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expansion tank question

B

bravo1218

Silent Prop
R. I. P.
I am wondering the proper hose hook up to an aluminimum expansion tank. I have a small block chevy. There is one hose that comes from the top of the water pump and one that comes from the top of the radiator tank. The radiator is mounted below the engine. The tank has one pipe on the bottom and one on the side about half way up. I am trying to figure out which hose goes to which pipe.
Thanks for your help
Tim
 
It doesn't matter. Which ever gives you the cleanest installation is fine.

My intake has two threaded holes that I used to plumb mine up.

The tank should have enough water in it to cover both holes. Ideally you'd have no air in the system after getting it up to operating temp.
 
My water pump has a boss, but is not drilled. I just used the two holes in the intake.
 
Cool, that probably answers my question. As you know, in a car that fitting is usually to supply water to the heater.

But a guy told me that if you didn't use it then steam would accumulate there (top of the pump) after shutdown, and then the pump would cavitate when you restarted. If your pump never had that fitting then obviously that's not a problem.

Thanks.
 
If you don't have air in the system, you can't get steam. No air is the idea behind the cage-mounted expansion tank.
 
On my last engine I ran something even simpler than that. I had the Moroso block that bolts to the water inlet (with the radiator cap on top of it?) and one oversize line running off of it to an overflow/expansion tank bolted to the back of my seat.

It never overheated.
 
Never use a tank on the suction side ! A lways top side so air is can be release ! :D When water boils is it the hydrogen that you see or the oxengen dont need air to make steam ! think about it ! :D water only needs to expand ! :D
 
Boiling water does not separate the compnents O and H2. Steam is still water just now its vapor. This holds true all the way up to super heated steam in ships turbines, which is totally invisible, its still H2 O.

Scotty
 
I may be remembering incorrectly, but I don't think a pressurized system will allow the formation of steam without the presence of air because air is compressable and water is not, and the water is not able to expand enough to become a gas.....

Once the pressure exceeds the weakest link (usually the radiator cap) then it will exit the system and then turn to steam in the atmosphere...

Or am I just crazy?
 
Im not a Navy Engineman, but I seem to remember live steam at 1200 PSI as a first stage? Not sure your going to find a radiator cap to handle that. Water is not compressable so as it expands it will open up something. Just like ice freezing. If there is no escape then it will make its own escape.

Scotty
 
I "think" that means superheated or something. Its super hot and invisible even. I know for certain it will cut a man in half and he will never see it. Dangerous as heck.

It's been like 35 years since I was in the navy so anything I think I remember may be way out of date nowdays anyway.

Maybe a Rail Road man night have some knowledge on this. How bout it Olf Art??

Scotty
 
Scotty, most of the old steam engines never ran on super-heated. They didn't have boilers that could stand that kind of pressure, and the chassis of a loccomotive was constantly being twisted and stressed by track conditions so I think most of them relied on a lot less pressure than super-heated. That's probably why the cylinders on the drivers are so big in some of the pictures of some of the old steamers ..... more work from less pressure.

Steam engines depended on momentum to carry heavy freight. As soon as you got one down into a heavy pull their power went away fast. That's why most of the old bluegrass songs talk about the speed of the trains ...... so they could get over the next ridge !! When you put a steamer into a slow, hard pull radiational cooling in the system starts stealing your tractive effort fast.

That's where the diesels had the advantage. I've run them for miles at less than 10 mph, and if you could keep the wheels from sllippin' they'd pull.

My experience with high pressure liquids is limited to hydraulic fluid at 4000 psi. but I'm enjoying this thread.

olf

Did I completely miss the point of your question ? :?
 
I think wheat was being looked for was about water converting to steam needing air in the system to convert to steam or not.

Scotty
 
OK, lets get this one out of the way! :lol: When you start bringing a pot of water to a boil, is there any air at the bottom of the pot? :wink:
 
NO ! ,WHEN THE TEMPS GET HIGH ENOUGHT THE WATER WILL LET GO OF THE BONDING AGENTS CAUSING MOLECULES TO SEPARATE TO THE TOP ! OR CHANGES STRUCTURE ! VAPORS ARE GAS OR AIR ! MAKES ITS OWN AIR ! :)D HEY I STAY AT A HOILDAY INN LAST WEEK) !SCOTTY !
 
COLD-EH'":3jclghom said:
OK, lets get this one out of the way! :lol: When you start bringing a pot of water to a boil, is there any air at the bottom of the pot? :wink:
Click to expand...

It doesn't have to be at the bottom. It's in the pot, so it is in the "system" and that allows the water to expand enough to become steam. Steam is still water, it is just spread out.

Now, fill the pot all the way and put a tight lid on it. Will you get steam, or just hot water and a lot of pressure?
 
Well for my small block to burp I had to add a fitting to the top of the thermostat housing the highest spot air in the water system can be. I have the hose's on the bottom of the tank one to the thermostat and one to the intake. I also noticed I use the antifreeze for aluminum motors and I an running about 10 degrees lower that I use to but I also put synthetic oil in the motor.
 
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