We should all keep in mind:
The Spit has a sealed cooling system with an overflow return bottle.
This is a good design, because there will normally be no air in the
system, which greatly reduces the rate of corrosion.
If everything is not in good condition, air can get and stay in, which is BAD,
especially if you are not using an antifreeze mixture. All it takes
is something like a split in the little hose that goes to the overflow
bottle to allow air in. For example, if the overflow hose does not
stay full of coolant for hours or days after running the car,
something is wrong. Also note that the proper overflow-return
radiator cap has THREE rubber sealing surfaces (go count them).
If any one is bad, coolant can get out and/or air can get in.
Don't be a cheapskate and use only water. You will pay in the end!
If you use only water because there are a lot of leaks and you are
tired of having a green driveway, then your cooling system is
in triple trouble, since it will always have air in it, and you are
constantly replenishing the minerals in the water.
My '72 has the original radiator (a leaky seam was fixed once),
but I never have a overheating problem and it does not leak a drop.
Everything you can see inside the radiator, hoses, etc. looks pretty
clean, and the coolant is still green after two years (due to be
changed this summer). The secret of my success is:
1: Fix leaks and other problems ASAP.
2: Keep a proper antifreeze mixture, and use deionized or distilled water.
3: Have a PO who did not let things get too out of hand.
Thus endeth the lesson.
Doug Braun
'72 Spit
At 04:51 AM 5/30/01 , John Hobson wrote:
>Upon inspection I realised that the reason for the particularly large
>split was because of a pressure build up behind a large clot of brown
>sludgy silt!
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