my 2003 PRT TF and noticed the one closest to the exhaust seemed to be "peeling" like a banana. I had a proper look at the weekend and there is a very thin outer sheath, almost like heatshrink plastic. It had indeed started to peel and I thought it was heat related as it is only about an inch from the downpipes. It had actually started much higher up as the rubber pipe was resting against the ally heatshield right up by the manifold and had been chafing, only a matter of time before something much worse could happen. The pipe seems fine apart from this very thin outer layer, I don't know if this is a protective skin or something more structural - maybe someone on here could enlighten me? I had a large piece of thick ally foil backed with heatproof fibre and have now wrapped the hose in this to stop any further chafing and to give much better heat resistance - the heat transfer would be fine when you are driving as there is water flowing all the time to remove the excess heat but what happens when you stop after a hot run?

I don't really want to change the hose until its coolant change next year but is this the hose that can just blow big time and do you think I should? It is having a coolant sensor fitted soon anyway so that should yelp is it does spring a leak - I just don't want the system repeatedly drained and risk a poor bleeding as, touch wood, it has never used a drop.

Go check yer pipes!!
Tony

Personally, I feel If you are in any doubt about the pipes get them changed ASAP. I would not wait till the coolant change next year. If the pipes blow you will have a much larger bill to pay when you least expect it. No need to worry about the system been repeatedly drained as if you have it done now - you won't need it done next year - it will just be out of sink with your service schedules.
Keith Williams

Tony, Get it replaced,.. "like now". Coolant changes are a breeze.. Then enjoy. Keith,s right.
rb wadwsorth

I'm rather more worried about my uderbody pipes. They're frightfully rusted, even though the cars sits in a heated garage at night... .

There was a thread on this a while ago with some pictures. Does anyone know how much they cost to replace? (I mean just the parts)

Anthony
Anthony Braham

Underbody pipes: parts are not expensive, job is reasonably easy if a little tedious (lots of 10mm bolts to undo)
Will Munns

I did notice the close proximity of the coolant hoses to the exhaust when I had my 4-2-1 manifold fitted, which FYI is even closer to the hoses!.
Tech-speed moved the pipes further away using cable ties and made up an additional heat-shield so that they couldn't touch the exhaust.
Steve White

Thanks guys, I'll get it changed at the same time as the sensor kit - I just don't want the system stuffed up. I'll go to B+G and just have to trust them unlike Marshalls where I got it from and no way was I going to let them refill it badly and give me a HGF. My metal pipes look fine externally but those pics that were on here a while ago were truly horrifying. I think Steve's idea of tying it all well back from the downpipes is very valid, they do run awfully close to something that is 800degsC!
Tony

What you need is a garage with a vacuum cooling system refilling device, I have just used one on a rover 214 and can confirm that these are the fantastic and would work well on the MGF with its intricate cooling system!
A D Smith

Cheers for that, hopefully the experts like B+G use that sort of kit - how does it work and where do you suck(oh err, misses!)
Tony Hall - Cambs

Right, an update. I have had the pipe changed and the low level kit fitted as well - beep, beep!

B+G checked 3 other TF's of the same age they had in the workshop at the same time and TWO others had this starting to happen! Funny thing is, they have never seen it on an F. It does appear to be a failure caused by rubbing on the heatshield by the manifold. They have tied my new one well out of the way and also wrapped it in some exhuast wrap to protect it from the heat. Pics below. I asked about vacumn filling and they used to do it that way but have gone back to the normal way now as they found the suction was cauasing some hoses to fail after being damaged on rough edges in the castings/fittings they connect to.

http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/images/hose1.jpg
http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/images/hose2.jpg
http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/images/hose3.jpg
http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/images/pipe%20fitted.jpg

Check your pipes!!
Tony

http://ph.uncle-dave.co.uk/upload/images/pipe%20fitted1.jpg

I don't know why that last one won't work.
Tony

From the pics it looks like the outer sleeve had been "worn" or "damaged" by something. The hose is of good quality, and unless the system had been seriously over pressurised, it is difficult to see why this could happen. Because of the amount of flexible cooling pipes, and associated joints, the odds of some sort of failure will be more common than on a Eurobox.
All mechanical devices need TLC, and F/TFs more than most. How long had this been like this? Routine maintenance, properly carried out, should have spotted this.
Jerry Herbert

If you look at hose1.jpg, about a 1/3 in from the leftside of the pic you can see a "dent" on the inner pipe - that is where the heatshield was. I couldn't decide whether the outer is protection or structural but seeing the way it has seemed to spread I would say the inner must have been bulging without it, hence the change. It has happened in the last year - I waxoiled the car in Oct last year and it was fine, spotted this in Sept this year just before it was due a service which I did myself in the end as it was now out of warranty. I could have got it done under the warranty but I didn't trust the main dealer to do it right and B+G have done an excellent job in protecting the new one. Incidently, there appears to be 2 different pipes stocked, one sleeved with a heavy duty outer and a normal plain one.
Tony

This thread was discussed between 06/11/2006 and 29/11/2006

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