Bob_The_Normal

I had a kind of problem last night...

I've been running almost all water, not much coolant at all... there's some in there though.

Reason for this is one of the heater hoses (going to the firewall, for the heater core) is a little ripped... if I use the heater I pretty much lose coolant.

If I don't use it though it's okay, water doesn't get cycled through it and the hose won't leak.

But because of that, I was adding coolant a lot (when it was cold) and wasn't gonna pay so much money when I can't even afford a new 8$+shipping heater hose heh.

ANYWAY, so the issue now is last night I was doing a run and I changed my pattern a little and kept near redline in 2nd gear where I would normally have to take it a little slower because of revmatching and braking and everything. At the time I wasn't considering the radiator to be a problem, it was in good condition when I put it in (S5 N/A) and never had a problem with it NOT doing its job.

So I should have let my car run longer to cool down... I normally do, stupid that I didn't... but I walked away, came back a few minutes later and there's coolant SPRAYING in a very fine mist out of the top of the radiator near top hose neck.

I lost maybe 1/4-1/2 gallon of water. I let it cool down fully, then I added water... drove out of the mountains, when I got to an uphill section the buzzer came on, so I went out and added a little more... not nearly 1/2 gal but a few pints maybe... drove it into the city, stopped again and added a final addition of maybe a pint (topped off at that point). Drove it home, didn't have the buzzer come on at all.

I've had this happen in the past (but with leaking radiator hoses) and basically MY opinion is that after I let it cool down it stopped leaking altogether and the other two times were just air getting cycled out of the system.



So let me get to my question that I want responses on...

These plastic end tanks, are the prone to leaking easily when lots of pressure (like say the pressure of using all water in the radiator, therefore having more expansion pressure) is inside them? Or would that be odd?

And if it has a hole in it, what's the easiest way to locate it since it's not leaking unless it gets extremely hot?

--Gary

Bob_The_Normal

Wow this got no responses? Bump.

--Gary

nopistons

IF, I've understood your explanation correctly (it's a little tangled there) it seems like you ran the car hard (which increases the water temp) and it found a way out of the rad. Is that right? Increase in temp = an increase in pressure. The rad cap should open at about 13-15psi and let the pressure/water out into the overflow bottle. But perhaps your rad has a hairline crack that needs, say for example, 12 psi or so to force it open. If that's the case, then before the cap would have a chance to open, the water would find its way out through the rad tank, effectively doing the cap's job, but allowing the water to escape into the air instead of the overflow bottle.

Crashx7

http://www.hopupracing.com/koyoradiators.html
http://www.absoluteradiator.com/Prod....asp?idProd=18

Screw the plastic endcaps. Invest in your engine's proper temperatures; invest in your engine's longevity. Rotaries do not tolerate overheating at all.

Bob_The_Normal

Im probably going koyo with an efan already Crash, thanks for the links. I might go Fluidyne but I'm poor hah.

Anyway, that isn't until I have MONEY... so in the MEAN time my question was really just whether or not this is COMMON with our crappy plastic end tanks, because if it's NOT then I obviously have a defective radiator that needs to be replaced SOONER than later... in which case I'll stretch my expenses and get it done next weekend... if it can WAIT for about three weeks (like say this is a common problem but only happens if I run it that hard again) that would save me quite the hassles.

--Gary

Mordachai

well ,as far as crappy plastic end tanks, I have to both agree and disagree.
My 7 is having the same problems( and then some)
I think that in the early 90's auto manufacturers started to use the plastic end tanks instead of brass.
MY 7 leaks in the exact same spot(right near the upper left(passenger side) of the top tank) I also had a 93 Toyota Camry that leaked on the top tank as well.

although I think plastic is a poor choice for this job, we all have to realize that these are 10 or 15 year old cars, and they've held up this well so far.

My 7 has 108,000 hard miles on it and the constant leak has me running almost pure water. I put some of that aluminum stop leak in it and it reduced it from a spray to a small bubbling leak.

As far as finding the leak, use the good ol soapy water trick, apply soapy water to the plastic end tanks, and start the car. if you have a bad leak, you'll seee bubbles right away. other than that I can't help, because I'm in the same boat.( MY rad is still leaking somehwere, did the bubble test, and no coolant in the engine, and every few miles I have to add a pint or two of water- basically I don't drive anywhere!)

|M|

Bob_The_Normal

Ah, actually my radiator appears fine EXCEPT at high tempuratures...

Like I said this might be because of my choice to run all water, which expands a lot more than coolant (or I'm under the impression it would anyway) but transfers heat better.

So I just don't drive my car at 7k for five minutes and it's fine.



Okay okay... I do occasionally... but only once a week max! (Followed by letting the car cool down, fill it back up from the half gallon or so it lost)

--Gary

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

Antifreeze has 3 primary functions. 1. It increases the boiling point of the cooling system. 2. It helps prevent corrosion in the entire cooling system, including the engine and in particular aluminum. 3. It helps prevent the coolant from freezing and causing damage to the engine and radiator. Water is the only liquid that expands when it goes from a liquid to frozen state, approximately 4%.

By not having antifreeze, your engine is reaching a higher pressure at lower temps. Also, running straight water can lead to build-up of corrosion internally and reduce cooling capacity, i.e. the ability to take heat away from the system.

I can understand being short of funds, been the many times. I personally would not be raping the motor in the condition your cooling system is in now. Why take the risk? If you can't afford antifreeze or a heater hose, you sure as hell can't afford a rebuild. Play smart, play safe, then playtime lasts longer.