unless you want that sinking feeling!

I recently replaced the coolant tank on my 05 xk8. I had checked the level several weeks ago but today I smelled that familiar aroma and opened up my filler cap. It was dark in the garage and rather than turn the lights on I grabbed a little LED flashlight and shown it into the tank. Wow!!! milky coolant...which means to me that I have a blown (or failing) head gasket. My heart sank I thought about how well it ran just yesterday, thought some more and concluded that it ran too good for a car with a failing head gasket. So I pulled a little fluid from the tank as I was going to check it further. It was clear/colored. I then looked in the tank and it was clear/colored. Grabbed the LED flashlight and shone it back inside...milky.
The led light was so intense that it bounced around in the solution and gave the appearance of 'milky'.
Long story...but at least you now know not to do what I did.

wj

 

Whew! 126 percent pucker factor, I guess!

 

I appreciate the "lessons learned" posts, thank you. Lord knows I've had a few myself.

John

 

I think we have all "been there done that".

I had a very similar plonker factor event. Save me posting it again and the photos read this and have a laugh on me. Franks XKR Story. - Page 287

 

I like it! I have on more than one occasion done an oil change and forgot to replace the sump plug before adding the new oil. Nothing like realising you've just lost 7 litres of the expensive black stuff all over the drive. It also has the side effect of making you extremely unpopular with the other half!

 

As we are all confessing to doing stupid things....... does any one remember colour tune? or color tune if your in the US?

Basically you remove your spark plug and replace it with the color tune plug. At that time the center cover of the plug was a clear hard plastic. The idea was that the plug would flash different colours depending on how rich or poor the fuel mix was. So you changed the mix at the carb whilst watching the plug change colour. Easy eh?

So colour tune plug in. Engine running. Screwdriver on the mix jet of the carb. I turned it to try and get the color I wanted. It was a bright day and I could not see the colour because the sun shone directly into the engine bay. You know what its like your mind is on something else and you simply do not think before acting..............

I put my hand around the spark plug to shield it ............. ever had around 35,000 volts shoved up your hand and up your arm? Next thing I know I am on the floor saying things like tut tut oh dear I have just electrocuted myself . (or words to that effect)

 

Gunsons colour tune, that's a blast from the past. I have still got one along with a Gunsons tach and dwell meter and a Gunsons strobe light that you could only see in the dark. The good old days eh?

Bring back carburettors and contact breaker points. At least I knew what I was doing back then (although some may disagree).

 

At least someone knows what I am talking about!

As for distributors and points you can keep them. True you could do more to fix the car yourself in those days, even with a hammer, but I think todays cars are far more reliable. Still breakdown with mystifying problems but at least we have these types of forums for information. We did not even have calculators when I got my first car.