Weeping core plug

[tdafforn]

Hi Guys,
As always happens, just got the +2 running really well and an issue arises!
Checked the car after a run on Saturday, and noticed that the forward
most core plug on the exhaust manifold side is weeping...
Now is there a temporary way of sealing it until the winter layup?
It only seems to be weeping when the engine is warm..
Or do I have to remove the plug and replace?
If so, anyone have the spec for the core plug?
Cheers
Tim

--
Dr Tim Dafforn
MRC Fellow
Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
(0121) 414 5881

[Elanman99]

Tim

Its not worth bothering with a temporary fix if its only the front core plug
that's is leaking. A new one can be fitted with the engine in situ, in fact
the rear one can be done as well buts it's a LOT harder. I am not sure of
the size but any motor factor should be able to supply if you just take a
diameter measurement.

Odds are, once you replace the front one, another one will start to leak!

Ian Phillips





-----Original Message-----
From: ***@***.***lto:***@***.*** Behalf
Of Tim Dafforn
Sent: Monday, June 20, 2005 9:55 AM
To: lotus elan
Subject: [LotusElan.net] Weeping core plug

Hi Guys,
As always happens, just got the +2 running really well and an issue arises!
Checked the car after a run on Saturday, and noticed that the forward most
core plug on the exhaust manifold side is weeping...
Now is there a temporary way of sealing it until the winter layup?
It only seems to be weeping when the engine is warm..
Or do I have to remove the plug and replace?
If so, anyone have the spec for the core plug?
Cheers
Tim

--
Dr Tim Dafforn
MRC Fellow
Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
(0121) 414 5881

[Lincoln62]

I agree with Ian. You can put some goo in the radiator which might fix the
leak but it can also gum the waterways up. OK if you want to bodge a car up
to sell but much better to replace the plug.

Peter
66S2
----- Original Message -----

[tdafforn]

Ok, I'll change the core plug (I need to refresh the antifreeze anyway!)
So, any advice on removing/refitting core plugs would be much appreciated#
Also, what size is the plug on the exhaust manifold side at the front of
the engine (I didn't have time to measure it this morning)
Cheers
Tim

--
Dr Tim Dafforn
MRC Fellow
Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
(0121) 414 5881

[types26/36]

--- In ***@***.***, Tim Dafforn <T.R.Dafforn@b...>
wrote:



The core plugs (welsh plugs) are 1 5/8" diameter, the two side and
the
rear (in bellhousing) are all the same.
If you are using a 711 block both side are 1 5/8" but the rear one is
2" diameter.
Brian.
64Elan/72Sprint/J.P.S.Europa/Birkin T.C.Seven

[mikecauser]

On Tue, 21 Jun 2005 09:20:35 +0100 Tim Dafforn <***@***.***> wrote:


To remove: use a medium size chisel (say 10-15 mm) [1] in the centre, one
good hit with a hammer and then you can lever the plug out with the
chisel.

To fit: clean the hole out very well. Put the new plug in there convex
side out, and then hit it *hard*, just once, with an engineer's hammer.
If the engine is still in the car you might need to use some sort of
drift (like a short 1/2" socket extension, but don't say I told you so,
and make sure it's a good make, but not a great make -- I wouldn't
subject my Snap-On kit to such treatment, but the now-superceeded
Britools, well maybe).


Replacing a core plug is easy enough that I've done it by the side of
the road -- although I admit the removal procedure was done by the old
plug blowing out. The exciting part of the job was getting the car
back to the left side of the road as I was overtaking a line of truckz
at the time, after the departing plug filled the distributor with water
which stopped the engine, then covered the windscreen with dirty water
so there was no forward vision.

Hitch-hike to the nearest town & back to buy a new core-plug, fit it,
clean out the distributor, get some water to refill the rad [3], & carry
on. This incident was with a Cooper "S", not a Lotus, but they're
sisters under the skin from this regard.



[1] Chisel for METAL. Not a WOOD chisel, OK? [2]

[2] Sorry if you knew this but there are too damn many litigatiooooous
dimwits around nowadays (

[3] In those days I had shoulder length hair and a full beard, and would
be instantly arrested as a suspected terrorist today. So it's not
suprising that the elderly lady in the nearby house was wary about
giving me a gallon or so. Well, as a terrorist with a gallon of water
I could have....


Mike
--
Mike Causer Email -
mailto:***@***.*** KeyID 1C2DDA07 WWW
- http://www.mikecauser.com Flood the fen again! - Wicken Fen
enlargement - http://www.wicken.org.uk

[johnjacobs]

Concave side out, surely?

JJ

[jopalm]

Nay.
It starts with the convex side out. Only after being seated (by striking)
will the convex side be out...

[marcfuller]

At 06:48 PM 6/21/2005, you wrote:

Surely NOT!

You want the convex (or dome) facing out. Or from a different perspective,
if you were somehow inside the block's water jacket you would see the
concave side.

[tdafforn]

The original was fitted with the concave out...
Which is right?
Cheers
tim
PS thanks for the advice

Marc Fuller wrote:


--
Dr Tim Dafforn
MRC Fellow
Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
(0121) 414 5881


--
Dr Tim Dafforn
MRC Fellow
Biosciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
(0121) 414 5881

[types26/36]

--- In ***@***.***, Tim Dafforn <T.R.Dafforn@b...>
wrote:

I think there is some confusion here as there are two types of plugs,
B.M.C. (Layland ...Mini etc.) use a dished plug which when fitted
has
the "dome" to the outside, when it is struck in the centre it
expands
slightly making it tight.
Ford (Lotus) use a different type of plug, a bit like a soup bowl
but
with steeper sides, when fitted it has the the part for the "soup"
to the OUTSIDE.
Lotus also used the B.M.C. type plugs on the early T.C. heads but
they are
a
lot smaller then the plugs in the block.
Hope you can make sence of that!
Brian
64Elan/72Sprint/J.P.S.Europa/Birkin T.C.Seven

[marcfuller]

I regret my error, Brian's explanation below is completely CORRECT. I hope
I did not compound anyone's difficulty.

[simon.mitchell]

I've always fitted them concave side out - and they don't leak!

Simon
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tim Dafforn" <***@***.***>

Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 9:04 AM
Subject: Re: [LotusElan.net] Core plug size and fitting