I am currently designing the cooling system for my pinto. I haven't got a heater so I am going to just loop the heater pipe round from the engine back to the pump. My problem is that on the Sierra the header tank return goes to the radiator but my polo rad doesn't have a return hole. I am thinking of plumbing this return pipe into the heater pipe just before it reaches the pump, can anyone see any problems with this? Also, is it ok to just loop the heater pipe round?

Pete

[Edited on 4/5/04 by scoobyis2cool]

i have had the same problem with mine, my solution was to put the return pipe into a tee on the bottom hose, and skipped the matrix with a single pipe.

Im sure there are many ways of dong it though.

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Originally posted by JoelP
my solution was to put the return pipe into a tee on the bottom hose

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You need to think about 2 things getting the air out to avoid airlocks and providing a by-pass flow to circulate water within the block when the thermostat is closed.

It is quite easy to find bottom hoses which have a built in "T" connection for the heater hose/by-pass -- the MK3 Escort used this type, so did the Marina !

Header tanks can 1, 2 or 3 connections, the 3 connection type is less likely to airlock.

The top connection header tank should be connected via a small bore pipe to the highest point in the cooling system usually the top hose to allow air to bleed out , the lower connection can go to the bottom hose.
The outlet from the engine that normally goes to the heater can go into the third connection on the tank, this provides the by-pass flow.

You may want to restrict the by-pass flow to mimmic the restriction of the heater flow.

quote:

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Originally posted by scoobyis2cool
What do you mean by matrix?

Pete

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quote:

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Originally posted by JoelP
the heater matrix is the small rad that warms your air, isnt it? thats what i always called it anyway...!

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Am I right in thinking the heater flow is the bypass flow? How fast is the flow? Is it more of a trickle or a gush? If you plumbed this into the header tank wouldn't it make the water in the tank all swirly and violent (for want of a better description!!)?

Pete

My 2.0ltr Pinto runs with an Escort radiator and no header tank, just an expansion tank like the original Escort (washliquid bottle really) and has never overheated, but it would be easier to run a header for filling purposes. I was going to plumb one into the pipe round to the inlet manifold but never got round to it.

quick answers without full explanations now but British Trident is right, you really need a bleed from the highest point in the pipework to the top of the header tank or Rad header to bleed out airlocks.

The water in the header tank on a sierra is all gushy to use the same terminology! This doesn't matter and it gets the air out of the coolant in the tank.

The flow to the heater is indeed the bypass flow.

The heater flow is quite considerable, certainly a gush!!

Hi Pete

This is how a chap on the sylva chat list has plumbed in his Striker

Adrian
Rescued attachment REDREC ENGINE.jpg