Hi, I’m new to this board but have maintained my '66 E-Type since I bought it in 1979.
The Otter switch gasket on the front of the header tank failed recently. The switch and tank surfaces mate perfectly. It was clearly a cork gasket failure.
Does anyone know of a better replacement for the cork gasket?
I’m guessing it’s that thick to insulate the sensor so it reads the coolant temp vs. the header tank temp. But the header tank does bolt to a bracket which sits on rubber bushings so it should not get up to engine temps.
Thanks,
Steve
Welcome Steve,
actually the cork is still a valid and good version of a gasket for this. insulation is really not a concern, the otter switch just works off temp, and if the water is hot the header tank will be hot too.
I will suggest that now is a good time to look at an upgraded version of the otter if you are still using the original or that style.
you can get gasket from XKS.com or SNGBarrett.com or try looking at coolcatcorp.com. they sell a whole new switch that is easy to replace when your original fails. ( I have no affiliation with any of the vendors by the way)
I am sure others will chime in on this as well.
Yes, welcome aboard.
Of the otter switch you have installed now is working I’d let it be and just replace the gasket. The cork gasket is a perfectly acceptable, proven item. I prefer to coat each side with a thin skin of sealant, but others opt to install them dry.
I used permatex hi tack and did not overtighten. If you overtighten, the cork gasket oozes out and can fail
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Welcome, surprising to see someone for the first time who has been maintaining their car since the 70s. Is this the first problem you needed help with?
Honestly I’d be surprised if there was much actual reason for them using cork. The otter switch floats in plastic right? I doubt the element could be triggered by heat soaking through that prior to being triggered by hot coolant. It’s also the identical triangular gasket that is used on the blanking plate on the the water manifold. You can replace with cork or make your own. I’d seal it with something though, either the gray Permatex for water pumps or the Indian Head shellac or whatever you fancy.
Thank you all for the excellent advice.
Bob, I put the rectangular motor and lawn mower blade on the shelf a long time ago and have nice bolt thru fan on the radiator. I have a toggle switch mounted in the AL panel under the tach to hot wire it if the otter fails.
The original motor was oiled and sealed in a plastic bag. I was a software engineer and thus very detail oriented. Another way to say that is that I was an anal retentive assembly language programmer writing telemetry data acquisition software for the orbital mechanics dept of COMSAT (Communications Satellite Corp). Yes, TMI.
Yes John, I will just replace the cork gasket. The otter switch is like new and as I said above, I can always just become the thermostat and flip the switch manually.
I will use Hylomar or Permatex Dennis, as I do on all the hoses. And it is entirely possible that I slightly over tightened the screws the last time I replaced the otter.
Erica, I didn’t realize the sensor was floating in plastic so thanks for that piece of intel.
I’ve done almost everything you can do to an E-type over the years. I’ve got a lot of hours in the car and a lot of good stories. I pulled the engine and shipped it to Gran Turismo Jaguar in Ohio to be rebuilt. As you may know -you actually lift the frame and drop the engine and trans out the bottom unless you have tremendous head room.
In this case, I was just trying to keep up with materials and adhesives. It amazes me sometimes how little, things have changed.
I was pretty involved in the NCJOC (Nations Capitol Jaguar Owners Club) years ago. I was on the maintenance committee for E-Types and went on all the road trips pre wife and kids. We had a nice archive of how to’s and would use local Jag dealer lifts twice a year for regular maintenance and demos. I have lost touch with the club but they may still be doing this.
Speaking of GTJ, in 1980 Fred Baker in his E-Type beat Paul Newman in his 280ZX at the SCCA C production run-offs. For a little history on that E-Type…
I drove down to Road Atlanta in my 1966 E-Type with my brother for the runoffs the next year but Fred lost. SCCA made them down size the HD8 SUs in 1981. Lou Fidanza told me that the E-Types with HD8s were actually over carburated from the factory and that the car was actually faster with the smaller SUs!
If you feel like taking some of the guesswork out of it, Coolcat offers a much more reliable Otter switch replacement part. I used this as well as their cooling fan, and a relay on the switch. As a result it’s never been necessary to hot wire an override.
I was there watching.