Top Hose Air Bleed

[Fury1630]

The Fury's never overheated, but the fan comes on almost as soon as it's stationary & one day I was thinking about this while looking under the bonnet, when I realised the "hump" in the top hose where it passes over the rocker arm might have some air in it. I slackened the clamp, there was a hiss, a gurgle, & the level in the reservoir dropped by about a litre.

I looked up the widgets you can buy to let a hose into a coolant pipe & realised I was looking at a £30 - £40 bill by the time the parts got to me.

So as I are an injunear, I thought about this & had the instrument maker at work put a 3mm hole through an M8 bolt (a titanium one as it happens - for corrosion resistance obviously ) & turn down the head to 8 1/2mm, then assembled it onto my prototype, then onto the car. I think the photos are pretty self explanatory. I used nylocs & a packer shaped to fit the inside of the pipe on the car. This is then teed into the existing air bleed hose from the rad.

I'm not concerned about the reduction in cross section as the aircraft pipes I used on the car have about twice the cross section of the Ford pipes, so it shouldn't be a problem.

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[steve m]

This current heat wave seems to of brought out everyones cooling issues

I don't think I have one............. but I suppose that's to find out on my next run

My question though, is why add the T piece into the equation, surely your over complicating a very basic flow and return that most engines and rads require, and if theres air in the system, surely a bleed valve would of sufficed or move the hoses about to get a flow with out air ?

However, im not an injaneer, more of a trouble causer,

steve

[DJ.]

My question though, is why add the T piece into the equation, surely your over complicating a very basic flow and return that most engines and rads require, and if theres air in the system, surely a bleed valve would of sufficed or move the hoses about to get a flow with out air ?

However, im not an injaneer, more of a trouble causer,

steve

You don't cause much trouble Steve

My Seven has a small hose from the top of the radiator like Tony's, and it is quite a good system. When I fill the car with coolant, there is always some air left despite filling it from the highest point, and I find after the first good run the level drops in the expansion tank. A bleed valve helps reduce the air in the system when filling, but Tony's system will always be acting to return any air present back to the expansion tank.

[Fury1630]

There wasn't a cooling issue as such, it didn't overheat, but the gauge did start to creep up as soon as the car stopped & the fan started & stayed on for a long time. I would love to re-route the hose as it's always looked a bit of a mess, but with inboard suspension there isn't rally the space to put it. I could've just bled the air out, but as the radiator bleed hose ran right past there it seemed sensible to use it & never have to remember to bleed it ever again.

[Tony C]

Tony you should have said, I still have a spare OEM part from Golf that does pretty much the same thing in plastic, imagine how light it is........I'll get my coat

[Fury1630]

Tony you should have said, I still have a spare OEM part from Golf that does pretty much the same thing in plastic, imagine how light it is........I'll get my coat

Oh don't - I'm already fretting that I'm carrying around an extra litre of water - that's another kilogram!!