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British cars of many makes and models have marginal capacity to cool the engines in the warmer climates of the USA. Addition of a coolant recovery system, which modern cars have had for many years, will not add to the cooling capacity, but will save much of what is lost to evaporation and normal operation. This will greatly increase the odds of your cooling system being full, and reduce the requirement for frequent checking and adding of coolant. Your radiator will always be full to the top, regardless of whether the car is cold or warm; variations in coolant levels will occur in the bottle only.
Inexpensive systems are sold at most auto parts stores. They usually include a square-cornered plastic bottle about 4 inches wide, but just about any container can be used, as long as the coolant delivery tube (from the radiator) is below the waterline of the container. Do not use the pressure cap which usually comes with the coolant recovery system; use the normal cap for your car, and make sure it's in good condition.
MG T-Series Cars
Contrary to common belief, the coolant recovery system will work on cars with unpressurized systems, like the TC and TD, as well as the TF. We like to mount the bottle in the battery box, and use an 8 inch battery (group size 26) instead of the 12 inch battery.
MGA and MGB thru 1976
This is particularly helpful on MGAs and early MGBs with the offset radiator filler neck, because without it you cannot tell how much coolant is in the radiator when you remove the cap. Ideal locations for the recovery bottle are less obvious. The area in front of the radiator is a bit awkward to see the level of coolant in the bottle; other locations in the engine compartment may require creation of a bracket. The auto parts store recovery sytems usually come with a bracket which may be adaptable to your car>
MGB 1977-1980
These cars have a separate expansion tank, but it is not a coolant recovery system, and may also benefit from the addition of one. Run the coolant delivery tube to the recovery bottle from the overflow tube on the expansion tank.
