Technical Coolant Question

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Technical Coolant Question

The coolant additive you use isn't massively important but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. What is really important is that you use a proper corrosion inhibitor and in a suitable proportion for your region.

If you have to use a heavy mix of antifreeze the you may wish to consider using water wetter to bring the cooling efficiency back up.
 
The coolant additive you use isn't massively important but keep in mind that you get what you pay for. What is really important is that you use a proper corrosion inhibitor and in a suitable proportion for your region.

If you have to use a heavy mix of antifreeze the you may wish to consider using water wetter to bring the cooling efficiency back up.

Antifreeze? In Australia?? Ok, so if I went to the servo and bought some there it would be okay?

Btw, you seem to be up early today Jimbro, cant you sleep?

blu:devil:
 
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Ok - so we call it antifreeze here but it is also referred to as a summer coolant enhancer (actually a bit of a lie) and a corrosion inhibitor. If you run the mix high enough to work as an antifreeze the thermal transfer efficiency is notably lower than it would be without.

You still need about a 1:10 mix minimum to get the corrosion inhibitor working and that is the most important part for you.

Actually I was up late, rather up early :)
 
blu, we at Eltham Racing use the Penrite SIN additive. Not sure exactly how it works, but it keeps our car cool and we thrash the pants off it. Best of all, it's Australian, so designed for our conditions.
 
I have put the coolant in yesterday after draining the system, thanks for that guys.


Today I let my car warm up as usual before I used it, and I came back out to my car only to find the drivers footwell drowning in coolant. It seemed to be coming from the heater, through the flap that opens and closes, so I shut that, only for the leaking to continue fro both there and now the back corner.

Any ideas as to whats happening?

Blu :devil: X1-9
 
I would say that previously your heater was airlocked and/or partially blocked. Draining the system has cleared that problem and highlighted the fact that the heater has a hole in it. In terms of a quick fix the only thing you can do is close the heater valve or better still bypass the heater in the engine bay.

If you want a heater in the car then you will (at some point) need to take a look at the radiator behind the dashboard. They aren't hugely difficult to take out but equally they aren't easy either.
 
Sounds like the heater radiator core is leaking as Jimbro suggests or that maybe one of the small hoses feeding the radiator core is leaking or busted or even the heater valve. heater core may need to be replaced.
From bitter experience, be very careful with airlocks in the cooling system, these little babies are notorious for them when you fiddle or flush the cooling system.
The main areas to look for are the heater circuit and more particularly, the front main radiator. Make absolutely sure you get all the air out of the top of the radiator with the bleed line or if it is missing you will need to undo the small 1/4 bsp drain plug at the top left hand corner of the radiator. It can be accessed from inside the front boot with a 10mm socket on a small racket. some also have a slot for a stubby screwdriver. Stick your finger in the hole and fell if it has a slot on the top of the plug.
Undo it slowly and listen for the air escaping when fluid comes out tighten it up again and run the engine . let it cool then do it again to make sure all the air is out. If you don't get all the air out, you will very quickly overheat the engine.
Good luck - Jeff
 
I would say that previously your heater was airlocked and/or partially blocked. Draining the system has cleared that problem and highlighted the fact that the heater has a hole in it. In terms of a quick fix the only thing you can do is close the heater valve or better still bypass the heater in the engine bay.

If you want a heater in the car then you will (at some point) need to take a look at the radiator behind the dashboard. They aren't hugely difficult to take out but equally they aren't easy either.


I dont really want to keep the heater, as I cant turn it off. Closing the vent in the car doesnt work, how do I close the valve? Or even better, how do I remove the flow from the engine?

blu :devil: X1-9
 
The valve is under the dashboard. On a RHD car you just reach down next to your left leg and between the centre console and you should find it (I recommend doing this while it is cold).

You can bypass the fow in the engine bay by looping the feed from the waterpump back to the thermostat (I think - need to look in an engine bay and I don't have an X1/9 at the moment). There are only four pipes that go to the front of the car and the radiator ones are easy to spot because they are right at the bottom and go under the car which just leaves the heater pipes...
 
