New Radiator For Cooling

[AWESOME HERALD MAN]

Ive had a new core put in my radiator as it was boiling up after the four and a half mile trip to the MOT station, same as last year. It did not leak though and I took it a shop to have the blocked tubes cleared. I told the bloke there what was wrong and left it with him and returned the next week. He told me that he'd put the air line on it and it leaks. Radiator now useless. I took it back from him thinking that this 87 year old twat should have retired twenty years ago. I went on line and found a place called Family Classics. He said bring it up to him, nice journey to West Norwood, and he'd sort it. He was pleased to see that it was an orignal Stanpart, and he then measured the width of the tank and told me that he could put in a three row core for me. Great I said, do it. I went to pick it up and what a weight, but for £180 that's a good price. Now before I put it back in and connect everything up, I have seen from Rimmers and Jay Lenos Garage Evans Waterless Coolent. This seems the best way to go as it does not boil up, and would save my system. Do any of you use this, if so can you let me have some feed back as it will cost about £120 plus but it a once only instalation.

[scotty71]

i do use Evans waterless coolant. but i do find if you get stuck in traffic, it does weep a little.
so i carry a 2 litre bottle around just in case you need to top up.

[ferny]

For a car hardly used it's ideal as it massively cuts down on worries and service time. For a car in regular use requiring regular services the owner is capable of doing, it's not needed.

Has the new radiator sorted the problem or has it not been tested yet?

[glang]

Dont forget that waterless coolant doesnt give extra cooling - your engine will still overheat just not boil over. My personal feeling is that boiling over is a good thing because it clearly indicates overheating and forces you to do something about it rather than drive on and risk some major damage.....

[AWESOME HERALD MAN]

Hi SCOTTY71. Thanks for your reply and new information. I would think that an expansion bottle would help as with water if that is going to happen.

Hi FERNY. Thanks for your reply. I've done nearly all the servicing and repairs that I could on all of my cars. I've the engine out and stripped down and rebuilt because it was boiling up thanks to a doggy eBay dealer. The cylinder tops were all gunged up. I had it tuned and MOT'd by a garage which I've used for years. I've only done about 200 miles tops as being hit on a rounderbout on my way home from a classic car show by a Landrover Defender. Dale sorted that out after my insurance coughed up, so more months not on the road, but my wife is still very nervey about getting back in it. So now I have a good engine and a new radiator which I'd like to keep a clean and good cooling system. I was thinking of fitting an electric cooling fan but will I need it with my new three row radiator.

Hi GLANG. Thanks for your reply. I've found both the reasons for boiling up and cured them. While off the road I've fitted new clocks which of course one is a tempreture guage and works. Yes, you are right and it should be checked right away.

SUMMERY-

This coolant is better than water and its rusting problem but does not boil and the tempreture gauge still has to be watched as with water. Not sure about fitting a electric cooling fan, driving will show that up.

Thanks,

Stephen.  

[glang]

Yes I wouldnt rush into fitting an electric fan as results on here are pretty mixed. In many cases this could be down to the after market fans used as they are woefully under powered. For example modern vehicles use electric fans usually rated at 250+ watts and often in pairs while the chinese cheapies on Ebay are rated at 80watts.......

[JohnD]

There is a benefit to boiling - it's "latent heat of vapourisation"  
It consumes a vast amount of heat, removes it as the vapour and leaves the remaining water/coolant at boiling point, no higher, protecting the engine.
Actual boiling point will be raised by the system being pressurised by the radiator cap.

A coolant that doesn't boil will just get hotter and hotter, until it does reach its boiling point, which I believe for waterless coolant is 180C, a bit too hot.
Straight ethylene glycol boils at 193C
A 30% solution in water, a good mixture that will protect from freezing down to -14C, quite enough for the UK, boils at 113C (at atmospheric pressure, so a lot more at higher pressure)

So, swings, roundabouts and compromises, as always.
John

[Matt306]

My two penneth on electric fans is. I had a boss fitted to my rad at the bottom this allowed me to install a thermostat. I got the relay and fitted it myself for peanuts.
I found two KTM motorcycle fans fitted a treat behind the radiator with some radiator ties. Just down the RBRR and no overheating problems, although the fans did go on more often than i liked when driving. But with the heater on the fans  hardly span up.

[AWESOME HERALD MAN]

Hi glang & pigboy 306. It looks like that I should hold back on the cheap fans and if needed get good quality with the power thats needed.

Hi JohnD. It looks like you know your onions on getting boiled up. I agree that an engine should not be run at that high tempreture. I understand that the running tempreture should be between 90 & 95 degrees and the thermostat fully open at 85 degrees. I've seen for some electric fans an adjustable thermostat for on and off settings, but as I've just said to hold off at the moment. I have a three row raditor which is a 50% up grade and seeing what the weather is like now, I don't think I'll need a fan especially as only short journeys at the moment are planed. So as I was going to do in the first place was to use bottled water and a good quality antifreeze. I have bought a new radiator cap, a FAH - LER SHOW CAP with the pressure release arm in chrome and is at 7 lb pressure. So I think that this should be the road to go down.

[Dogsbody47uk]

What car do you have? "Normal" Herald = 7lb radiator cap. 13/60 = 13lb rad cap.