My 1967 222S, # 22244145341, is the European delivery version. I guess that amounts to its having the neat 4 into 2 exhaust manifold.

A few weeks ago I joined a couple of dozen other enthusiasts to camp in the Sierras and ride small old motorcycles (Honda CT90s) on and off road. My modus operandi is to throw a sleeping bag, rubber mat, and spare shirt in the far back, cooler with nutritious drinks and tube steaks, along with motorcycle paraphernalia (sp?) on the back seat. Then I carry the CT90 on bumper carriers, tied to the upper tailgate hinges and to the lower tailgate handle. The wagon bed makes a great and comfortable camper for me. All in all, an economical and stylish SUV to my way of thinking.

Starting near Pasadena, the first 36 miles over the Angeles Forest mountain 2 lane went well, peaking at 4910’ at Mill Creek summit.

Temp gage started creeping to the right once we flattened out in the Mojave Desert at about 11 AM. Was 2/3 to RED at Pearsonville, where the temperature outside had climbed to 107 degrees F. I have an old Zemco “driving computer” installed where the ash tray used to be, so I can monitor temp, gas mileage, and other entertaining things. Now things got interesting, as the Nine Mile Cyn road climbed from 1700’ to 7000’. Most of that climb was in 2nd gear, even with my wagon final drive ratio of 4.56:1. I even had to briefly shift to 1st to make the grade. During this time, the temperature needle crept past HOT and buried itself behind the fascia so I could see only the barest bit of red needle.

It was decision time, I expected that if I stopped, the radiator would erupt from the released engine heat boiling the now stationary water in the block and head. Instead, I pushed on and made the summit 97000’ and 87 degrees) where the indicated temperature came back down to about mid gage. Later I found out about 1 quart of coolant had been boiled or otherwise lost.

I suspect the coolant distribution tube in the head is clogged or otherwise inoperative. That would reduce the flow of cooled water from the radiator to the rear of the head where the temperature sensor resides. Of course, the overall cooling could be inadequate for such a hot day, but I have recently had the radiator rodded, and I do have a new water pump.

Has anyone else had experience with faulty water distribution tubes? It looks OK form the thermostat housing, but I can’t see much from there. It looks like it would be a major operation to pull that tube out through a hole sealed by an expansion plug in the front of the engine. I’m thinking it just might stick! Is this a DIY operation?

Thanks,
Larry in Pasadena