Midget/Sprite heater valve

[SB - Nigel]

Midget/Sprite (fully manual) heater valve (tap)

Found out today that the new replacement heater vavle that I fitted not long ago leaks out thro' the tap spindle when fully closed

I know some say "they all do that" but is there anyway of stopping it (other than possibly BARRS LEAK) preferable without taking it off

I lubricted the 'O' ring on the tap with spray nylon and rubber lube before fitting this tap (could that have made the situation worse?)

Any suggestions please?

[wildoliver]

Scrapyard, marina, mini, morris minor, metro. remove straight through adaptor (replaces tap with pipe output) and voila you never leak again. Let's face it you never need to turn off the heater, just close the flaps down the footwell.

[SB - Nigel]

Thanks for the idea

Unfortunately I need the heater for the windscreen in winter otherwise I'd hardly use it as it gets so warm

It's the screen heat that annoys me makes my head too hot, I open the passenger's side footwell heater door to get rid of the heat when I'm driving but if the hood is up it soon gets too hot for me

Then of course if my wife is in the car unless it's the hottest day ever recorded WE must have heat in the car

[wildoliver]

Either you are the worlds most sensitive person to heat or you have managed to do the impossible and make a midget airtight!

Right your other options are to fit different valves that aren't as prone to leakage, I guess yours is the tap (looks like a bath tap) which leak pretty regularly, even the new ones. A mini/mgc heater tap will fit and is less prone to leaks. Alternatively midget 1500 heater tap can be substituted with a bit of work and is 100% leak proof.

Of course these aren't concourse mods and the trained eye will spot them (and comment in a nasal voice that isn't correct for the year you know) but they are reversible.

[SB - Nigel]

Thanks for your reply

wildoliver said:

Either you are the worlds most sensitive person to heat or you have managed to do the impossible and make a midget airtight!

Well the hood is newish but only fitted to the normal standard and I’ve yet to replace the door and quarterlight/screen seals but as with my previous Spridget I’ve still found this Midget to be reasonably draught proof and a very watertight

wildoliver said:

Right your other options are to fit different valves that aren't as prone to leakage, I guess yours is the tap (looks like a bath tap) which leak pretty regularly, even the new ones.

Yes you’re right on both counts, it’s a new tap type

wildoliver said:

A mini/mgc heater tap will fit and is less prone to leaks. Alternatively midget 1500 heater tap can be substituted with a bit of work and is 100% leak proof.

Interesting facts here, thank you, I didn’t know about MGC but have thought about fitting a Mini type on something like a choke cable so that the Mrs and I can argue over it’s setting – I surprised to here the Triumph version is so good and assume you mean s/h as I’ve had nothing but horror from new Triumph parts in the very recent past

wildoliver said:

Of course these aren't concourse mods and the trained eye will spot them (and comment in a nasal voice that isn't correct for the year you know) but they are reversible.

No worries to me, my Midget is my everyday car, it’s never garaged, I use it for tours in Britain and Europe, I purposely bought one that wasn’t too pretty, it’s a Heritage shell and unplated engine – so garage queen owners would just tut and walk on by anyway

[wildoliver]

Lol well I'm somewhat biased as I tend to specialise mainly in 1500 midgets. But a lot of the triumph engine is superior to the old 1275. But yes the heater tap is better, also as it is an under bonnet adjuster like the original saves you bodging up a choke cable.

I think you'll find any classic parts that you get new now are shocking quality, I always try to rebuild old stuff if I can as the chinky made parts are lousy.

[SB - Nigel]

Looks like I've got to do a bit more research and get a few 1500 and Mini bonnets up to check things out

I think you're saying I should put in the 1500 type and adapt it (?)

I'm totally fed up with replacing gaskets, blue sealant and coolant with different cars (especially on the Triumph!) so I'll leave it now until the weather gets warmer (no garage)

Everytime I think the coolant system is tight and put 4-LIFE in a car I get a leak soon after, so much so that my mate says I should call it 4-now

I've never driven (that I can remember) a r/b Midget and I've known people who have driven Midgets from the dark (black rubber) side so I wont comment on your engine comparison

[wildoliver]

Ah you see you mention the bumpers.........Remove those b***rd things, lower and stiffen the suspension and you have a quick potent little car. An oselli tuned one has been my competition car for 10 years or so now!

Yes I'd use the 1500 tap, on my old 1275 I just used the straight through pipe, and removed the air trunking, when i didnt want heat i just closed the flaps and because of lack of trunking when fan was turned off no heat came out of vents. But the 1500 tap should sort you out, you'll still need the straight through piece too though as the 1500 tap is an inline one.

[SB - Nigel]

Thanks for the advice

I'm not really against r/b as my B roadster was r/b

[wildoliver]

so's mine, they aren't pretty, but so practical in car parks!

[wadgebeast]

Lived with rubber bumpers for 6 years, but couldn't resist converting it when I had to do loads of other work to do anyway. Car was much more appreciated by the public as a result and a hell of a lot lighter (at the right ends too) from my point of view.

I've always thought the midget suited the rubber bumpers less than the B - they didn't quite mold them in as well. If I had a midget, the bumpers would definitely be either chrome or just not there.

• Although you do lose a useful shelf at the rear for putting screwdrivers, spanners, cans of beer and mugs of tea on when you remove the rubber bumper.....

[SB - Nigel]

wildoliver said:

so's mine, they aren't pretty, but so practical in car parks!

yes and the raised ride height was useful on the B when touring the more rural parts of England, Scotland and Wales (single track roads with grass in the middle and the odd pot hole)

And most good rural pubs seem to have rough car parks - infact unless the wife insists on stopping there for a meal be suspicious of stopping for a drink at a rural pub with an ultra smooth car park unless it's important to you to drink wine or overpriced and frozen fizzy chemical ladened advertised labels

:strokesbeardandpicksdirtoutoftoenailsthrosandals:


ETA: I think if you lower the r/b Midget they look better and you keep the praticability but then you also keep a lot of extra weight behind them to carry around

Edited by SB - Nigel on Tuesday 29th January 15:28

[wildoliver]

Just lose the bumpers and go 60's cafe racer chic