Coolant flow

I found this bit interesting
"Years ago, cars used low pressure radiator caps with upright-style radiators. At high RPM, the water pump pressure would overcome the radiator cap’s rating and force coolant out, resulting in an overheated engine.

Many enthusiasts mistakenly believed that these situations were caused because the coolant was flowing through the radiator so quickly, that it did not have time to cool. Using restrictors or slowing water pump speed prevented the coolant from being forced out, and allowed the engine to run cooler. However, cars built in the past thirty years have used cross flow radiators that position the radiator cap on the low pressure (suction) side of the system. This type of system does not subject the radiator cap to pressure from the water pump, so it benefits from maximizing coolant flow, not restricting it."

i.e in the last 30 years they came up with a better system.... the muscle car era ended 50 years ago


1) this thread was prompted by another thread
2) the car in question was described as mostly standard apart from rear gearing that rasied the cruise rpm on the highway quite a bit.
3) its mostly standard so it has an upright radiator with a 1960s style cap.... i.e in comparison to what you find today on a modern car, according to the quote above, the cap is potentially vulnerable to pressure problems.
4) "Many enthusiatsts" could have been wrong or right on the issue quoted above, it depends on radiator efficency, how hot the motor gets and if the appariasl of the siutation quoted above is correct.
5) slowing the flow stopped the cap venting and the car didn't overheat becasue it "allowed it to run cooler" regardless of if that was becasue it was venting due to pressure and a crap cap and then overheating. Or if it was overaheating causing the cap to vent.

Slowing the flow made the issue go away for those running upright radiator and a low pressure cap in a position vulnerable to venting due to system pressure.

so there was a well known solution to stop you, i won't say "over heating", loseing all ya coolant, that worked for old style radiator and cap set ups. and you are saying becasue it worked Its WRONG wrong wrong wrong...

6) the OP is running a low pressure cap and has an upright radiator
7) providing quotes from companies who have a vested interest in selling their own kit based on thieir own appriasal of a situation does not necessarily mean that their apppriasal of the situation is correct it could mean that it is biased in order to sell more kit. I suspect as they are talking about systems built with 21st centrury knowledge and research, that if you do as they say, "buy our kit", all will be well. Most of us are not doing that.

I presume if i was to buy a full set up from the supplier you quote i would get a matched set of components, pump capacity, beautifully matched to a radiator where fin design, bore no. of passes and the material it is made from have been scientificlly tested for the best outcome. I'd get appropriate pipes with or without a spring dpending on their bore and material, and a themostat that provides in this case no restriction becasue the pump causes such a pressure difference that that chances of cavitation are reduced.

Basiclaly id be running a modern style radiator at a much higher pressure with its cap in a much less vulnerable position to avoid inadvertant venting, and i'd be pumping that coolant Damn fast. All would be well, it may well be the best cooling system ever... and i'd be really pleased with it, everything they say in their documents would be correct for my all NEW KIT

BUT the OP in the other thread is running a 1950s designed cooling system and he is spinning that pump way faster for sustained periods of time on the freeway with his drag race oriented gears.

applying 1 part of the theory discussed in your numerouse linked documents....
one advancement in thinking from the last 30 years and leaving that same old pump that same old stat and that same old radiator technology in place will not get the results he wants. he just wants to drive it down the freeway without a 2 gallon bucket of water in the trunk.

applying Modern thinking based on a new design of cooling system, that many of us will Never ever have, to every request for help from people running antiquated systems.
Then being so damn stroppy about it doesn't help any one, it just blows his thread out to 4 pages...

and you had the temerity to suggest i was being arrogant


lets look at this another way, If I applied those tiles they used on the space shuttle to the front of my valiant it doesn't mean i'd survive re entry

I'd need the suit and the rest of the bleeding kit to go with them...

I belive you are probably a very knowledgeable man I could learn a lot from you. But you are not gonna get the chance to pass that knowledge on unless you change your attitude.

that seems sad.

please note i never said you were wrong....!


Dave