Sorry for the repeats but........
Discussion
New rad core now, the mutz nutz apparantly. Otter sealed up but still having getting hot problems.
I should add that the engine was tested for gasket leak and all OK.
So one or two questions or several.
First off, it was pointed out to me that my expansion tank was a bit low whilst I was at BBWF. Anyone let me know how high thiers is with respect to the rest of the cooling system?
Second, what sort of volume should the expansion tank be? Or a pic. Seem to think that mine is a tad smaller than others I have seen.
Thirdly, dipped a thermometer into the expansion tank for a reading, is this a good spot to check or the swan neck better?
Fourthly, are the above questions daft?
Fifthly, I am as p!ssed of with these questions as you are
I should add that the engine was tested for gasket leak and all OK.
So one or two questions or several.
First off, it was pointed out to me that my expansion tank was a bit low whilst I was at BBWF. Anyone let me know how high thiers is with respect to the rest of the cooling system?
Second, what sort of volume should the expansion tank be? Or a pic. Seem to think that mine is a tad smaller than others I have seen.
Thirdly, dipped a thermometer into the expansion tank for a reading, is this a good spot to check or the swan neck better?
Fourthly, are the above questions daft?
Fifthly, I am as p!ssed of with these questions as you are
Hi! Well, ONE shouldn´t be able to manage without a secondary ex tank. Two months ago i ADVISED two 350 owners to reinstall them(removed by previous owners) and they´ve had no probs at all since then whatsoever(well, not with the cooling at least 
..) So, anyone with a standard v8 wedge, make shure it´s there, in a correct position too.
..) So, anyone with a standard v8 wedge, make shure it´s there, in a correct position too.Surely the secondry tank (same as washer tank) you mention is the one that sits under the main expansion tank.
I see no reason for not keeping this secondry tank as the water expelled by the original tank can not be sucked back up the tube and is only there to collect the water, so is really only needed as an indication that water has been expelled ?
On my 350 I have removed this and let the bypass hose run out under the car.
With regards to filling system I use the swan neck cap as almost any water I put in the expansion tank gets pushed out.
The car will merrily sit at a reasonably temp in any trafic / speed and not overheat, plus it is fun to see the needle go up, red led come on ( to indicate fan has cut in) and then needle goes back down. Also fun when ragging it to see how much extra heat 5000 rpm produces !!
I see no reason for not keeping this secondry tank as the water expelled by the original tank can not be sucked back up the tube and is only there to collect the water, so is really only needed as an indication that water has been expelled ?
On my 350 I have removed this and let the bypass hose run out under the car.
With regards to filling system I use the swan neck cap as almost any water I put in the expansion tank gets pushed out.
The car will merrily sit at a reasonably temp in any trafic / speed and not overheat, plus it is fun to see the needle go up, red led come on ( to indicate fan has cut in) and then needle goes back down. Also fun when ragging it to see how much extra heat 5000 rpm produces !!
Just in case, I re installed the secondary tank.....or rather a washed jar of shippams beef gravy 470g
Only put it there to see if anything was comming out. Big jam jar with a hole punched in the lid. Nothing in it after the run.
Radiator cap is level with the swan neck cap. Rad cap new and part number as quoted somewhare on here. Old one was wrong. Think I will try to raise the tank as high as the bonnet will allow.
Next thing that sprung to mind this morning is the heater. I am going to join the pipes and remove the heater from the system, make sure thats not causing it due to a leak.
And I am pretty sure its full, filled as per bible. Might jack the front of the car up to be sure.
Cheers.
getting really peed off with this now
Only put it there to see if anything was comming out. Big jam jar with a hole punched in the lid. Nothing in it after the run. Radiator cap is level with the swan neck cap. Rad cap new and part number as quoted somewhare on here. Old one was wrong. Think I will try to raise the tank as high as the bonnet will allow.
Next thing that sprung to mind this morning is the heater. I am going to join the pipes and remove the heater from the system, make sure thats not causing it due to a leak.
And I am pretty sure its full, filled as per bible. Might jack the front of the car up to be sure.
Cheers.
getting really peed off with this now
dickymint said:
Jeff, are you sure you have a problem? Is it just your temp guage?
Also i did overhear you saying at BBWF that you let a bit of air in to give room for expansion!! or words to that effect.
Yeah. Took the swan neck and pressure cap off and both were brimming. I hadn't started the engine that morning or had I run it for a few mins with the swan neck off to double check.....oh I can't remember anymore. There was no air in the expansion tank was the reason.
I have put off getting a temp reader of sorts from maplins but think thats the only way to go if a few oyhers things don't sort it. Is there a way to test the sender? Resistance when cold/hot etc?
Jeff,
I reckon Dickymint hit the nail on the head.
Can you borrow a digital temp meter with a touch probe and check the actual water temp on and off the rad. Could just be the temp sender - I think the bible gives the correct resistance readings for different temps if you can get a multimeter to check it.
If the system is running hot but not spitting any coolant out suggest there is a leak somewhere not allowing the system to pressurise but it could be 1 of many different things.
I reckon Dickymint hit the nail on the head.
Can you borrow a digital temp meter with a touch probe and check the actual water temp on and off the rad. Could just be the temp sender - I think the bible gives the correct resistance readings for different temps if you can get a multimeter to check it.
If the system is running hot but not spitting any coolant out suggest there is a leak somewhere not allowing the system to pressurise but it could be 1 of many different things.
