Page 1 of 1

Expansion Tank

PostPosted: Sun Aug 07, 2016 3:21 pm
by ctcarguy
My car has a Corvette expansion tank mounted on the rear shelf. The hose attaches to the engine via a tap in the thermostat housing. My question has to do with filling and getting air out. While the tank is the highest point, the hose does drop lower than the tap on the engine so I don't think the air would bleed out. What have others used to set up coolant recovery and air bleeding. I thought of putting an overflow on the radiator but that would not allow trapped air to escape. I use an electric water pump. Ideas?
Larry in Connecticut

Re: Expansion Tank

PostPosted: Mon Aug 08, 2016 9:59 pm
by pbeck
Not sure if it will help, but: my car initially came with a Vette overflow tank plumbed out of the thermostat housing. I removed the overflow, put a manually opened valve in the housing and used a common recirculating recovery tank up front next to the radiator. I also switched to an electric water pump. When I serviced the cooling system, I would fill it till "full" and then jump power to the pump. Then I could use the manual valve to release any air in the system. Eventually I did away with the manual valve and just let the water circulate with the front jacked up. Worked good.

Re: Expansion Tank

PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2018 10:16 am
by WarWagon
Helping this grow:
My Crown car has an old 3 port Harrison surge tank mounted just behind and above the left rear window crank at the same level at the T-stat housing outlet pipe, the overflow line from the radiator goes all the way from the front to a port on top of the surge tank, the other top port on the tank is the actual overflow and the last port on bottom of the tank runs directly to the small inlet port on the water pump that is aluminum and enine driven. Most imporant part on this system is a petcock vent on the highest spot on the T-Stat outlet pipe. To fill my system: The car level must be level first then open the petcock vent on the outlet pipe and take the cap off the surge tank add coolant until it starts to come out of the petcock vent and the coolant level in the surge tank is half full. When both of those happen the system is full and air pocket free. I leave the cap sealed on the radiator during all of this.

This is the petcock vent on water outlet pipe
https://photos.app.goo.gl/lbMaFiy1nBtY5y1r2
This older picture is the Harrison surge tank, top black line in from radiator overflow, bottom red is inlet into water pump, small red line on top is actual overflow (blur today)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cZ0Nst8E6wXg9BPg1

Re: Expansion Tank

PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2018 10:13 am
by Maechtlen El Monte
What is length and diameter of hose?
If small diameter, even if the hose dips - the first time things warm up, air and then water will push through. When it cools off, water will pull back through. (assuming this is a hose going to liquid rather than just a vent)
Should work fine.