Scipio Africanus said:

Mm…thanks for all the advice guys but sadly I will probably be ditching my P38. Had new rad and thermostat fitted (water pump already done) and drove about three miles before it overheated again. There are a total of three local garages so far who have flatly refused to even entertain doing the job. The heads have already been done by a previous owner, so there probably isn’t much left in them to skim again, plus there’s a chance that the repair might not even fix the issue! One garage recommended Steel Seal but to me that seems a cop-out repair, but I don’t know. Gutted really because the underside is near mint, new tyres, only a little lacquer peel on the paint and the interior is superb. Anyway she’s off for scrap! I have seven other old cars NONE of which have given me any trouble other than routine maintenance. I’ve already thrown a few hundred quid at this thing so enough is enough. I’ll never have another they really are as pants as they’re made out to be! Thanks for all the help and advice and stay safe!

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I'm in north Cheshire, we did Otto's V8 on the drive last summer (blown head gasket). Shame to scrap it for overheating without checking everything. I'd be happy to have a dekko and see if we can sort it / do the sniff test. I've got a kit for it somewhere. PM me if so. You'll get more for a runner than for scrap!

Scotiawhiskers said:

I'm in north Cheshire, we did Otto's V8 on the drive last summer (blown head gasket). Shame to scrap it for overheating without checking everything. I'd be happy to have a dekko and see if we can sort it / do the sniff test. I've got a kit for it somewhere. PM me if so. You'll get more for a runner than for scrap!

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Thanks Scotiawhiskers that’s very kind and greatly appreciated. Apologies for the delay in responding as I have only just seen this - been laid up with Covid and then just as we were getting over that bloody Norovirus! Anyway, update is as follows: have applied Steel Seal and although I have only got the car back on the road today it appears to have worked! I have given the vehicle an absolute thrashing and it behaves perfectly. I guess the next few days using the vehicle will confirm the repair 100% but it does appear to be the “miracle repair” it’s advertised to be! Many thanks to all those who replied with advice and support - greatly appreciated!

Datatek said:

Have you checked the viscous fan? It's a common failure item

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Thanks for the advice, yes this has been replaced but as I’ve just posted problem seems to be resolved following the application of Steel Seal!

Henry_b said:

It overheated so you're scrapping it, shame.

As for the garages that refuse to touch the P38, personally if they can't do headgaskets on a pushrod V8 they should shut up shop.

Airlocks are common on the V8, best try bleeding the cooling system before condemning it

Might even be worth having a gander at the waterpump and thermostat.

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I agree - a lot of garages now want quick turnaround jobs on newish cars. They can’t be bothered with older stuff. The car has had new water pump, thermostat and radiator but the issue persisted. Having applied the Steel Seal the problem now appears to be resolved and the engine runs sweet as a nut, even after a good thrashing up a mile-long very steep incline with foot to the floor. Hopefully this is a permanent fix - I must admit I wasn’t a fan of the “mystical potions” type of fix, but the heads have already been done by a previous owner, so if skimming was required there may not have been enough meat left in them. I did think the Steel Seal was a waste of time, but I’m happy to say I’ve been proved wrong! I was just gutted as I have fancied a P38 for years and thought I’d done well buying this one considering the number of jobs done and vast amount of money already spent on it. There are other ‘routine’ jobs to do (ABS and airbag light on and of course replacing the heater matrix), however, I am happy to crack on with these now the overheating issue appears to have been resolved.