Hi,
Jimbro is right. There are 2 Off small hoses in the engine bay. They are approx 20mm - 25mm in dia.
One comes of the thermostat housing and the other comes of the water pump. Remove the existing hoses which run to the heater and just run a short piece of hose between the 2 points. This will take the heater out of circuit. Again don't forget to check for air locks in the main system though.
If u shut the main flap located at the bottom of the heater assembly located at the rear and down low of the centre console, it will stop cold air coming into the cockpit at floor level.
It would not be fun to drive without a heater though here in Slowbart - :rolleyes:
Jeff
 
Thanks for the help guys,

Closing the flap doesnt stop the flow of coolant, it just finds another escape. I will block the heater out this weekend, and as school finishes tomorrow :)slayer: ) I will take the heater out and find the problem.

Blu :devil: X1-9
 
Posting on this old thread..............

I too have a problem with the heater circuit. I have proven that there is flow in the entire heater circuit by removing both hoses in the engine bay from their spigots and running a garden hose through the supply hose (comes off the water pump) and and watching the flow form the return hose. I did see a lot of air purged BUT my return hose does not connect to the thermostat housing as stated by a few on this thread - mine connects to the the engine block just above the water pump.

My thermostat housing has connections for the supply and return from the radiator, supply to the water pump, hoses to the top and bottom of the expansion tank and return from the carbie. Supply to the carbie comes off the heater supply spigot on the water pump.

Playing around a little, I also reconnected the supply hose to the water pump, left the return hose disconnected, plugged the return spigot on the block and ran the engine. At idle there was little flow, upon revving the engine I saw some flow, but nowhere near what I would expect given the revs. Previously, I have replaced the heater valve inside the cabin with a new plastic unit. The hose leading into the valve is hot, the other is not - and this is where my question begins.

1. Have I reconnected the hoses in the cabin the wrong way around?
2. Is there a wrong way around?
3. Does water flow from the valve into the heater or from the heater into the valve? (this will tell me if the hoses are indeed the wrong way around):bang:

Suggestions?
 
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if you really need your heater then try wacking some radweld, it helped me by sealing a hole in the steel tubes and the heater matrix. But at some point you will have to pull the internal rad though...
 
The heater circuit runs from the top right side of the cylinder head above the water pump ..and reconnects at the far left hand end of the short metal pipe. Not sure which way the flow goes tho sorry.
 
Radweld, Barsleaks and products like those are only temporary solutions, and are just prolonging the fact you are going to have to fix it properly sometime in the near future.
From memory, it is rather difficult to connect the heater matrix up the wrong way, as the pipes leading off it match the supply and return hoses pretty well, to connect them incorrectly would mean crossing the hoses over, something which you should notice...
I think that the flow through the heater matrix goes through the tap first, and returns from the longer copper pipe.

Just for the record, my problems were caused by a heater tap that had corroded open, and a bad connection of the matrix to the copper pipes, where the gaskets had disintergrated. One new heater tap and a bit of cork tile cut to shape, and the problem was solved :)
 
Makes sense for the flow to go that way and in that case, I have the hoses correct because the hot hose I mentioned above is the one connected to the heater tap but I still don't know why return flow is poor - As I've said before, my system is watertight and through my fiddling about, I am pretty confident I don't have an airlock. You're right - the return flow hose spigot IS on the head - my mistake!
 
Gents,

The direction of flow through the heater circuit shouldn't matter, it can go either way.

Just to clarify; the coolant pump works such that hot coolant is forced out of the the outlet pipe on the end of the head, and is sucked back into the pipe leading to the rear of the pump.

I would not recommend cutting out your heater by connecting a short pipe between the head outlet and the rear pipe return, as you are actually short-circuiting the main coolant flow. This in turn means that the flow through the radiator will be reduced and you may well suffer overheating.

Cheers R
 
I would not recommend using any sealant in your system, especially in NSW. X19s run hot and there are some small channels in the system, you may also muck up the thermostat. Water flows from the water pump to the heater and returns to the water manifold. Make sure you have the heater hose open whenever working on the cooling system as air locks are common. Note the valves on the heater more likely fail open rather than closed. When fitting a new valve make sure the outer edge of the gasket is flush with the valve flange as this can foul things and also cause a leak.
 
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