Talk Morgan Forums Morgan Sports Cars Maintenance & Servicing Coolant system flush and antifreeze change.

Observation!

Coolant level at hot idle, the coolant has fully expanded here.




Coolant level with engine speed raised to 2,000rpm and above, this is perfectly normal and is exactly what you'd expect to see on any car as the water pump gets to work.




Coolant level after switch off with the coolant temperature now at 70c, as we can see the coolant has already started to contract.



Now look closer and you'll see a small body of coolant has beed left trapped up top in the expansion tank, and on what is effectively a ledge, also note the condensed coolant droplets on the roof of the tank. This trapped coolant and the condensed droplets are what contributed to Monty's sludge build up in his sealed plastic expansion tank, it' also why 90% of the sludge I found was concentrated up top on the roof of the tank.

This is not a massive issue if like me you use your Morgan regularly, as at least the small amount of coolant trapped up on that ledge will be mixed back in with the far greater volume of coolant each time the car is driven, the advanced additive pack in the quality Prestone atifreeze can then get to work keeping sludge build up at bay, and any that does form will be held safely in suspention.

However, the truth is most don't use their Morgan very regularly at all, so with all that inactivity expansion tank sludge build up will inevitably start to become a real problem. In this respect, Monty's lack of use before I took him on was far from ideal, this is why its been so important to me to replace all his fluids with new.

Monty religiously enjoys an annual engine oil change, I also changed the gearbox and diff oils recently and the brake and clutch fluids were refreshed just a couple of weeks ago. He has now had a full coolant flush and change to Prestone mixed with de-ironised water rather than mineral rich tap water, and he really needed it too.

It also concludes my objective to baseline Monty's maintenance shedule, I can now follow a strict servicing shedule from fully confirmed starting points. A Morgan isn't just an artistic masterpiece to be admired in your garage, it's also a machine, machines need maintenance but they also like to be used!

What I'm trying to say is...

"Regular servicing asside, the very best thing you can do to maintain a long opperating life of your beloved Morgan, is simply to drive it"

And surely, that's the most fun part of Morgan ownership too