15 replies to this topic

[Tommymo]

Hi all
About to embark on changing everything related to coolant system. Car overheated on the journey back from the leave I purchased it and its pretty rough in colour. Decided to replace everything from header tank, coolant pipes to silicone, heater pipes, heater matrix, thermostat, temp sensor, connectors, clips etc the whole lot and go for waterless coolant.

Before I embark on it has anyone got any advice on how best to tackle it. I know the engine bay is tight but think it is going to be very tight in places. Thinking more all the hose replacements.

[Aly-g]

one word of advice i would give is to get plenty of old towels for inside the car when taking the heater hoses off the heater and get a small jug or as I use an old 4 pint milk container to catch the water from the hoses and heater.

 I would also remove the radiator while your at it and give it a flush, never used waterless coolant so can't comment on that. I would remove the carpet from the front of the car to save any damage to it, good luck ,hope it all goes well.

 

Allan

[MatthewsDad]

There seems to be a growing body of evidence against the claimed benefits of waterless coolant. Worth reading up on the pros and cons before taking the plunge. Blue ethylene glycol is fine in a properly working system IMHO.

[mini1955]

I have done the same
Changed the hoses. Stat. And heater matrix. And rad I thought it was easier
Do all of it in one go

[brivinci]

Is this an SPi or MPi car? I only have experience with the SPi system.
If your car was overheating, you should be trying to sort that out (or understand what is actually wrong) prior to getting knee deep in a waterless system. Hose, heater matrix, and header tank are not things that cause an overheating issue. Most likely there is an issue with the rad itself or the fan(s) but there are a few things worth checking before you pull it all apart.
Is the water pump functioning and belt not slipping around it?

Is your thermostat correctly installed and fully functional?
Are there any major air blockages in the system? 

Are you sure that the temp gauge is telling the correct story as it is installed under the intake manifold and prone to blockage?

If SPi, is the fan fitted in the correct orientation and does the aux fan kick on and off correctly.

If you are going to do everything, that would include the rad (have current one boiled and tested at least), water pump, thermostat, temp sensor, belt (while you are there), and fan switch. Again, not sure if this is an SPI or MPI but on the SPI, it is key to ensure the aux fan is working properly. It takes its reading from a sensor at the bottom, front corner of the rad and runs off a relay mounted to the bulkhead.

 

The waterless systems interest me as they run at much lower pressures so the hoses and gaskets are under less stress. One thing I noticed when I installed my silicone hose was an increased amount of coolant smell in the car. I have triple check many times and I am not losing/leaking coolant and have read on a few forums that the silicone can be the cause. No sure if others have seen this or if its just me.

[brivinci]

Interesting line of copy from Evans Waterless Coolant website:

"Evans High Performance Waterless Engine Coolant does not contain water, so its boiling point is significantly higher. That means your engine still gets hot, but it won’t overheat, and that means more time cruising and less time on the lift."

[sonscar]

The boiling point being higher reduces the temperature of your engine how?Does it have a higher specific heat capacity?Is the radiator capable of dissipating this larger heat load?Do you keep the same pressure cap?run it to atmosphere?My personal opinion is potential snake oil.Do race circuits allow it?Can you run at drag strips?Lots of questions or am I just cynical.
I have run many elderly poorly maintained cars and driven them hundreds of thousands of miles with family aboard and have never had overheating problems which were not due to physical faults that I knew about but ignored.Fix the fault not patch it up.
This is just my experience,Steve..

[Tommymo]

Thanks for the replies all. Car is an MPI.

So the car overheated because the coolant was low. My own stupid fault. First drive in a classic mini since I was 19. I didn't check and as soon as the gauge went up I pulled over and had the car recovered.

Have run the car since and it is ok now and all temp readings and pipes appear to be OK. Just want to ve belt and braces moving forward. I also have new thermostat, temp sensor to fit.

The header tank is very discoloured so complete flush is the first and also a rad cleaner. Am going to go for a halfords oat coolant before going waterless just to be sure she is running right.

[Java_Green]

I have read a lot about the waterless coolants and "peoples opinions" about them when it comes to disadvantages. One of the main benefits as I see it is that its anti-corrosion proporties is lifelong. Few people actually change coolant every other year and lacking inhibitors is bad for all metal parts within the coolant circuit and corrosion reduce convection and thereby the cooling system performance.
Give me facts why it wouldn't be sufficiently good or better to go for waterless coolant in a fully functional mini engine installation.

[Tommymo]

My friend had a 1380, runs it in the summer and doesn't go on the roads in winter etc. He swears by it. I will be using my car the same. Only shorter journeys and only when weather is good. Max 3000 miles a year if that.

There is a lot of brown discoloration in the engine bay and also around the hester inside. Think this is dirty coolant combined with over heating.

For those that have changed to the silicone pipes is there an easy way to go about it or any tips and tricks?

[Tommymo]

Hi all.

Just wanted to give an update and appreciated the comments so far. Ended up doing 3 or 4 flushes and the water ran clean when a hose was in the header tank and ram for 10 mins or ao but when connected back up again and run to temp the water was discoloured when i drained it again. Decided before fitting new silicone hoses etc to fit a new rad.
Car is in for some bodywork over next two weeks and whilst I drove her to the garage (circa 20 mins away) she didn't overheat but did feel warmer than normal.
Will be doing the thermostat and temp sensor at the same time. All the belts and water pump are OK so hoping this should fix it before going waterless. For now I just put some halfords pre mix Oat back in as it is fairly cheap.

[masslaw]

One thing I wish I'd done when fitting all new silicone hoses was to measure the new hose against the old and trim where necessary.  Some of the new red ones are way too long and it's easier to trim on a bench than when your are trying to fit them in the car.  To trim cleanly, use a hose clamp at the point you want to trim and use it to guide your knife. 

[Northernpower]

My personal opinion is potential snake oil.Do race circuits allow it?Can you run at drag strips?Lots of questions or am I just cynical.
I have run many elderly poorly maintained cars. Fix the fault not patch it up.
This is just my experience,Steve..

I agree a properly set up cooling system doesn't need any additives. With regard to race circuits and drag strips, the regulations don't allow any additives because if they leak i.e.an on track accident they leave an oily residue on the track which is difficult and time consuming to clean up and therefore halts the event.

[brivinci]

Maybe this is me but since I replaced my hoses with a full set of silicone ones (from Mini Spares I believe), I have noticed a more pronounced coolant odor inside the car. I have no leaks. The level has not moved and these have been on for at least a couple of years now. I looked this up and did come across a Dodge Viper forum where someone was mentioning this as well...but then I got distracted and havent looked it up further;-) Is this just me?

The hoses were very well made and fit nicely...on my SPi. As someone who had the upper hose split down the middle (manufactures defect) and left me stranded 400miles from home, at night, on a Sunday (nothing open), I am very happy to have the added insurance of the silicone.

[Tommymo]

Hi all. So job done and all hoses now changed. No coolant in yet as ran out time but hopefully all works as should. Did a complete overhaul of thermostat housing clean, new thermostat, new temp sensor, new water pump, new hoses, new expansion tank, new heater matrix, new valve, all new unions and new radiator. Hopefully she will run beautifully and cool.