Am I okay to drive a short distance to the garage after overheating episode?

[Matty Stag]

Following my overheating episode on Saturday my car is booked in at a local.classic car garage tomorrow. Although it is only just over 5 miles away and there will be no traffic I am still anxious about the drive.

Apart from having the expansion tank topped up and the heater (presumably) off. Do you knowlegeable Stag folk think I will be okay driving a short distance and is there anything else I should be doing to make sure of a safe journey to the garage? Having had a bit of a look under the bonnet (and I know nothing about cars) I think it might be the heater inlet pipe that is the problem.Many thanks. Matty Stag

[Swifty75]

Hi Matty

I would fill the radiator up with water (your garage or yourself will no doubt have to fill with coolant after changing thermostats etc) Undo the big brass bolt on top of the rad (I’ve used a adjustable spanner to do this in the past) and fill it to the top. Drive steady and it should be ok for the five miles or so.

Neil

[Adrian B]

Hi,it's difficult to say without looking but you have to be very cautious with stags as the water pump is situated high in the engine so if you have a leak it will overheat quickly if the water level drops!! In the past when worried if i i had a leak i've put the heater on hot as a warning because if it starts blowing colder then its probable that the water has stopped circulating due to low level! If you are not sure i wouldn't risk causing more (expensive)damage,

[garyf]

20mm spanner for the brass/plastic rad plug

[DJT]

Spark plug socket does the trick.

[Matty Stag]

Hi Matty

I would fill the radiator up with water (your garage or yourself will no doubt have to fill with coolant after changing thermostats etc) Undo the big brass bolt on top of the rad (I’ve used a adjustable spanner to do this in the past) and fill it to the top. Drive steady and it should be ok for the five miles or so.

Neil

Thanks Neil. Fingers crossed all is okay. Cheers

[Matty Stag]

Hi,it's difficult to say without looking but you have to be very cautious with stags as the water pump is situated high in the engine so if you have a leak it will overheat quickly if the water level drops!! In the past when worried if i i had a leak i've put the heater on hot as a warning because if it starts blowing colder then its probable that the water has stopped circulating due to low level! If you are not sure i wouldn't risk causing more (expensive)damage,

Thanks Adrian.

So I should put the heater on? Will certainly fill the radiator up. Cheers

[Adrian B]

Well that can help to let you know if the water has stopped circulating (due low level)but if you can't see a major leak then maybe a careful short drive would be ok just be wary that a small leak can become a big leak when up to pressure...

[Lingen]

Matty.
The expansion bottle next to the radiator should only be about a third full. If you "Top it up" there will be no room for expansion! The radiator should be filled to the brim once the cap is back on the expansion bottle, otherwise it will just keep filling till the bottle overflows. I would have the heater full on. All the time it is blowing hot air you should have nothing to worry about. If it suddenly goes cold,it is time to stop before the engine overheats, as the pump will be running dry.
I hope you have a safe journey!
Mike.

[LAMBRETTLAD]

Undo the pressure cap ,should be ok for 5 mile