| Author | Message | ||
     John McGhee New User Username: jam Post Number: 9 Registered: 10-2012 |
Hi all, The cleanup of 55208 continues. I have tidied up the engine bay in an effort to locate a small HSMO leak in the vicinity of the reservoirs. Can't see a hose leak, but have noticed pooling of the green stuff right there on top of the reservoirs themselves, enough to need a couple of cloths to mop up. I'm wondering if the system has been overfilled and/or if there is a leak at the top of the cap where the return hoses rejoin the reservoirs. IETS tells me there is a big O-ring under the cap and also a little circular disc, rubber washer and setscrew holding/sealing the return pipes to the reservior caps. Have people had issues with the sealing of the return hoses in the past? If so, is the fix just one of replacing the O-rings/rubber washers or is it more insidious than that with one problem generally leading to another? I ask this because the pricing of reservoir components is very mean spirited and if you were to chase down individual problems, it wouldn't take long before you would have been better served just replacing the whole unit (UR 71881) which is expensive, but not crazy. A bit like the $100 ink cartridge I just put in my $200 printer... Thoughts much appreciated. Kind regards John | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 268 Registered: 5-2008 |
John, without actually seeing your issue ill make a comment WRT overfilling. Yes it is possible to overfill the reservoirs. The result of this will of course pool HSMO fluid under the car eventually....if you drive the car and then park it and the system depressurises and forces HSMO back to the containers you will notice a pool of green HSMO fluid under the front passenger bulkhead. I speak from exprience, I did just this as I was topping them up once and just put too much in and as it was at night I did not see the little green floats come up in the glass sights. I remember seeing HSMO on the garage floor about the size of a dinner plate and panicking.... I looked under and realised that the car has forced out the excess...phew. Anyway yes there is an overflow that drains excess out under the bulkhead. As to the pipes leaking ontop on the reservoirs I suppose anything is possible. Seals and hoses will of course degrade with time. The reservoirs in 20K,30K,40K,50K series cars are a lot more 'clean' and seal friendly than those in the earlier SZ cars, my 86 Rolls HSMO reservoirs, despite me always trying to keep the engine bay clean, used to be always a little 'greasy'. My 89 Bentley Turbo reservoirs are always clean and dry and never greasy. J | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 269 Registered: 5-2008 |
 Yours being a later car John will have a shroud over them I think but here is what they should look like and note the hoses at the rear. Cheers | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 270 Registered: 5-2008 |
 Unlike my Bentley and much to my chargin, my Rollers reservoirs were always a little greasy...see attached, no overflows with these older style jobbies. J | ||
| John McGhee New User Username: jam Post Number: 10 Registered: 10-2012 |
Thanks James, I think I will order some new O-rings in advance of some disassembly next week. I am going to replace the accumulators and gas springs and run a few bottles of HSMO through her to flush the system. Bye the way, your Bentley's engine bay looks superb. The covers and such on mine look neat, I suppose, but they do tend to disguise the mechanical wonders sitting beneath them! I shall post again once I have inspected the old seals etc and let you know what I discover. Kind regards John | ||
| James Feller Prolific User Username: james_feller Post Number: 271 Registered: 5-2008 |
good plan John. If the brake and rear suspension accumulators are shot, replacing them will have a miraculous result....the car will be transformed! Thanks I do try to keep engine bays regularily degreased and clean. I hate oil leaks and dirty engine bays. As for the mechanical wonders in the engine bay...the motors and all their ancillaries, pumps and crushing pipe work does look impressive if not a tad 'messy' in my opinion...  I know from about the 40K series on, 94'MY and on, RR did tidy the engine bays appearance with new manifold covers and shrouds that hide all the 'messy bits' as yours would be compared to mine. I rather like the under bonnet look of my old 89 Turbo, particularily that massive turbo charger sitting off to right of the V8 and with the big "TURBO" alloy air intake ontop of the motor, it all looks like it means business and if all working well, which mine is, it certainly goes like a bloody freighttrain! yep let us know how you go John.  J |
