At least one Triumph wants to play!

That's UNJ, the TR7 convertible.

Well, after a little coaxing anyway. I tried to start it for the first time this year earlier this week and it didn't want to know even with a freshly charged battery. It didn't even "cough". I checked and there was a spark at the plugs but I left it at that as attention switched to other cars in the fleet!

Today though I looked at the fuel side and the carburettor fuel bowls were bone dry. I refilled them with fresh superunleaded as a treat, put some fuel in the tank just in case the fuel gauge was not reading corrrect (I have had that before) and then for good measure squirted some Easy Start down the cars.

A turn of the key and UNJ started like a good un - hurragh!

I had to switch it off fairly quickly though due to a leaking fuel pipe from the pump but having fixed that it ran very happily again. I let it warm up and the electric fan cut in as it should.

Even the clutch hasn't siezed which very often happens.

So I will now tax the car from April 1st and then it can join the queue for servicing and an MOT.

Certainly a problem!

I left the last entry saying the engine would get hot but not the radiator, probably due to a stuck thermostat.

Well I have now cured that with the radiator getting warm to hot and the top hose likewise so the thermostat is opening. What is happening now though is alot of white smoke from the exhaust and the coolant level dropping regularly.

This is at a steady 900 RPM. Also the oil looks very light in colour but I can't actually see any "mayonnaise" but I suspect head gasket failure.

This would be from either us driving the car in the Czech Republic for a few miles after the wild boar collision with low/no water when it got very hot or from me running it recently when I couldn't get water to flow around the system properly (see last entry).

It's probably a combination of the two and I fear a replacement head gasket along with maybe a skim of the cylinder head.

Radiator and fan on - next problem to solve

I realised the only way really to get the fan on was to take the radiator off again - ho hum. Well with it off at least it was easy to fit the fan.

Then a case of fitting the radiator again, attaching the wiring and filling the system up with water. I always use water first until I am sure everything is as it should be and then I drain and refill with a water/antifreeze mix.

This time one of the hose clips didn't want to play ball so I replaced that.

After this though running the car got the engine hot but the radiator not at all although there was plenty of pressure when I took the cap off.

I reckon the thermostat is stuck or there's an airlock but that was enough for today. I put all the tools away and lowered the car back down onto it's tyres again for the first time in weeks.