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Re: Coolant boil over...

To: TR <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: Coolant boil over...
From: Geo Hahn <geohahn@azstarnet.com>
Date: Tue, 09 May 2000 16:01:46 -0700
References: <000f01bfaf06$54e324a0$26c0fdd1@default>
Dan Carey wrote:

> Not exactly for my spit but my 88 ford........runs fine..coolant ok..till i
> come home and park..then it boils over into the reservior and out into the
> driveway...then later it sucks back into the rad from the reservior till its
> dry.....
>
> any ideas?

Dan --

I've had this happen on 2 cars (neither British).... a leak develops in the head
gasket that allows combustion products to push into the coolant.  This forces
coolant into the recovery tank to the point where it overflows.  What doesn't
overflow gets mostly drawn back into the engine once it cools down.  Never had
one that really sucked the tank dry though.

In my 2 cases the overflow only seemed to occur once I had stopped, I never
really understood why that was.

A good shop can test this by "sniffing" the air in the recovery tank (before it
fills to the point of overflowing) to see if it is just air or if is combustion
products (CO, etc).

Geo Hahn
59 TR3A
Tucson, AZ



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