MK7
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 07:02 PM |
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Pinto to Micra rad pipework
Does the top radiator hose go to the water pump or does the bottom radiator hose go to the pump?
What happens if they go the other way round?
My Micra rad would prefer to have the bottom hose go to the water pump but is this OK?
Thanks
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D Beddows
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 07:22 PM |
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Bottom rad hose goes to the water pump - top comes from the thermostat housing.
However you need a 'T' piece in the bottom hose or some other way of connecting a hose (before the water reaches the pump) to the
pressurised header tank you have fitted somewhere on the car above the top of the cylinder head. Obviously you have a hose attached to the bleed oulet
of the rad which is connected to the header tank as well ?
Should work well
cheers
Dave
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MK7
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 07:30 PM |
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The Micra rad has a nice little bottle attached to the rad itself. The system isn't pressurised.
I understand that the bottle fills when hot and empties back into the rad when it cools. So no need for a 'T' then eh?
I hope I've got this right.
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 07:57 PM |
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The nice little bottle is fine for a nice little micra engine, but you have nice BIG Pinto......
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MK7
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 08:18 PM |
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Seems to work OK for other's
If it looks like it's going to be too small after the event then I'll stick a bigger one into the engine bay.
Meantime I need to get it plumbed in properly.
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D Beddows
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| posted on 6/9/03 at 08:39 PM |
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The system IS pressurised somewhere - if the little bottle isn't then it's just an expansion tank rather than a header tank. Where is the
radiator cap/where do you fill the cooling system? - if that is lower than the rocker cover then you could well have problems especialy in traffic.
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CairB
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 07:34 AM |
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MK7,
My 2.0i pinto with Micra rad is plumbed as a pressurised system with the Micra bottle as an expansion tank because it came with the rad. It's
connected with the top hose to top connection which means that each one has to go to the other side of the rad.
The bottle is on the limit regarding capacity - a bigger bottle would be better being less fussy about fill level and any coolant loss rate (leaks
etc).
Although it's 2.0 there is much reduction in coolant volume from the donor due to no heater, smaller rad, shorter pipe runs etc. that will
reduce the expansion volume requirements.
The temp stays within the norm on the gauge but does indicate a tad warmer than middle for diddle during the hot summer days  , but hasn't
caused trouble in traffic. I'm thinking of trying a water wetter or a higher flow stat to improve matters.
It's done nearly 3k miles now with no major problems apart from cracked fuel rail connection  and sticking throttle pedal when the footwell
area got warm on one of those really hot days, caused by the MK pedal pivot nylon bush expanding and binding - make sure there is adequate
clearance.
Hows the build going?
Cheers,
Colin
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 11:31 AM |
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I am going to have a pressurised tank fixed to the bulkhead of the scuttle - should make bleeding the system a little easier
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MK7
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 07:10 PM |
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Thanks for all the feedback.
There seems to be a difference of opinion about how to plumb the radiator hoses, Dave suggests bottom hose to water pump, CairB says top hose to water
pump.
I suspect that if gravity were to be the only consideration then hot water would enter at the top of the rad and cool water would exit from the bottom
(I think).
Anyone know if the Pinto water pump sucks cooler water from the radiator or pushes hot water into the rad? If anyone has a pinto and is in a position
to feel the temperature of the top and bottom hoses this would help to clarify matters.
I suspect there's not a lot in it in reality is there?
As for how the build's going: nearly there (still) :-)
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matt_claydon
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 07:40 PM |
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The pump sucks water from the rad and pushes it round the engine. Hence it should be connected to the bottom otherwise if the system gets low on water
it will just suck air.
HTH,
Matt.
Edit: As far as I can see CairB and Dave both say the same thing - top to top, bottom to bottom.
[Edited on 7/9/03 by matt_claydon]
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JoelP
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 07:57 PM |
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Matts right, cold water sinks so it must suck on the bottom hose.
In fact everyones right!
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 7/9/03 at 08:25 PM |
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any car i have seen has the pump on the bottom hose.
The point raised earlier about sucking air is very true.
atb
steve
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MK7
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| posted on 8/9/03 at 08:26 AM |
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DOH !!!
Thanks again for the clarification. I'd convinced myself that the hose outlets were at different ends of the rad, hence the confusion regarding
CairB's comments.
Russell
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