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MG MGF Technical - Browns and Gammons water coolant kit

Hi

I am thinking buying a water level kit from Browns and Gammons and I wondering how hard they are to fit and what other people think to them.

Looking at their web site they use Original Rover parts does that mean that a level sensor was fitted to the coolant reservoir on the later mgtf.

To me it looks a neat kit except for the indicator light which looks more like something you buy from Maplin So if they where fitted to later MGTF where was the indicator fitted by Rover
Russell Reeve

Russell,

The B&G kit is quite easy to fit yourself. The standard parts are the expansion tank and the sensor. B&G add in a customer wiring harness complete with buzzer and sensor and the 'intellegence' to only set off the buzzer/light after 15 secs continuous signal from the sensor. This is to avoid false alarms when the coolant sloshes about in bends.

The light is not the most attractive, as you've noted, but I know that Techspeed fitted Rob Bell's and they extended the light wiring on to the dash display and used a spare warning light. I presume something like this was done with the standard factory fit on later TFs. The factory fit, AFAIK, has no buzzer - this was a B&G addition.

All in all, I think the kit is well worth the investment and peace of mind.
Dave Livingstone

"intellegence" Doh! Could use some.
Dave Livingstone

'intelligence' too ;) Wears the spelt chequer when yew knead it hay?
Al

Two trew.
Dave Livingstone

Try ieSpell - http://www.iespell.com/

Ted
Ted Newman

On the last TFs the warning light was top right of the instrument cluster - where the hazard warning is on earlier cars I think? Dave's also right that there was no buzzer - as I discovered when the brand new courtesy TF I had at the beginning of the year ran low on coolant!!

Tim.
Tim Jenner

On TFs with the low level sensor, the warning light is on the LHS on the instrument cluster, second light down (FYI it is red when lit) and there is no buzzer.
I can't remember from my previous TF if this light was there but unused? I suspect so, and this is what Rob has used.
Interestingly before I had my X-power springs fitted, my warning light quite often used to come on under heavy cornering, but since have the springs fitted, it hasn't been one once. Just shows how much body roll there is on a standard TF.
Steve White

Fitted the kit a few months ago: it is really easy to do as the manual is vry clear.
I even managed not to spoil any coolant, so perfect job.
Erik

I was also thinking of buying the colant sensor, and have a couple of questions, perhaps someoe cud answer.

The warning light is pretty awlful, so how can you connect it to the spare in the instrument panel ?

If you remove the existing expansion tank, do you have to bleed the system ?

I was thinking of removing the cover, lowering in a small jar, into the expansion tank to fill up with coolant and then remove, then putting the jar in again until most if not all collant is removed, then undoing the rubber pipes. Then adding the new expansion tank with sensor.

I had hoped that this would prevent the coolant level dropping less than the bottom of the expansion tank and so avoid a bleed.

brian

I would use a syphon, rather than 'bucket and well'

and no they system does not need to be blead afterwards.
Will Munns

I did what Will suggests - syphon most of the coolant out of the expansion tank, after undoing the retaining bolts and raising it as high as it will go. Then when you undo the coolant pipe, very little will be lost and you will not need to bleed the system.
Dave Livingstone

Steve - interesting that you say the light is on the left of yours, it was honestly on the right of the 2004 car I had! Is the instrument panel different between 2004 and 2005?

Cheers,
Tim
Tim Jenner

Can't comment on the TF instrument binnacle, but Gavin managed to wire in the un-used Catalyst warning lamp (lower left) - which saved me the job of having to do it! Cheers Gavin! :o)) Works a treat. And most importantly, no unsightly aftermarket warning lamps.

BTW the B&G kit is superior to the OEM job as Steve indicates: it has both the additional warning buzzer (which has a self check twin bleep on ignition on, which is nice), plus the intelligence delay on the warning light that Dave mentioned prevents unwanted operation. No false alarms at Donington last month - and plenty of good corners to test it with there!!! LOL
Rob Bell

I recall somebody over on MG-Rover said it was connected to the warning light with the "£" symbol ;))
roy bridge

I removed the expansion tank with the coolant in it by positioning and rotating it in such a way that no coolant could escape/be spoiled. Installed the new tank and filled it using the content of the old one.
Erik

The same as Erik said worked for me :)

Errrm, I should have some pictures anywhere on my HD ;)
Dieter

I ordered a B & G kit last night.
My dash warning light options seem different again. It's an 02 135, and the only suitable light is the spare automatic transmission fault (amber), which is second from bottom on the right. Seems just right for the job!! Just had a phone call from B & G (spooky), seems they have two different sorts, depending on model.
Jerry Herbert

>>Seems just right for the job!! Just had a phone call from B & G (spooky), seems they have two different sorts, depending on model.<<

When I ordered mine I also got a call to see what year of car I had. The difference is that the cigar lighter (the power source for the kit) is on all the time on the TF, so an extra loom is required to connect to another power source. This doesn't apply to the F since the lighter goes dead when you switch the ignition off.
David Clelland

Aha, mine goes dead with ignition off!! Not all TF's are the same in this respect. But, yes, you are right about the power feed options.
Jerry Herbert

Fitted the kit last week, no problem at all. I too was bothered by the warning light, so I didn't drill any holes. My only spare dash warning light is the auto transmission warning,but investigation makes me think it would be unwise to cut the harness and splice in. The warning light is connected to the LCD display via a seperate ecu, so I've left well alone. I've nicked the flexible printed circuit board from the light hole outward, so I can re insert the warning light without it being connected to the PCB by going underneath the PCB. I've drilled the back of the light holder and led two wires out seperatly. The output from the B & G unit now feeds a relay, which in turn feeds my new warning light. Long way round, but I think safer. Any other warning light is easier to connect to via the harness, as they don't have ecus connected to it!!
Certainly looks more professional now.
Jerry Herbert

This thread was discussed between 06/12/2005 and 13/12/2005

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