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give this a go let the engine warm up, get somebody to hold the revs up and whatch the bottom radiator hose to see if it sucks closed

Think you've got it Mick - that spring is there to keep the hose open whist under suction from the water pump.....

The hose clamp should be fitted on the radiator side of the outlet "barb" - not on it...

The hose should be long enough to make the connection without either any excess to bend back on itself but long enough to flex under the torque of the engine.....

Guess we'll have to wait until Andrew gives us the report....

A pic or two might give us more clues, Andrew....

frats,
Rosco

fixed, well at least it seems to be

Old radiator back in plus a good clean and a thermo much larger than the old one

guess it was the radiator then Andrew....?
Happy now..

frats,
Rosco

Been away a few days and missed some fun!

Whatever you do always run a thermostat! They are there to slow down the flow of water and allow it to cool as it passes through the radiator, so under no circumstances is it better to run without one.

Seems though it was blocked. Like any part of a car a regular maintenance such as flush and clean is needed on radiators to avoid these sorts of problems.

thanks Brett,

yes, that thermostat is a design feature to restrict flow.... but if it is totally closed or jammed - better out for the short time to get a replacement.

I am a little confused, Andrew - you mention fitting a larger thermo - I expect that would be an alternative thermo-fan in lieu of the water pump fan - I had one of these fitted to mine when first I put the red in - and could never get it to run cool in warm weather - mine was a Davies~Craig - I still have it.... the thermo-switch gave up the ghost and failed open - a rough idle in traffic on a very hot day soon had me watching temp gauges after that....... a habit I have not been able to shake...... even after re-fitting the water pump fan for well over twenty years......

You can also fit a cooling system filter if you want to go overboard.....
They are a plastic unit with a removable screw cap - there is a stainless screen folded to a "V" inside which stops the crap running back into the engine.......I would have fitted mine to the inlet of the radiator if not told to fit it at the other end..... still not sure why, but was told they will block up if put ahead of the radiator and cause pressure problems......

I was told that the race blokes fit them there but I am still perplexed by them being fitted on the outlet side of the radiator...... ?

frats,
Rosco

rosco those traps ARE supposed to be in the top hose to stop crap coming from the engine into the radiator and clogging it, one of my many past jobs radiator shop
they are a great thing, in the convertable one of the motors i had in it came out of a boat and my radiator was constantly being clogged with scale and crap from the engine, fitted one of those, problem solved just had to clean the filter every week or so

i've always found engine fan when possable is best and even better a shroud aswell

I've missed most of this topic from its start but totally agree with Devilrods comments re thermostat in engine ...... ALWAYS fit one, they are there for a purpose even though they can be dangerous for engine longevity if they stick in the closed position.I always fit a new one in all my cars every few years which reduces this chance.

Engine cooling system maintenance also helps to reduce problems including a good pressure flush annually and cooling system rust inhibitor added.

Ditto to Rats comments re fan and shroud.

I made my own top hose mesh filter years ago in my FC wagon I had at the time and it prevented a lot of crap from entering the top radiator tank and clogging of my then new cored radiator.Cleaned the mesh about every 2/3 weeks and never had a problem.

The mesh filters go in the top tank hose to prevent debris from entering the radiator and clogging it. The filter will eventually block up if not cleaned on a regular basis.

The advice you were given Rosco to put it in the bottom hose isn't correct advice.

ratbox wrote:i've always found engine fan when possable is best and even better a shroud aswell

Agree 100%. My old LH torana with a stock flogged out 308 ran on the warm side in traffic and the gauge kept climbing to the not so good H. Put on a shroud and it never went past three quarters on the gauge.

Thanks Terry, Mick, DR and others.....

Croydon Radiator Service will no longer get my custom..... it was on their demand that I fit the filter to the lower hose - still having trouble understanding their belief it would build pressure - I am of the opinion this "pressure" was more "flow"...... yes - I can understand that if it were blocked - the flow would stop - and of course, it would be less likely fitting it to the lower hose would block as quickly - due the the radiator taking care of the bigger bits.......

For those reasons I didn't fit one to the EK..... just my little Corona...... may look at the EK somewhere down the track - a nice polished stainless tank would probably look good...... and do the trick.... thanks....

Thermo fan - if I ever fit it again - it will be to "assist" the water pump fan.... and yes, I too would first fabricate a shroud prior to this......

A "tropical" radiator core is probably a better alternative to both the above, though......

thanks for correcting another "trade specialist's" error..... by golly, I love these people at times......

frats,
Rosco