I have re built a few V8’s, it sounds like you may still have air in the system, don’t try to bleed the system when hot. Try heating it up and letting it cool down this should draw water back into the system. You can then top up at the swan neck (when cool) keeping the expansion tank a third full. You may need to repeat the process a few times to get the air out.
Jeff, I have an inra red directiional digital thermometer. Its calibrated (thats what i do).
It measures surface temperature and is very accurate.
If you need to let me know and maybe we can get both Wedges together and compare readings.
Also it seams that many Wedgers have difficulty in filling the system without air (I cant on the 350i but the SEAC never has this problem - havent had to put a drop in the SEAC in the 5 months i've had her)
So i was wondering if it was possible to "plumb" some sort of system to connect running water to the filler and and an outlet hose at a high level to dispel the air.
Anti freeze would have to be added last though!
It measures surface temperature and is very accurate.
If you need to let me know and maybe we can get both Wedges together and compare readings.
Also it seams that many Wedgers have difficulty in filling the system without air (I cant on the 350i but the SEAC never has this problem - havent had to put a drop in the SEAC in the 5 months i've had her)
So i was wondering if it was possible to "plumb" some sort of system to connect running water to the filler and and an outlet hose at a high level to dispel the air.
Anti freeze would have to be added last though!
gsx600 said:
I see no reason for not keeping this secondry tank as the water expelled by the original tank can not be sucked back up the tube and is only there to collect the water.
I presume that you mean that you see no reason for keeping the secondary expansion/or overflow tank/bottle? The answer lies in the second part of your statement although the water can be sucked back. It's not fully efficient but works on my car and it sounds like it generally works.
19560 said:
Right, car on a slope pointing up, my drive is quite steep.
That's a bit worrying. When the car was a current model dealers used to jack the rear of the car up...
Oh fudge. I was thinking the swan neck would be higher and heater lower. Seems I might be wining now anyhow. Most annoying thing is finding all this out for the first time. Never had this problem when I had the 350 recored. Just filled up on the drive and it worked no problem. Lucky I suppose.
The 400 has never needed this until a certain event recently, not under my control so don't want to name names.
jmorgan said:
I was thinking the swan neck would be higher and heater lower.
Yes but the rad will be higher.
jmorgan said:
Seems I might be wining now anyhow.
I'm glad about that. Hope your fans are OK now. I know that it's a pain but if the pipes are old then fine cracks develope and water can turn to steam when in contact with the atmosphere (under pressure in the system) leaving no trace of the leak. You may need to replace all of the pipes to eliminate leaks totally. How much water are you losing? If it's not much then I'd just keep topping it up and enjoy driving.
Filled up initially with tha pass side jacked up as I had to get the rad in and out. As the rad cap (little screw in plastic thingy) is a sod to get at I thought that might have been sorted filling that way.
As for the pipes, think they are mainly OK but its on my list. Problem is I sorted a problem a while ago by doing 3 things. Didn't know which one cured it. So trying to do them in a way I know I have found the problem.
The leak I found today is the return from the inlet manifold to the bottom of the expansion tank. Seems it was never put in propery and not over the ridge to help seal. Pipe is too narrow to do this so a reducer to take the pipe diameter to 11 mm required.
Water loss is zero ish as far as I can tell. There has never been an overflow for the expansion so implemented gravy jar will do for th mo. So far, empty.
Fans are still a grey area. I have measured them and as I asked in another thread, have some sort of an answer to what they do. I think they will be binned and replaced by a known quantity.
I know the gaskets are good, and the rad is the best. I am thinking along the lines as mentioned above by other posters. The gauge is not right. I also noticed that the wire crimp connector to the temp sender is loose. That is it turns but the securing nut is tight, so part of the assembly is turning?
One thing I must mention. There are tell tale temp stickers on the core plugs and they show 115 deg C. The gauge has never got that high.
Edited to add without bumping to the top.
Think its the fopping heater matrix. Just re routed the heater pipes back to back so the heater is no longer in circuit and its back to normal.....well what appears to be normal. Time will tell
>> Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 21st August 18:42
As for the pipes, think they are mainly OK but its on my list. Problem is I sorted a problem a while ago by doing 3 things. Didn't know which one cured it. So trying to do them in a way I know I have found the problem.
The leak I found today is the return from the inlet manifold to the bottom of the expansion tank. Seems it was never put in propery and not over the ridge to help seal. Pipe is too narrow to do this so a reducer to take the pipe diameter to 11 mm required.
Water loss is zero ish as far as I can tell. There has never been an overflow for the expansion so implemented gravy jar will do for th mo. So far, empty.
Fans are still a grey area. I have measured them and as I asked in another thread, have some sort of an answer to what they do. I think they will be binned and replaced by a known quantity.
I know the gaskets are good, and the rad is the best. I am thinking along the lines as mentioned above by other posters. The gauge is not right. I also noticed that the wire crimp connector to the temp sender is loose. That is it turns but the securing nut is tight, so part of the assembly is turning?
One thing I must mention. There are tell tale temp stickers on the core plugs and they show 115 deg C. The gauge has never got that high.
Edited to add without bumping to the top.
Think its the fopping heater matrix. Just re routed the heater pipes back to back so the heater is no longer in circuit and its back to normal.....well what appears to be normal. Time will tell
>> Edited by jmorgan on Saturday 21st August 18:42
Speed Matters | Wedges | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff