Simplifying The Coolant System?
 

Having got my engine bolted in now I wanted to start getting my coolant system roughly setup and I've already run into trouble as I've realized that I'm going to have to modify it heavily as I'm using a 1.8 CVH but planning to run bike carbs on it. Can someone confirm I've got where the hoses go right in the attached picture? Also..

1) in the attached picture, I can't figure out where hose 6 is supposed to go? It comes of the thermostat.

2) The donor sierra radiator had an inlet on the top left of the radiator which a big hose connected to from the thermostat. I've got a small radiator from a polo but it doesn't have this 3rd inlet, only an inlet on the top of the right side and the outlet on the bottom right side. So how do I get around this as currently a hose from the expansion tank would go to the top right inlet on the radiator?

3) Does the coolant once it's passed through the block & head come out of the hole at the back of head by cylinder 4 and into the inlet manifold there to be taken through the bottom of the manifold to the thermostat? If so do I just try to relocate my thermostat to this hole somehow because of using bike carbs? Any pictures of how anyone else has done this would be good!

4) Am I right in thinking that hose 2 in the attached picture which comes off hose 1 via a T piece goes off to the heater which in theory I don't need anymore?

5) Quite a few of these hoses that came off the donor aren't going to be long enough now to reach, anyone able to suggest a good cheap place to get new ones? Eg is there a good car to take long fat hoses off from the breakers that will fit ok?

Thanks!

http://img295.imageshack.us/img295/3...inaug08ap8.jpg

Should be as above but without heater matrix but retain heater pipes as a bypass.

Bob

Use Hoover extension pipes and bead the ends with a plumbers beading tool,otherwise they will blow off under pressure.

Another simple way to plumb the system is water pump to bottom hose and thermostat end to top of rad,bottom of header tank feed to bottom hose and tee the return to header tank in the top hose.

So do you mean something like this flyer?

That would work except that when stat is closed there is no where for the pumped water to go which is why its best to form a loop using what would have been to the heater matrix. The small pipe from the thermostat housing to the filler bottle is only there to keep the system purged while engine is running, on some of those purge pipes there used to be a small restrictor shoved up the end by the bottle to limit the amount of pump over ,its not big enough to act as a bypass . On the subject of extra pipes we have always used stainless steel and bought those samco silicone hoses, that way all the long runs are cheaper to do and look a lot better. If you havent got a beading tool stick to the plumbing sizes of the tube 15,22,38,35,42 mm and solder an olive on the end of the pipe to act as a bead, dont nick the wifes hoover or you will end up with ears like a cage fighter. hope this is of some help

http://www.metals4u.co.uk/detail.asp...85&prd_id=2502

http://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/SA...FUFP4Qodn3Go6g

Bob

Ok that makes sense, I'm still confused then how I get round only having 2 connections on the radiator instead of 3 (1 in & 1 out). If I've got the out going hose connected to the water pump and thermostat (via a loop which would have had the heater), and then the outlet of the thermostat going to the top inlet on the radiator, where do I put the bottom pipe of the expansion tank? Do I just add another T piece to the radiator inlet for it?

Thats the one. return from heater or loop and the 3/4" ish pipe from the header tank all into the bottom hose on the rad, if you are short of hose t pieces there is a double version of the one below. But i cant find it . keep the header tank as high on the baulkhead as poss.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/51mm-2-OD-...item4cf7164888

Bob

Can anyone confirm that the electrical connection on the polo radiators just below the top hose inlet is a thermostat and whether the wiring for this could be changed to suit the sierra loom and instrument panel?

Its a thermostat that controls the fan, so that when the water temp hits for example 90°c the fan kicks in.

As the sierra has a viscious fan there is no wiring for a fan so you will have to add it in your self

Because I used the FWD CVH thermostat housing on my engine the fan switch is mounted in the housing. This left the fan switch in the radiator free to connect the header tank to by making an adapter.

You can see the adapter screwed into the radiator in the below picture.