Water pipe - 3.6 SP6
Discussion
Swapped out the hoses last weekend and filled with a 50/50 coolant mix.
There had been no coolant in her for at least 7 months.
I hope the only damage has been the steel pipe that comes out of the bottom front of the engine and connects to the oil cooler/heat exchanger. Still enough tube left to connect the hoses but I'd like to swap it next time the coolant is changed.
Does anyone make a stainless steel version?
There had been no coolant in her for at least 7 months.
I hope the only damage has been the steel pipe that comes out of the bottom front of the engine and connects to the oil cooler/heat exchanger. Still enough tube left to connect the hoses but I'd like to swap it next time the coolant is changed.
Does anyone make a stainless steel version?
To clarify;
Bought the car in Sept last year. Took it to Str8six for a '6k' service this year. Part of their service includes an extensive car check / inspection.
This highlighted that only water was in the cooling system. There was no coolant additive mixed with the water.
So while there was fluid in the cooling system, it was only water. I've done only 700-miles (although Samy has done over 4,000!) but I don't know how long or how many miles the previous owner had done with only water in the system.
My bits are crossed that only the damage is the lower pipe. As a precaution I am going to use the current mixed fluid in the system as a 'flush' and renew it again in 1,000-miles. At which point I'll swap out the mild steel pipes for stainless items (ACT have the upper pipe to).
Now the engine is running smooth and the coolant fluid is done I'll be using Tamy a lot more.
Got some suspension items and tyres to sort next.
Bought the car in Sept last year. Took it to Str8six for a '6k' service this year. Part of their service includes an extensive car check / inspection.
This highlighted that only water was in the cooling system. There was no coolant additive mixed with the water.
So while there was fluid in the cooling system, it was only water. I've done only 700-miles (although Samy has done over 4,000!) but I don't know how long or how many miles the previous owner had done with only water in the system.
My bits are crossed that only the damage is the lower pipe. As a precaution I am going to use the current mixed fluid in the system as a 'flush' and renew it again in 1,000-miles. At which point I'll swap out the mild steel pipes for stainless items (ACT have the upper pipe to).
Now the engine is running smooth and the coolant fluid is done I'll be using Tamy a lot more.
Got some suspension items and tyres to sort next.
Just double check he heater matrix as well,
Due to a poor quality pressure cap, I had a weak coolant mix in my engine after topping up in France with just water.
Some months laterI noticed coolant peeing out of the IN/OUT pipes on the heater matrix....Must have been due to lack of antifreeze. Luckily, local radiator specialist was able to rebuild, because I was unable to buy a new replacement.
Nick
Due to a poor quality pressure cap, I had a weak coolant mix in my engine after topping up in France with just water.
Some months laterI noticed coolant peeing out of the IN/OUT pipes on the heater matrix....Must have been due to lack of antifreeze. Luckily, local radiator specialist was able to rebuild, because I was unable to buy a new replacement.
Nick
My ACT stainless water pipes arrived today for my sp6 Cerbera so I'll be upgrading the rusty originals in a week at 6k service. Collings been great ever since FTing ACT silicone hoses but my advisory due to poor cosmetics was perhaps the stainless pipe upgrade so getting that done!
Nice to read good things about them
Nice to read good things about them
Stunned Monkey said:
Surely for an aluminium engine, the ideal coolant pipe material is aluminium...?Stainless will promote corrosion of the engine if the coolant quality isn't maintained.
I guess that would be true for the standard mild steel pipe, since iron corrosion products deposited on aluminium would build a nice galvanic couple. Stainless steel doesn't corrode uniformely as carbon steel does. So you'd rather have pitting, probably crevice corrosion, but no general thinning due to corrosion and therefore minimal corrosion products (if any). Plus stainless steel and aluminium match rather well, when talking about connecting pieces and galvanic couple. Plus if you use correct pink G12+ coolant, there shouldn't be any noticable corrosion for aluminium and should minimize for other materials in the system, too. Not true for cast iron, which need other coolant types, I suppose. For these engine types you'd have to use blue/green coolant types IIRC.So I wouldn't have concerns here.
