DeLorean Servicing

[DeLorean Cars]

Coolant change every year, really not necessary, and what a faff. See any gunk in your system? Probably not. I remember when you first got it, Jason tested it and it was almost 100% anti-freeze. There're all sorts of additives in modern anti-freeze to keep things healthy and the DeLorean is blessed with aluminium pipes front to back. Just check out the cooling system on a GTA (rusty rusty rusty). When I first bought 1458 it stil had its origninal 20 year old coolant and it had kept things perfectly healthy (we did replace it!). Overheating doesn't damage the coolant. You have diluted it a bit with the mineral water so if you like, drop some from the back and top up with neat anti-freeze..

IIRC I changed your cap and rotor when I did your clutch slave. Officially the interval is 12,000 on them.

Do you mean side wall, or in the tread? There is a repair that can be done on the tread which involves a length of rubber being threaded through the hole coated in adhesive, which is then trimmed back. It can't be done in the sidewall though.

Forgot about the fuel filter in my little list

I've got a couple of genuine Renault air filters if you want one

[A Van]

Gunk or not, I would change it, the properties in antifreeze dont last for ever, and for the minimal cost.

But as I said...its only my opinion!

Al

[Chris Hawes]

Admin bloke kindly sent me a private email suggesting a link on eBay. The ad didn't mention the age of the tyre so I rummaged a little further and found 2x NEW but they sold before I could login and pay the bargrain £127 including shipping.

I have now found http://www.vintagetyres.com/contact.asp ... &DBM=&PGE=
They have 3 NEW (been sat on their shelf for no more than a year, so they say) P600's 235/60/15 98W on the shelf (now only 2x left ). £159.85 including VAT and shipping.

I have found from another source that the major repair is a bad idea. Repairs of that nature are ugly and difficult to balance.

The tyre is now on the way to the place I am having my service and MOT at next Wednesday.

[Admin-bloke]

No worries Chris, didn't want you to miss out on the tyre if it could get you out of a hole.

BTW you could ask them for the tyre date DOT code on the sidewall of the tyre for date of manufacture !

http://www.carbibles.com/tyre_bible.html

For price of a tyre not worth risking your life or bashing your car !

Mr Admin-bloke

[DeLorean Cars]

I rummaged a little further and found 2x NEW but they sold before I could login and pay the bargrain £127 including shipping.

Sorry That was too good to pass up. And no, they're not for stock, they're for #4772 when it finally gets here

[Darren C]

Jason tested it and it was almost 100% anti-freeze

Never exceed 50%, after that glycol looses it's ability to transfer heat as efficiently and you could overheat! Plus the viscosity increases putting strain on the water pump and seals, slowing flow and increasing pressure.

Regards
D

[DeLorean Cars]

This goes back to when Chris bought the car. Although you're right in the extreme, with our climate, it didn't cause a problem (we're going back to 2001 here)

Actually there's a school of thought that goes the other way - a customer of mine who is in the aircraft industry is insisting on 100% glycol.

[A Van]

Pure Glycol freezes before a water/Glycol mix will, and Glycol isnt as effective as water in removing heat from the engine.

I still cant see why no-one agrees that on a such an old engine, that changing coolant every 12 mths is a good idea..I think overkill is needed when you get to 20 yrs+

[Admin-bloke]

All depends how dirty the coolant has originally been and if it gets brown as the car is getting used.

If it looks dirty change it. Then again how much is some antifreeze for a yearly service, not much !

I also change oil yearly regardless of mileage.

[DeLorean Cars]

I also change oil yearly regardless of mileage.

No argument there: every year or 6000 miles, whichever comes first.

Coolant is about heat transfer, it doesn't actually "do" anything the way oil does. It's also the most expensive fluid in the car (at base prices).

I've dismantled PRVs that have been thoroughly abused and corrosion isn't a problem, but calcification from using pure water, not a mix, is. It'd take a lot of effort to rot through a liner.

The biggest problem as I see it is the fashion for using stainless in the cooling system. The anti-freeze is what then prevents the aluminium corroding and furring up the radiator.

I've had to blast out a heater matrix more than once simply by hooking up the mains to the matrix feed. Over time, fresh anti-freeze then cleans it all out, changed a year later.