Engine: 164 2978cc: Update (not good!)

[Derek UK]

I think the tap has a BSP tapered thread so tightens till its tight. No seal fitted.

[Terzoed]

Originally Posted by Derek UK

I think the tap has a BSP tapered thread so tightens till its tight. No seal fitted.

Cheers

[srs4164]

Hello again Terzoed,

Here are some additional things I think you might benefit from and that you should consider.

Everytime I changed my coolant, I noticed that there was only room to add about 2 gallons in, even though the specs says it holds a little over 3 gallons of coolant. So, obviously, there was about a gallon that I was never getting out and which was still 'hiding' in the block. That's most likely the real advantage of having the block tap, but that's not currently going to help you get this last gallon out.

This last gallon is almost certainly filled with the worst of the worst gunk / accumulation and who knows how old that coolant is and whether or not its mixed with regular tap water or distilled. Basically, this is the gallon you REALLY need to get out. I don't believe any amount of flushing will get it all out. It resides too far down in your block to get completely pushed out and the stuff suspended in it is too heavy to get lifted out this way. The only way to truly get it all out is to suck it out. I believe the only way to do this is with the head removed.

I'm actually glad mine exhibited this running hot problem, because it made me pull my head. Having done so, I was then able to have the valve seats replaced with hardened ones, which is a very good thing to do to combat the long term effects of using unleaded gas, uuuuuuh, I mean petrol, since this engine was designed for leaded fuel.

As a disclaimer, I have to admit, I'm no mechanic and do not have the skills, tools or experience to do this work on my own. Somehow, miraculously, I was able to find a 70 year old gentleman who lives fairly close by and is a former Volvo master tech who had all of the qualifications and tools I was lacking. He was even willing to come to my house to do the work. It was also great that he knew of a machine shop that had done this exact work in the past and he even took care of getting the head to them and then back to me when they were done. He also wouldn't let me pay him much $ everytime he came to do some work, so I ended up buying him a case of his favorite cigars. Fittingly, the brand is "Cheap Bastards".

Basically, my role was the cleaning out the block part, which definitely wasn't fun and took quite a bit of time and effort. I'm glad I was able to do this myself as I have a hard time believing that anyone else would have done it for me as diligently as I did it and the thought of paying someone to do this with how long it took leads me to believe that a lot of these cars went to the scrapper simply because people weren't willing to tackle such a task.

Anyway, after getting everything put back together, the final step was to do a valve adjustment, which my cigar smoking new best friend also took care of. Well, this car has less than 60,000 original miles on it. That's just about the same mileage that was on each of the 3 '71 164s I drove from about 1973 until 1990 when I initially got each one. Each of them ended up with over 150,000 miles on them and I was one of those people who took advantage of the fact that they'll keep running even if you neglect them. Point being, after the valve adjustment, this one currently runs better than any 164 I've ever driven!

Now, don't get me wrong, I think you're proceeding exactly how you should. First thing is to get her running. I'd be amazed though, if after you do, that you don't find you have a similar 'running hot' issue as I had. Hopefully, this info I've presented will have you better prepared for what to do if that ends up being the case.

Oh, last but not least - your carb situation reminds me of the very 1st repair I ever performed myself on my 1st 164. This was over 40 years ago when I knew absolutely nothing about cars. She just wouldn't run. I had spark. I had fuel getting to the carbs. I ended up tearing into my Zenith Strombergs and came upon a screen that sits at the end of the inlet where the fuel hose attaches to each carb. The screens were completely blocked with small debris. Cleaned it out and yep, she was back up and running.

While it may be worth it to check these screens, what I'm wondering about on your situation is whether or not you've pulled the fuel gauge sender unit from the gas tank yet? If not, you should, so you can peek inside and see how things look. You may see something that used to be petrol but has since morphed into something else. You may also see a lot of rust in this mess if the inside of your tank is in bad shape. If either or both of these are the case, these are almost certainly things you'll need to address before trying to move ahead to actually getting her running.

