Hey

After a day of running of my overflow tube into a powerade bottle mounted on the front grill (thanks for the idea SSwanabe) i realised i should do it properly so i didnt have to check it all the time.

so i got an expansion tank today, mounted it using velcro strips in the front left corner. This one is metal so doesnt have the screw holes to mount it. after a quick drive i realised that this wouldnt hold. but it is working.

so if anyone else has one of these setup could you please tell me how to mount securely?

cheers

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been using a coke bottle for years

yer i couldnt be bothered going and buyin a overflow so i works just as good but i gots one for free so i might fit it

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Current Ride : Toyota Trueno AE86

mini parts for sale http://www.ausmini.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42247

Mine is mounted with two large stainless hose clamps. Each hose clamp has a hole drilled in it and is bolted to the right hand inner guard. Doesn't move at all. My inner guard already had holes though so I didn't have to drill any. Will only work with around overflow though.

The coke bottle idea is good but the coolant doesn't get drawn back into the radiator and i would forget to check it.

Thanks mini68. i have mine in the front left corner of the bay on that plate. i thought about taking this off and drilling two holes in it to feed zip ties through.

right now it is held on with tape and velcro strips so anything could be better

cheers

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What are people using as an expansion tank (aside from bottles), ie a custom welded job or one of an MG or something from a taxi??

Anyone got some piccies as I've been wanting to get around to doing this for ages.

Cheers

i think a post with pcitures on this subject would be really good for the How to section. especially an authoritative explanation on radiator caps, and how to get it to suck back in to the system when required.

One of the most versatile expansion tanks around was that found on the Morris 1100, Austin 1800 amd many other BMC/Leyland vehicles of the '70s. The early ones were brass (painted black) and held in place by a steel strap which went across the middle of the tank in a slightly recessed section. Later ones (such as in the bottom left corner of the pic) were made of plasic and had tabs at each end where they could be bolted or screwed into place. Range Rovers even had a slightly larger one of similar design.
The radiator needs to fitted with a simple sealing cap (no valve or spring, just a cap with a rubber seal), the coolant expands when hot and moves from the radiator overflow pipe into the bottom of the expansion tank which has a proper radiator pressure cap of around 13 pound fitted. This keeps the tank and radiator under pressure. As the coolant reduces in temp the coolant is pushed, or drawn back into the radiator by the pressure in the tank. The expansion tank has its own overflow pipe coming out near the cap where coolant can be expelled if overheating occurs.
A very simple, compact and efficient system that can be adapted to many vehicles,

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Curly
'64 Cooper 'S' (Group Nb spec)
'67 Mini Marcos GT www.mm7056.wordpress.com

Curly is spot on there but make sure you get the right cap for the expansion tank. In most cases you cant use the one from your radiator. It has to be shorter. i will post pics when i get my car back- it has gone in for a tune.

I know of two people who have fitted these to their mini's and they recommended the idea to me as my mini kept over heating- this wont fix the problem but will retain coolant.

This would go well in the How To section. You can pick up the tanks from the wreckers at very little cost.

Cheers

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I located my tank (ex California Moke type) on the firewall just to the left of the wiper motor. I'm running a single HIF44 carb which has no sidebowls to get in the way.

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Slide
1965 Mini Van (1360)
1970 Mk2 Cooper S (1310)
1978 Rover SD1 V8 (4.6)
1996 Land Rover Discovery V8 (4.0)

There are 2 ways to do this. One is the 1100 style which uses a sealed rad cap and a pressure cap on the expansion tank. The other uses a rad cap that vents to the overflow line under pressure and then opens (to a reverse flow) under vacuum. You then clamp a overflow line to the rad overflow outlet. The other end is inserted into a suitable container (500ml plastic oil bottle) half full of water/coolant. Make sure the end of the tube is at the bottom of the overflow bottle well below the fluid level.

As the rad heats up water is expelled into the overflow bottle, As it cools, the fluid is syphoned back into the rad. If you buy oil that comes in a bottle with the cute little see through panel in the side you can check you still have sufficient fluid with a casual glance.

If everything else is healthy, fluid will cycle in and out and the rad will never need topping up.

Total cost? $5 for a new/suitable rad cap, cents for a hose clamp and a foot of tube amd a free bottle after your last oil top up

Cheers, Ian

This is the overflow set-up on the Clubbie.

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A word of warning LS1380 - I ran one of those yellow, 6-bladed metal cooling fans for many years until one of the blades sheared off at the twist and tried to slice through the radiator . No obvious cause, so I put it down to metal fatigue.
Check yours regularly for signs of cracking just out from the centre where the blade twists, or go back to the standard plasic unit.

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Curly
'64 Cooper 'S' (Group Nb spec)
'67 Mini Marcos GT www.mm7056.wordpress.com

Thanks for the warning.I'll keep and close eye on this.
Motor is coming out shortly for some regular maintenance work.Still runs to hot sitting at traffic lights-doesn't like the City runs but good on long runs.Going to fit additional heater core behind the grille,and hopefully this will cool things down in the City.

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try fitting a cooler thermostat, 73 degrees or sommit if you havent already