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Posted

My 2.0L RH2B has no expansion tank - back in the day I ran Triumph Cars which all had them as I recall.

It was overheating, which I believe, fingers crossed, that I have now cured.  It needs more testing, but I believe was a combination of the gauge reading high anyway, the electric fan thermo switch not functioning properly and some idiot taking out the engine thermostat and fitting the housing back, using a gasket that blocked about a third of the hole.

The car was IVA's in 2016 (not by me) and it has never had an expansion tank, mind you the guy I bought it from said it had no overheating problems. So guys, does your car have an expansion tank or do you run it without? Is it needed or just wise to have? Thoughts please and if you think it should have one, any suggestions for size and source.

Posted (edited)

My 2B had an ally radiator and an expansion tank which worked well with no problems. My cobra has a very similar setup and again no problems.

I'm now thinking that this probably doesn't help you a lot though, because I have no idea if either would be OK without it.  🤪

Edited by Foz
smelling misteak
Posted

I had a couple of old style minis with A series engines that did not have a separate expansion tank. There was a level indicator in the radiator giving the level to fill to when cold. Never had a problem of overheating. The top tank was the expansion tank. I run my car a similar way and since I sorted out the fan have only had an overheating problem when the fuse blew😒. I had put in a fuse that only just allowed the fan to work next size up sorted.

Posted

I guess it probably would not do any harm to fit one, but I would guess that unless the radiator cap is the correct pressure rating, it might not work properly. Too weak and too much water would get out and too strong it might not get back it - not sure. So that begs another question, if I fit a tank, do I need to change the cap and if so to what. Anyone any information on what they are running with and without a header tank?

Posted

Expansion tank! Does a metal drinks bottle mounted on the nose cone with a pipe from the top of the radiator connected to it count as one?

I don’t seem to have any overheating problems, in towns/ traffic the temp moves up to half way up the Sierra water temp gauge but all other times it sits in the lower normal part of the gauge, not noticed any water in the bottle!! All seems Ok? 

Posted

In counts if it contains water and if the hose goes to the bottom of the bottle so that it can 'suck' back fluid as the pressure drops.

  • Like 1
Posted

I'm pretty sure that the cap on my 2B pinto was 13 psi (0.9 bar), and the one on the cobra definitely is.   Just make sure it's the type with a return valve built in.

Posted

It all depends on whether you want an expansion tank or an overflow tank .... they are different. See the Youtube below for a description of both set-ups. Also see the link to a description of how the cap lets out excess pressure/fluid when engine hot and can suck back air/fluid when cooling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkhYt-OaipE

http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/radcap.htm

Hope these help you decide.

Posted
On 9/9/2024 at 12:18 PM, Sparepart said:

It all depends on whether you want an expansion tank or an overflow tank .... they are different. See the Youtube below for a description of both set-ups. Also see the link to a description of how the cap lets out excess pressure/fluid when engine hot and can suck back air/fluid when cooling.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkhYt-OaipE

http://www.mgb-stuff.org.uk/radcap.htm

Hope these help you decide.

thanks, some research to do

Posted
On 9/11/2024 at 8:04 PM, Darrell said:

thanks, some research to do

Thanks for this, I thought that I already knew how they worked, and for the l most part I did, but I definitely learnt from the second video. Despite maintaining my own cars for years I didn't know about the low pressure valve in the rad cap - although logically I should have realised, coz' I wondered how the water would get back in passed the rad cap seal. Still not sure if I need one or not. There is a reasonably simple answer of course. If I run it and it is not over heating and I lose water then I do.

I was hoping/expecting that if most people running 2.0l Pinto engines said they had one or if they were fitted by Ford originally, then I would need one. I had a 2.0l Capri back in the 80s, but I can't remember if it had one let alone whether is was a header or expansion tank. At this point, I have decided to I am being dopey, rolled my brain back into position and looked at my Haynes manual! All the engines pictured have expansion tanks, so if Ford thinks the engine needed one that I guess it does - back to my tape measure and eBay!

Posted (edited)

My personal experience is with the Exmo kit. You ditch the Sierra expansion tank and use the radiator from a Cortina. This radiator is mounted vertically such that the level of coolant in the header tank is high enough to be the highest point in the cooling system while still leaving an air space for expansion. I just used the pressure cap that was originally on the Sierra expansion tank. This is a 2 litre Pinto. Overfill the radiator, i.e. to the top. Run engine hard to get to high temp, expansion causes overflow which I just let drain away. After that no more overflow and you can see the space needed for expansion. In my case it was say about 20 mm above the top of the core and did not go lower. I could have added an overflow pipe and collector bottle but I never see any more coolant come out. I just check that the level is that same 20mm above the core from time to time. In case it is of interest. I list the temp and pressure ratings for the Sierra below. Not sure waht happened in 1987 probably the fuel injection.

Thermostat
Nominal temperature rating (fully open):
SOHC models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88ºC (190º F)
CVH models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100ºC (212ºF)
DOHC models . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . 102ºC (216ºF)
Opening temperature:
SOHC models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 to 89ºC (185 to 192ºF)
CVH models . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88ºC (190ºF)
CVH (R6A type) model. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 to 89ºC (185 to 192ºF)
DOHC models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 to 89ºC (185 to 192ºF)
Expansion tank cap opening pressure
SOHC models:
Up to 1987 . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0.85 to 1.1 bar (12 to 16 lbf/in2)
From 1987 . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 to 1.25 bar (15 to 18 lbf/in2)
CVH models . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 to 1.25 bar (15 to 18 lbf/in2)
DOHC models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.0 to 1.4 bar (15 to 20 lbf/in2)

 

Edited by Sparepart
add
Posted

Thank you. I hope to take it for a decent run tomorrow or next week, with a water container, just in case. On balance I would like to fit a basic expansion tank, as it would certainly do no harm, but space it very tight. So if anyone has photos of where they installed theirs in a 2.0l 2B , and what type/make they installed I would be very interested.

Posted
On 9/14/2024 at 5:16 PM, Jonty Wild said:

Thank you. I hope to take it for a decent run tomorrow or next week, with a water container, just in case. On balance I would like to fit a basic expansion tank, as it would certainly do no harm, but space it very tight. So if anyone has photos of where they installed theirs in a 2.0l 2B , and what type/make they installed I would be very interested.

Up date, in case anyone is interested. I have now done over 50 miles now in 2 or 3 outings (4 if you include the MOT, just down the road) and no overheating and the tiniest loss of water, probably still slightly overfilled. What a relief and what fun to drive!

Posted
4 hours ago, Jonty Wild said:

Up date, in case anyone is interested. I have now done over 50 miles now in 2 or 3 outings (4 if you include the MOT, just down the road) and no overheating and the tiniest loss of water, probably still slightly overfilled. What a relief and what fun to drive!

Well done, time to enjoy 👍

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