RobertoBlanco said:
I guess that would be true for the standard mild steel pipe, since iron corrosion products deposited on aluminium would build a nice galvanic couple. Stainless steel doesn't corrode uniformely as carbon steel does. So you'd rather have pitting, probably crevice corrosion, but no general thinning due to corrosion and therefore minimal corrosion products (if any). Plus stainless steel and aluminium match rather well, when talking about connecting pieces and galvanic couple. Plus if you use correct pink G12+ coolant, there shouldn't be any noticable corrosion for aluminium and should minimize for other materials in the system, too. Not true for cast iron, which need other coolant types, I suppose. For these engine types you'd have to use blue/green coolant types IIRC.
So I wouldn't have concerns here.
Thanks for that info... TVR Power had always advised me of blue coolant? once the stainless pipes are fitted Im sure the team at Topcats Racing will fill with correct mix and advise. On top of the stainless pipes Im more excited to have my CV boots updated and the fitting of an itg long life performance air filter. So I wouldn't have concerns here.
Incognegro said:
Thanks for that info... TVR Power had always advised me of blue coolant? once the stainless pipes are fitted Im sure the team at Topcats Racing will fill with correct mix and advise. On top of the stainless pipes Im more excited to have my CV boots updated and the fitting of an itg long life performance air filter.
Hmm, don't know about Powers advices. Coolant colours also do not necessarily give away the correct ingredient unfortunately.Looking into Tuscan Mk1 and Mk2 manuals there seems to be a blue coolant listed "Mobil Universal Antifreeze" and "Carplan Blue Star". Don't have my T350 owners handbook handy, but the suggested product is a G30/G12+ (pink) coolant. This was also in the cooling system, when I bought the car from str8six.
In my opinion the coolant has to be silicate free to be used in aluminium engines/coolers. In "Mobile Antifreeze Extra" for example is of blue-greenish colour and contains silicates (Glysantin G48). This one I would use for grey iron engines, but not for aluminium ones. You could maybe use it, too, but the silicates, which protect from corrosion, use up over time. So you have to change the coolant every (i would say) 2-3 years.
The pink coolants G12, G12++, G12++ respective G30/G40 are OAT-based - organic compounds which help build up protective oxide-layers on aluminium surfaces. I guess you do not necessarily have to change these over the years, but I would do nevertheless for the peace of mind. Probably every 4-5 years i guess.
"Carplan Blue Star" uses IAT/OAT technology, which should be correct in my eyes. Maybe that was the one suggested Powers?
Sorry, do not have the time right now to look up all the coolants and their technology.
RobertoBlanco said:
Hmm, don't know about Powers advices. Coolant colours also do not necessarily give away the correct ingredient unfortunately.
Looking into Tuscan Mk1 and Mk2 manuals there seems to be a blue coolant listed "Mobil Universal Antifreeze" and "Carplan Blue Star". Don't have my T350 owners handbook handy, but the suggested product is a G30/G12+ (pink) coolant. This was also in the cooling system, when I bought the car from str8six.
In my opinion the coolant has to be silicate free to be used in aluminium engines/coolers. In "Mobile Antifreeze Extra" for example is of blue-greenish colour and contains silicates (Glysantin G48). This one I would use for grey iron engines, but not for aluminium ones. You could maybe use it, too, but the silicates, which protect from corrosion, use up over time. So you have to change the coolant every (i would say) 2-3 years.
The pink coolants G12, G12++, G12++ respective G30/G40 are OAT-based - organic compounds which help build up protective oxide-layers on aluminium surfaces. I guess you do not necessarily have to change these over the years, but I would do nevertheless for the peace of mind. Probably every 4-5 years i guess.
