Radiator Expansion Tank - has anyone fitted one to an S1?

[jedwards]

Just wondering if it is worth considering fitting a radiator expansion tank when the time comes to install my radiator?
thanks in advance

Jeff In Perth, WA

[1950landy]

Why would you want one , the radiator is so big they never get hot unless something goes wrong with the cooling system. I would not have had to top up my radiator since the last time I changed the coolant which would have been 4 years ago & would have been 10 years prier to that. In saying that you may need one if you have a Holden motor or a smaller radiator has been fitted.

[5380]

Just wondering if it is worth considering fitting a radiator expansion tank when the time comes to install my radiator?
thanks in advance

Jeff In Perth, WA


Jeff,
A waste of time, as 1950 Landy says. I use high quality long life coolant Nulon One) and have not had to top up for over 2000 miles an4 years. When you first fill it and run it up to operating temp, the cap will allow any excess fluid to blow off down the vent pipe. My coolant level is about 30mm below the filler neck. (Cold) If you fill it up any higher it will just **** it out when it warms up, making a mess and causing onlookers to think your S1 is overheating. It took me a while to work that out for myself!
5380

[1950landy]

As 5380 said coolant level should be just above the radiator core.
I can have my 80" running for hours with a water pump being driven off the PTO in middle of summer as a display at a car show & I am still able to put my hand on the top tank without burning it & not have to top up the water. If you are loosing water than you have a leak some were & unless the expansion is pressurizes the water will not pass from the tank to the radiator as the cooling system cant create a vacuum when cooling down.

[jedwards]

Many thanks Gentlemen,
everything you say makes perfect sense. I asked as it would hav been not overly difficult to add, during my restoration, but I how see that there would be no benefit.
Ive flushed the radiator with care and renewed everything else, so not an area I should be concerned about.

regards and thanks
Jeff, in Perth, WA

[whitehillbilly64]

Series 3 onwards has an expansion tank.
But the S3 rad is a lots smaller the S1 and S2 ones.

whitehillbilly

[101RRS]

Well I had a expansion tank on my Series 1 many years ago and it worked well. If they are not needed why do modern cars have them - no it is not because the radiators are smaller it is because it is a catch system to catch expelled coolant and return it to the engine when it cools. The reason radiators in modern systems are smaller is because the systems are more efficient than older systems.

Noting that there are two types - one where the extra tank is not part of the cooling system as such - is basically a catch container for spilled coolant and is outside the pressurised system - this needs a different radiator cap that allows the pressurised system to suck coolant in the extra tank back into the system as it cools and depressurises (my 101 system). The second as per most modern vehicles where the extra tank is part of the pressurised system and the radiator cap is not on the radiator but on the expansion tank and it acts to just hold extra coolant as pressure in the system goes up and down (like my RRS).

If I ever get my cars going I will be putting one in where the extra tank captures the coolant and lets it back when the system cools.

[101RRS]

Duplicate post

[JDNSW]

An expansion takn similar to that fitted to late 2a and 3 Landrovers does have some minor advantages. The major reason they started fitting them is the demand for cars that did not require even weekly lifting the bonnet. Every time an engine without one is warmed up and cooled, especially in a dry climate, some water is lost, and the overflow tank allows the header tank to be filled completely, so that more can be lost without it being a problem.

But a Series 1 today has value removed from it when this sort of change is made, and it would be very unusual for an owner to have a usage pattern that makes it worthwhile.

[B.S.F.]

Are the big Series 1 and 2 caps available for use with cooling recovery system ?
.W.

[101RRS]

Are the big Series 1 and 2 caps available for use with cooling recovery system ?
.W.

40 years ago when I bought mine, the kit came with a new radiator cap suitable for the series 1 - but they were the days when you could actually buy accessories for series landies.

[1950landy]

Are the big Series 1 and 2 caps available for use with cooling recovery system ?
.W.

They are available but if you are having trouble finding a LR one Massey Ferguson's also use the same caps. You will find the pressure stamped on your old cap & the MF are available in AU on eBay. Infect there are a lot of bits like volt meters Ect that MF & LR use that are the same.

[gromit]

W

If I ever get my cars going I will be putting one in where the extra tank captures the coolant and lets it back when the system cools.

The original system worked perfectly OK when the Series I's were new, mine works perfectly OK now. Why change something that works ?

Interesting comment about why header tanks seem 'standard' now....I wonder what the real reason is ?
If it's a non-pressurised header tank it allows the non-technical to check the fluid level while hot without getting scalded. Maybe this is the reason ?

It also allows the radiator to be kept absolutely full at all times so it would increase efficiency. If you check underbonnet regularly you would spot a drop in water level before it compromised cooling.

I used to run Austin Somersets in the UK, these had a non-pressurised system. The radiator was so oversized that you didn't need to raise the boiling point of the coolant by having a pressurised system. As mentioned earlier, smaller radiators probably have to run at 100% efficiency to stop overheating.


Colin

[101RRS]

The original system worked perfectly OK when the Series I's were new, mine works perfectly OK now. Why change something that works ?



But they did not work perfectly - that is why I put one on my series 1 which was an everyday driver covering big distances each week - and yes the radiator (had a few) was fine - would get hot going up Mt Ousley on an hot day and the expansion tank would catch the excess coolant that would have been expended onto the road and lost. I didn't have one on my Series 3 and suffered the consequences.

If they did work so well why has the system changed over the years.

[gromit]

If they did work so well why has the system changed over the years.

As mentioned earlier.....cooling systems sized such that they need to be 100% efficient, coping with the fact that most drivers don't check fluid levels etc. etc.

If the old system works why try to 'improve' it ?

Colin

[JDNSW]

Probably a major factor is the demand with modern cars for more cooling with less weight and space - the way to achieve this is with a higher coolant temperature and hence radiator pressure, allowing everything to be cooler. This makes it imperative not to lose coolant, as there is not as much to lose.

[LR1953]

Probably a major factor is the demand with modern cars for more cooling with less weight and space - the way to achieve this is with a higher coolant temperature and hence radiator pressure, allowing everything to be cooler. This makes it imperative not to lose coolant, as there is not as much to lose.

Another factor is that back in the bad ol' days coolant was plain water. Then came corrosion inhibitors, then anti-freeze/anti boil, and anti-pollution regs: we don't want the environmental impact of ethylene glycol spilling all over the roads, stormwater drains and waterways. Or the cost to the motorist of frequent topping up. So manufacturers in their wisdom incorporated save-and-return systems and also made a gain in the overall weight and size of the cooling system.
Cheers, Rob S

[fredd63]

Considered logically, the radiator already has an expansion tank; it is the top tank, which is big enough to cater for the change in volume of coolant. On the other hand a separate clear tank would allow a visual check of coolant without removing the radiator cap, and if fitted with a low coolant sensor, would give advance warning of problems.