Good luck and it'd be great if you could give us updates as to how your progressing as things go along. We seem to be a small group of 164 enthusiasts, but we are, well, for the lack of a better term, ENTHUSIASTIC!

Stan

[Derek UK]

Not sure whose gallons you're using but coolant capacity is 12.4 litres/13.0 US quarts. 21.8 imp pints, that's certainly more than I would have guessed.

10psi pressure cap. 82º thermostat.

[srs4164]

Ooops. US gallons. Didn't actually know there's a metric gallon that's different?

So yes, that ends up being 3.3 US gallons. This large capacity probably contributes or maybe even causes this poor circulation problem in the rear of the block that leads to it getting "silted up". I'm sure that over time, as enough of this stuff accumulates in one spot, it becomes quite solid so that no coolant is getting to these areas.

I believe the first post I ever saw about this was by the very well respected and certainly missed Peter (Turbo940?). I hope I got his name right. When I first tried to correspond with him about his old post was when you made me aware of his passing.

[c1800]

that would be an Imperial gallon. 160 fluid ounces. US gallon is 128 fluid ounces.

[Triple-S]

Terzoed, I may well have to go to Essex in the near future (daylight hours only as not allowed to drive at night until after my eye operation). As I LOVE 164s might there be a chance of meeting you and seeing your car at all?
If you are a new Forums member and can't do PMs I'll give you my email address so we can perhaps arrange something.
Might not be in my 164 though, as water pump began to jingle loudly last weekend; that will mean I'll be in the 240.

P

[Terzoed]

Originally Posted by Triple-S

Terzoed, I may well have to go to Essex in the near future (daylight hours only as not allowed to drive at night until after my eye operation). As I LOVE 164s might there be a chance of meeting you and seeing your car at all?
If you are a new Forums member and can't do PMs I'll give you my email address so we can perhaps arrange something.
Might not be in my 164 though, as water pump began to jingle loudly last weekend; that will mean I'll be in the 240.

P

Please accept my apologies, I haven't been around for the past couple of weeks so may have missed your visit to the land of the white stiletto.

I haven't got a problem with you coming over and seeing the car. My job means that I'm at home quite a bit, just let me know if you're heading over this way

[Triple-S]

Hi again Terzoed, ta for reply. Have also been a bit quiet after somebody stole my email id and used it for their lowlife ends..... I heard yesterday that TalkTalk, who are taking over Tesco ISP business, have been seriously hacked, so thats probably connected. Now seemingly sorted.
Have finally got my hospital dates confirmed, so won't be able to make it before February as not allowed to drive for a bit afterwards. Sorry about that but as soon as I can I will speak.
Direct email paultill@tesco.net if you want to speak off-list. Good luck with progress.

P

[Terzoed]

Originally Posted by Triple-S

Hi again Terzoed, ta for reply. Have also been a bit quiet after somebody stole my email id and used it for their lowlife ends..... I heard yesterday that TalkTalk, who are taking over Tesco ISP business, have been seriously hacked, so thats probably connected. Now seemingly sorted.
Have finally got my hospital dates confirmed, so won't be able to make it before February as not allowed to drive for a bit afterwards. Sorry about that but as soon as I can I will speak.
Direct email paultill@tesco.net if you want to speak off-list. Good luck with progress.

P

Paul,

Apologies for not replying sooner. I haven't been on here since November. You're still more then welcome to pop over, just give me a few weeks notice when you intend to head this way.

Not much to say real about the car, it hasn't turned a wheel since my last update. Me & the co-owner aka Bloke (hello mate!!) removed the water pump one Saturday before Christmas and attempted to fit a brand new one which was in the boot of the car when we picked it up. 2 1/2 hours and one ruined gasket later we admitted defeat and walked way. I ordered a new thermostat & gasket set from Brookfield that arrived a couple of days later, that has sat in the garage ever since. One of my neighbours who is mechanically minded has kindly offered to have a look, but with our days off never seeming to tally it's proved a bit problematic.

I do need to get a bit of a move on as She Who Must Be Obeyed keeps on dropping subtle hints, such as 'when are you going to get the bl00dy thing started'!!

I'l keep you posted