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Bulletin Board - Message
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RV8 header tank "blowback." |
Steve Birmingham has motivated me to have my radiator fully checked and, if necessary, overhauled as he evidently did.
Socalled "puddles" and the sudden dramatic semi-explosion of scaulding water spraying out onto the ground after stopping, seems to be something many of us encounter (I've experienced this twice). Of course there are several obvious causes such as air bubbles in the system and the enthusiastic overfilling of coolant not to forget head gasket failures, thermostat defects and fans not switching on etc., etc. Dealing with the head gasket problem, firstly, is something that I've never heard of via the bulletin board regarding the RV8 - please correct me if I'm wrong on this point! As Steve mentions, the RV8's from Japan have usually stood around for months if not years without even moving. His point about sludge, then, seems to be a very relevant possible blowback cause. Anyway I'm getting my radiator taken out, desludged (if there is any!!) and generally cleaned out in every nook and cranny. In addition I'll have the header tank overflow extended properly plus fitting a set of new hoses from Clive Wheatley. After all is completed, I'll report in detail. |
| Peter Garton |
| 15 March 2010 @ 09:17 |
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topic: RV8 |
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Reply(ies) received for this Message
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RV8 header tank |
| Peter have you actually changed the thermostat, It cured my problem several years ago, best regards Ray |
| Ray Ellis |
| 15 March 2010 @ 12:40 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Many thanks Ray. I've had the radiator drained and refilled eliminating air locks and also changed the thermostat plus also checked the fan function and had the airconditioning serviced - all ok but still have the blow back. |
| Peter Garton |
| 15 March 2010 @ 13:46 |
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RV8 header tank |
Peter
I don't know if this will help you but when I first got my RV8 I had trouble with high temperatures and found that my header tank was cracked round top lip so the pressure cap could not get a seal which in turn let the engine over heat and discherge hot water, |
| Roy McGregor |
| 15 March 2010 @ 14:38 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Peter, Being in the Motor Trade I've had cars [very few thank goodness] that have been like yours...... ran smoothly on all cylinders, but alas a head gasket was at fault. Maybe its just one bank at fault. Many workshops will have a 'sniffer'. This will attach to the header tank and pick any exhaust fumes coming into the cooling system, thus proving a h/gasket fault. The 'sniffer' must NOT come into direct contact with the cooling water otherwise it could give an incorrect reading. There is a special fluid that one puts in the 'sniffer' and when it picks up the exhaust gas it changes colour. This would be my next port of call along with examining the colour of burn on the plugs. Good luck ! |
| Ray Ellis |
| 15 March 2010 @ 20:13 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Ray! I'll look into this today to see if my workshop have the appropriate equipment available - thank you for your help! |
| Peter Garton |
| 16 March 2010 @ 05:43 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Just a question, Ray which just occured to me. If a head gasket has failed in some way, wouldn't the blowing back reappear everytime I drove the car? In my case it blew back just once last year during the summer and funnily enough after I had driven down the ramp into a parkhouse in Koblenz. This happened two years ago in the very same garage and always after stopping only!. Or is this just coincidence? |
| Peter Garton |
| 16 March 2010 @ 05:50 |
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RV8 header tank |
| If you have physically changed the thermostat [not just felt the rubber pipes for circulation], which is a 1st must to change, I would then change the rad. , as you know these cars do suffer in hot weather. I don't believe you can ever flush the 'silt' fully out of those very very narrow rad. veines, [was the colour of the coolant brown and very cloudy when you 1st drained the system or not?, If not it is very unlikely the rad has 'furred up']. If in the summer mine gets too hot on very fast cruising 95-110 mph, I put the heater on for a short spell !! However I have just thought of a problem my friend had on a TR3. He had done the lot, h/gasket,rad., clean the cooling channels in the head when it was off [ some were almost totally block and of course he thought he had crack the problem, NO SIR ! and in no particular order..... what was the fault, you'd never believe it. The water pump impellor was virtually non existant, new water pump and problem solve. Has your car done many miles? Clive W will Know if these impellors can physically wear out. I do think however this is most unlikely. If you change your rad. Iwould go for one of Clive's HIGH CAPACITY versions .Best regards Ray. |
| Ray Ellis |
| 16 March 2010 @ 13:47 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Peter I forgot to mention, is your cooling fan working/cutting in at always the same temp. Is it also possible that the fan actuating switch has an intermitent fault?, sometimes cutting in at the right temp, sometimes late. I changed mine a few years ago , just incase. Regards again Ray. |
| Ray Ellis |
| 16 March 2010 @ 13:53 |
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RV8 header tank |
Many thanks again for all your help on this one!
My plan of action will be to have the radiator thoroughly checked and cleaned by a specialist in this area hopefully next week. I'll also have the waterpump physically taken off and checked/tested (I do have a genuine replacement pump obtained from Clive Wheatley, if necessary). I will also have the header tank "sniffer test" carried out too. Since I had a new sump gasket put on last year and the oil changed, I'm confident that the head gaskets are ok. I'm only waiting for the hoses to arrive from Clive and will then get the action started! The only point I would like to make is that if any of the causes mentioned in your valuable inputs were actually real, I'm fairly sure that the socalled "blow back" would occur everytime I drove the car, wouldn't it? |
| Peter Garton |
| 17 March 2010 @ 07:22 |
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RV8 header tank |
| Peter, just a point about the RV8 radiator, although the housing is unique to the RV8, the core is the same as the ones used in some Discoverys, so it's quite a common item, no need for the sharp intake of breath that usually goes with the RV8 spare parts price!! Good luck, |
| Steve Birmingham |
| 17 March 2010 @ 20:21 |
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RV8 header tank |
| I do still believe Clives' high capacity rads are the way forward, but that's your decision, best of luck. |
| Ray Ellis |
| 18 March 2010 @ 15:26 |
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RV8 header tank |
Ray!
A question. When one switches off the ignition after a trip, should the fan continue to run for a short while as most modern engines do, or does this type stop straightaway? I would get this, then, modified with a so called run-on thermostatic switch. |
| Peter Garton |
| 19 March 2010 @ 06:21 |
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RV8 header tank |
| As far as I remember mine stops as soon as the ignition is switched off [ which I'm fairly sure is correct ], I haven't used it since Silverstone last year and I only used it three times the year before that !!!.... and NO I don't believe it needs that modification you mention, pointless in my view. There you go and that is only my opinion. Cheers, well I haven't had a drink for 33 days so far - lent is well spent ! |
| Ray Ellis |
| 19 March 2010 @ 22:21 |
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