"Carplan Blue Star" uses IAT/OAT technology, which should be correct in my eyes. Maybe that was the one suggested Powers?
Sorry, do not have the time right now to look up all the coolants and their technology.
+1 for Pink. Used before 4.3 engine upgrade/rebuild and came back from TVR Power with Pink!!Looking into Tuscan Mk1 and Mk2 manuals there seems to be a blue coolant listed "Mobil Universal Antifreeze" and "Carplan Blue Star". Don't have my T350 owners handbook handy, but the suggested product is a G30/G12+ (pink) coolant. This was also in the cooling system, when I bought the car from str8six.
In my opinion the coolant has to be silicate free to be used in aluminium engines/coolers. In "Mobile Antifreeze Extra" for example is of blue-greenish colour and contains silicates (Glysantin G48). This one I would use for grey iron engines, but not for aluminium ones. You could maybe use it, too, but the silicates, which protect from corrosion, use up over time. So you have to change the coolant every (i would say) 2-3 years.
The pink coolants G12, G12++, G12++ respective G30/G40 are OAT-based - organic compounds which help build up protective oxide-layers on aluminium surfaces. I guess you do not necessarily have to change these over the years, but I would do nevertheless for the peace of mind. Probably every 4-5 years i guess.
"Carplan Blue Star" uses IAT/OAT technology, which should be correct in my eyes. Maybe that was the one suggested Powers?
Sorry, do not have the time right now to look up all the coolants and their technology.
T
This comes under the heading of something I’ve always “known” but never really understood. So I’ve been doing some reading to back up my assertions.
My comments relate to the “ideal” material from which to make coolant pipes, on the basis that someone at some point will neglect the quality of the engine coolant, which when healthy will contain corrosion inhibitors with a finite lifespan.
An electrochemical cell is created through electrical connection of dissimilar conductors in the presence of an electrolyte. If this happens, and without the presence of corrosion inhibitors, the most active metal on the galvanic scale will corrode.
[img] http://www.nstcenter.biz/writeImages/NavyCommunity... [/img]
In our case, the electrochemical cell is created by bolting the dissimilar metals to the chassis, with the coolant as the electrolyte.
As you can see, mild steel is right next to the kind of Al alloy of which our engine is made, in fact zinc plated mild steel neatly places a sacrificial anode into the system. Cadmium has similar properties.
Replacing them with 304 stainless (which is quite a long way up the scale) WILL promote corrosion of the engine if the coolant is not maintained.
One quick way to fix this is to electrically insulate the stainless pipes from the chassis.
As a side note, I reckon the original pipes rust from the outside in, not the inside out, and by my own arguments, this would happen to aluminium pipes too…. (but at least they wouldn’t promote corrosion of the chassis, unlike stainless).
My comments relate to the “ideal” material from which to make coolant pipes, on the basis that someone at some point will neglect the quality of the engine coolant, which when healthy will contain corrosion inhibitors with a finite lifespan.
An electrochemical cell is created through electrical connection of dissimilar conductors in the presence of an electrolyte. If this happens, and without the presence of corrosion inhibitors, the most active metal on the galvanic scale will corrode.
[img] http://www.nstcenter.biz/writeImages/NavyCommunity... [/img]
In our case, the electrochemical cell is created by bolting the dissimilar metals to the chassis, with the coolant as the electrolyte.
As you can see, mild steel is right next to the kind of Al alloy of which our engine is made, in fact zinc plated mild steel neatly places a sacrificial anode into the system. Cadmium has similar properties.
Replacing them with 304 stainless (which is quite a long way up the scale) WILL promote corrosion of the engine if the coolant is not maintained.
One quick way to fix this is to electrically insulate the stainless pipes from the chassis.
As a side note, I reckon the original pipes rust from the outside in, not the inside out, and by my own arguments, this would happen to aluminium pipes too…. (but at least they wouldn’t promote corrosion of the chassis, unlike stainless).
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