Need help with my hose

-
furyus2

furyus2

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2010
Messages
2,420
Reaction score
908
Location
weeki wachee fl
O. K., I just replaced the water pump and hoses on my 440/tf 64 Sport Fury. When I parked it, I noticed it was up around 200*. Usually runs 180*. Popped the hood several days later, and the UPPER hose was collapsed. I know the bottom one will sometimes do that, never seen the top do it. Opened the lever cap and the upper hose popped back out. I forgot to look at the bottom hose before releasing the cap, so I don't know if it was doing it too. So, two questions.1, What caused this? and, 2, if part of the cure is to have a hose with a spring in it, Where do I get the spring? none of the hoses at Rock auto had a spring in it, or I would have bought that one. Thanks.
 
Do you have an overflow container? The hose to/into that container or the reverse flow (vacuum) valve under the cap (the smaller silver or brass button on the bottom side of the cap) could be blocked/stuck.

The coolant will normally expand when hot and contract when cool. It sounds like it got a bit hot and pushed out and then the remaining coolant cooled after running and did not draw anything back in; the reverse flow (vaccum) valve should have allowed that. It may have pushed out air as the system was being purged of air after the pump change. I would recheck the coolant level and make sure it is topped up after this, and that any reservoir coolant was at the normal level.

Perhaps your cap does not have that valve? See here:
http://www.centuryperformance.com/cooling-system-basics.html

Can you post a pix of the underside of your cap and give a brand/model number?

Was the 200* temp very unusual, or were you just running it harder than normal? Again, if there was air stil in the system, that migth be the reason. It often takes quite a few heating/cooling cycles to get all of the air out of a system.

(If the elevated temp is abnormal and you were not running it hard, I would be checking to see if I had a compression leak into the coolant. But this does not seem likely since it pulled a vaccum and so much of it.)
 
^^The right track.^^ If you look at any rad cap, it has a little valve right in the middle of the gasket. This is a one-way inlet check valve, under pressure it's sealed, as the engine cools, it lets air pressure return back into the rad as pressure drops into a vacuum on cooling.

If you have coolant recovery, then it sucks (actually outside air pressure) coolant from the recovery tank back into the rad.

So if any of this is stuck/ plugged / etc, it would collapse the hose.

Found several illustrations, and no two could agree on one name, LOL

https://www.google.com/search?q=rad...ICQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1252&bih=611#imgdii=_

Here they are calling this a 'vacuum valve'

 
I warmed up the car to about 190* let it run for a while. Checked the temp with a lazer. The pump housing was 195* the hoses were around 160* radiator fins 130* at the bottom, 146 at the top of the fins. Everything seems fine. The hose didn't collapse. Left it to see if it will over time. I have an overflow can, not a recovery system. Water level is about an inch from the top. coolant is above tubes. No room for one. I think you guys are on the money with an air pocket, and a poor quality cap. does anyone know of a good quality cap? the one I have is a lever style, but I can tell the quality is poor.
 
Try a non-lever Stant from NAPA. I'm not sure what the best pressure level is for your car/engine.

Not sure what you mean by an 'overflow can'; is this a plastic bottle with a tube running into it from just below the radiator cap? If so, this is a reservior for excess coolant that pushes out when the cap reaches its pressure limit. The 'vacuum valve' under the cap is what would allow the the excess coolant to be drawn back in as the coolant in the system cools down.

Without the coolant can and recovery, you probably can't run without an air pocket in the radiator; if the system gets hot enough, then expanding coolant will be lost and you will always end up with the air pocket. It all depends on if your car is always cool enough as to whether this works OK; I'd sure try to find a place for a can (if you don't indeed have one). With a coolant can, the air pocket should evetualy work out; you just add coolant to the can as it drops.
 
The only difference between what used to be called "overflow" and a true "coolant recovery" is that if the hose is down near the bottom of the "recovery" can it will attempt to act as a return. "This is good." Why would you not

It occurs to me that if the can is TOO FAR DOWN in the engine bay, this might be the cause, as the low mount can might not return fluid, but rather causing a vacuum. The can needs to be towards the top of the engine bay
 
Well, I think I found the problem. After I ran the car yesterday, warmed it up to open the thermostat, shut it off. all looked fine. Checked it today, and the upper hose was sucked shut. I pulled off the hose to the overflow, and the upper hose popped back into shape. Checked the overflow hose, and it was blocked. Made up a new hose, but I still plan on replacing the lever cap. The overflow is not a return system. I don't really have the room for it. It is a simple plastic sort of capsule shaped container with an inlet at the top, and an outlet with a petcock at the bottom to drain it. I don't see a reason to change it unless I have more trouble. It has worked flawlessly for 10 years. Will test it again, and report back. Thanks for all the help.
 
Well that was simple; good deal!

Like 67Dart273 says, I can't see a good reason to not run the overflow hose to the bottom to make it a sort of recovery system. You can get a small standoff piece of plastic for the end of the hose so it does not suck it self closed against the wall of the bottle. Either way, glad you found it; it's always nice to find a definite reason.
 
I hear the first step to getting help with your hose is admittin you have a problem. Good on you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top