In a message dated 4/4/00 5:47:44 AM !!!First Boot!!!, Lundgren@iname.com
writes:
> I have never seen a "fill line" radiator... My '70B doesn't have the
> recovery container, though I know what it is for. It will just dump a
little
> out when it gets too hot/full. All of the modern cars I have owned have
the
> recovery containers. What is wrong with them?
>
What I'm trying to suggest is that the "recovery container" is just a
federally mandated device to put a fill line in your "face" so you don't
overfill your cooling system and leak coolant when it heats up. It doesn't
benefit the engine in any way. An old fashion radiator, sans recovery
container, won't leak coolant either if it's not overfilled. Conversely, if
you fill the recovery container to the very top, it too will leak coolant.
No fill line? Here's a quote from my '71 B owners manual:
"To avoid wastage by overflow add just sufficient coolant to cover the bottom
of the header tank. Run the engine until it is hot and add sufficient coolant
to bring the surface to the level of the indicator positioned inside the
header tank below the filler neck."
So the old fashioned radiators had room built in for coolant expansion as
long as you filled them according to the manufacture's recommendation.
So the real purpose of the expansion tank is to make the car more expensive
and make it even more crowded under the hood. The government has had vast
success in these two objectives over the years!
Bob Donahue (Still stuck in the '50s)
EMAIL - BOBMGT@AOL.COM
52 MGTD - under DIY restoration NEMGTR #11470
71 MGB - AMGBA #96-12029, NAMGBR #7-3336
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