coolant plumbing
Turbo Mini Forums

Right i have just run my new engine for the first time yesterday and it seems to get hot very quickly so i fear i have plumbed it incorrectly. I have tried searching but nothing reali helps in my case.

I am not using a heater.

I currently have my heater take off plumbed to inlet manifold then from manifold to header tank then from header tank to bottom hose take off and then just the top rad hose to the stat is this wrong???.

cheers

have you drilled any holes around the flange of the thermostat?

Do you have a piccy.

If your setup uses a header tank (as you suggest) then it may not be vented right.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

Sprocket...

no holes drilled on round stat housing it the metro housing i think its has a small take off point on it.

Rod...

pic here though not to clear.. do you think i might be presurising?

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The small bit that comes of the thermostat housing should be routed to the expansion tank. Where is your expansion tank? It should be the highest point.

sorry pic not great expansion tank is inside passenger wheel arch you can just see in pic...

Heres another side view pic with tank.

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looks a bit low to me, needs to be the highest point in your system.

right thanks i will raise it then though i still think i have it plumbed wrong

As Andy says, expansion tank should be the highest point in the system - vapour (ie, steam) rises.

I have a similar problem at the moment trying to achieve this before I actually run it.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

noted i will raise right up first thing, i still feel i have it wrong though

Can you do a sketch and scan it to post as a picture of where you have run each pipe to and from ???

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

hope this is ok rough 2 minute job blue being the pipes, then head manifold rad and expansion tank.

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Not 100% clear but if the bottom of the expansion tank goes in to the top of the radiator..... wrong......

Expansion tank has to be connected to the hottest (top) part of the system and lowest (bottom) part.

Look at the way a Metro is done.

Schrödinger's cat - so which one am I ???

If there is no flow over the thermostat, it will open late.

The metro uses a sandwich plate that feeds the top of the expantion tank and heater, and the bottom of the expansion tank then goes to the bottom hose. The small vent hose on the thermostat housing should go to the vent on the expansion tank.

Does the head still have the bypass to the waterpump? IF not, that is the reason I asked if holes had been drilled to give some flow over the thermostat.

You will find the cooling system works much better if you use a sandwich plate under the thermostat, take your manifold supply from there, and then put that to the top of the expansion tank. If you want the extra cooling from the heater take off to help No4 cylinder, then connect that to the bottom hose too.

Question begs though why you are fitting an expansion tank with a side mount rad?

right ok think im with you thanks for your help, think i might get some one who knows what there doing to sort it as i dont want to melt my engine!!!

Am i right in saying this is what your thinking???

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heres how i see it ........... dump the metro stat housing and just use the original mini one, hose straight to the the top of the rad

then, drill your 74deg stat with6 holes 5mm around the outside because your head does not have a provision for a paypass hose

the heater take off side on the head plumb from there to one side of the manifold and from the other end of the manifold to the hose which comes from the btm of the rad and goes to the water pump there is a provision between the hose for this

then use one hose only! from the top of the over flow on the rad near the cap couple this to the expansion tank and blank any remainig off on the tan fill the tank a third full and thats it

the reason its not working correctley is because you have an air lock in the tank as you have piped the flow to run through there it will never work like that do it as i have said and your on a winner
hope this helps!

Is this what you describe?



I think you may also need to change the rad cap.

plumbing it wrong will give you trouble but so will having a side mounted rad and a flip front (no inner wings) on the standard mini set up the inner wing makes a massive difference. a friend of mine had a standard set up and no inner wings and found as soon as he stopped the temp climed rapidly into the red.

i use a standard side rad (4 core but i have used the standard plastic topped one) i dont have a mecanical fan and the electric fan i fitted only comes on in traffic, temp sits below half even on the hottest days

if you want someone to pop over and have a look, i'm not far away and i'm sure there is a person on here from cranleigh

right thanks again, Steve i think ill go with what you have described thanks and yes haimesyboi i believe your pic is what steve has written...

thanks turbo shed i think i am going to run my mechanical fan and also add in a electric to keep temps down. I believe mini stef lives in cranleigh ill try him if no luck though i might give you a shout if poss and sort you out with some beer tokens if ok?...

I do indeed, although sold mine recently so would have nothing to reference against.

sorry dude

"Cars are a lifetime of pain"