Morris Minor Owners Club

1971 1098 Minor
Took her for a spin yesterday, when I got back she smelt a bit hot so I checked the rad for coolant it was about 1/2 inch above the core
but their was little or no circulation of coolant when I revved the engine is this normal or should their be some movement?

Movement of coolant can be seen in the top of the radiator when the thermostat is open, but if the thermostat is closed, then very little movement will be seen.

With the engine NOT running, feel the entire radiator. It should be warm all over, hotter t the top and cool;er at the bottom, but still warm. If not, then it may need flushing. With a new (to you) car, oit is always best to give it a compete service, and this should include draining and flushing the cooling system. Refill with a Bluecol type antifreeze mixture, not modern green or orange types.

Thermostats can be tested in a jug of hot water with a suitable thermometer.

You should also feel the hubs/drums/wheels after a run and see if any are hot to touch as this could indicate a binding brake which could give rise to the aroma of heat.

A hand held laser type thermometer can be useful for checking for sources of heat.

Thanks for your advice.
I think I may have a greater problem, Water coming out of the exhaust tail pipe and white sludge inside the rocker cover, could this be a blown head gasket? I did check the rocker cover when first viewed the car and it looked ok.

It could be a head gasket, but might also be just condensation. With HG, expect rough running, lack of power, and the cooling system to become pressurised and to see bubbles in the header tank. Best not to guess, run a compression test and/or a test for combustion gases in the radiator. Hopefully all tests will be OK.

Thanks for your reply
I drove a couple of miles this afternoon Came and back and removed the rad cap no excessive there
So the water from the tail pipe may be condensation as you suggested.