TAMORA WATER FROM BLUE PRESSURE CAP
Discussion
hi gone out for a spin today got back and saw steam coming from the expansion tank , looking closer water was coming out of the blue pressure cap ,so i let the car cool down and removed the filler cap to check the water level to find it was low by about 125 mm from the top of the filler neck, the water temperature didn't go over 85 c as i was moving all the time so it wasn't overheating ! any ideas on what this might be ? i've filled the tank up now 10 mm from the top as the manual, thanks keith
Most cars find their own level in the expansion tank - often around halfway down (near the top of the outlet pipe to the engine). If I overfill mine it will spit some out until it gets to the right level. Hopefully this is what is happening to yours.
You're going to have to be careful, but see if the coolant stops coming out after a few trips and it finds its own level (wooden spoon time). Watch the gauges and check the fluid hasn't got more than say halfway down the expansion chamber though (below the pipe to the engine).
You're going to have to be careful, but see if the coolant stops coming out after a few trips and it finds its own level (wooden spoon time). Watch the gauges and check the fluid hasn't got more than say halfway down the expansion chamber though (below the pipe to the engine).
thanks! just to confirm what you are saying , "it will find its own level" possibly just above the pipe that comes from the engine "10mm"? i've had the tam for 4 weeks now and need to get this right for peace of mind,the tvr handbook confuses me it says 10mm from the top of the tank which is what i've done but what you are saying this is far to high and its got no room to expand and will come out of the pressure cap when the engine gets hot! i'll try your wooden spoon idea
Edited by PYNEY on Saturday 17th November 20:21
The manual is lying. 10mm = 1cm = diddly squat expansion room.
Every car is different and obviously this is just web forum advice, so treat with the relevent level of care
I don't think the level should drop much below the 'top' of the side outlet since that would mean the engine is not full of water. You need to let it drop and see how far it goes. Just watch the temperature gauge, if the water gets a little low it might start reading a few degreess higher in traffic as a hint. Of course it might not :-)
Every car is different and obviously this is just web forum advice, so treat with the relevent level of care
I don't think the level should drop much below the 'top' of the side outlet since that would mean the engine is not full of water. You need to let it drop and see how far it goes. Just watch the temperature gauge, if the water gets a little low it might start reading a few degreess higher in traffic as a hint. Of course it might not :-)
took the tam out this morning got her up to temperature and have found out that water is coming from the pressure cap had a close look at the cap and it looks faulty the seal is twisted inside dont now if halfords would have any if not i'll get one from my tvr dealer anyone know any other places to get this part on a sunday or can i get one cheaper if i shop around thanks keith
Had the same problem on my T350. The thing that made me uncomfortable was that the system finds its own level, which is below the pipe to the engine. This means that some of the engine sits without water in it but whats the effect going to be on cooling and hot spots etc. There is a conversion available to add a dedicated expansion tank and change the current tank to a swirl tank (which is a copy of the system used on all Chims and Griffs). You can get the kit from TVR Power or your local tiv dealer. It costs about £125. When fitted, the engine stays full of water, the expansion tank has a level that you can see and check on a regular basis and best of all, it never spits steam out. I've had it done, i know others who have had it done, i would recommend it for every SP6 that only has a single tank system.
"softlad" thanks for that! i now understand whats happening it still spits out water if i try to fill her up, i'll check the water level again tomorrow but i think she wants to settle inline with the engine pipe or just below ? this is a worry if as you said the top of the engine will have no water ! but what i did find when checking the water level when the engine is hot it was right at the top about 10 mm down which would suggest that as the engine gets warm everything expands so water is then at the correct level do you agree !!!!
buy the way i have no problems with water temp stays at around 70 c on a run going up in traffic untill the fans kick in
buy the way i have no problems with water temp stays at around 70 c on a run going up in traffic untill the fans kick in
Pyney, I sort of agree, but what your actually seeing is the process of the engine finding its own level. Sure, as water heats up, it expands and fills the system until there is no more room inside the engine. This is when it starts to lift the pressure relief in the blue cap. But then as the engine cools down, the water volume shrinks back and this is why the water level is lower when its cold. A normal expansion tank system just provides a safe and controlled place for the increasing water volume to expand in to and then by storing the excess in the expansion tank, it gives it a ready supply of water to draw back into the engine as the temperature cools and the water volume decreases again.
Anybody who has ever drained the cooling system on one of these engines will tell you that it is very easy to get air pockets in the back of the engine and they can be difficult to remove. There is a knack to doing this, which i don't have (hence my dealer doing the conversion for me). A freind of mine did the conversion himself and struggled to get the air pockets out of the engine, he succeeded eventually but it took a lot of effort and there were lots of horrible bubbling noises coming from inside the engine every time he tried a different method that failed.
One of the most important parts of TVR ownership that everybody recommends is to check all fluid levels regularly. With the standard system set-up where the engine finds its own level, Can you be sure to notice a change in level? With the updated seperate expansion tank system, you absolutely can. Of course the levels almost never change, but one day the water level will (it did once on my last Chimaera due to a microscopic leak in the radiator)and when it does you would rather spot it due to a level change in your expansion tank rather than a cooked engine.
For me, the conversion gives you Peace of Mind. Plus in summer the water temp will run higher and i have experienced the embarassment of sitting at traffic lights in a busy town centre in a loud and beautiful car, with steam pouring out of the front of the bonnet. Never again!!!
Anybody who has ever drained the cooling system on one of these engines will tell you that it is very easy to get air pockets in the back of the engine and they can be difficult to remove. There is a knack to doing this, which i don't have (hence my dealer doing the conversion for me). A freind of mine did the conversion himself and struggled to get the air pockets out of the engine, he succeeded eventually but it took a lot of effort and there were lots of horrible bubbling noises coming from inside the engine every time he tried a different method that failed.
One of the most important parts of TVR ownership that everybody recommends is to check all fluid levels regularly. With the standard system set-up where the engine finds its own level, Can you be sure to notice a change in level? With the updated seperate expansion tank system, you absolutely can. Of course the levels almost never change, but one day the water level will (it did once on my last Chimaera due to a microscopic leak in the radiator)and when it does you would rather spot it due to a level change in your expansion tank rather than a cooked engine.
For me, the conversion gives you Peace of Mind. Plus in summer the water temp will run higher and i have experienced the embarassment of sitting at traffic lights in a busy town centre in a loud and beautiful car, with steam pouring out of the front of the bonnet. Never again!!!
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