VIDEO: The Leaky Radiator Conundrum!

[ModelTMitch]

A mysterious water leak started emerging from the radiator cap on my Model T... What could it be? A clogged expansion pipe? A blockage in a radiator hose? A blocked radiator perhaps? Long story short, I (unnecessarily) flushed out the whole cooling system to try and find the problem, which after all turned out to be perished seals on the radiator cap itself!!

Enjoy the video though...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQAvAYxrXc0

Amazing how the problems are usually a lot simpler than we think!

[TXGOAT2]

Be sure you don't have a leaking head gasket.

[speedytinc]

You should be putting some sort of rust preventative in the system, not plain water out of a hose.
@ the least, water soluble oil. Distilled water would be better if your tap water has a healthy mineral content.

Secondly, you didn't address possible clogged/obstructed tubes. Look for mineral deposits & chunks of rust.
You can drain off the top tank & look @ the top core tubes. With the normal baffling, you will only see a few. A bore scope will give you a better look.
The radiator would need to come off & water forced from the bottom out with the radiator upside down to remove those rust chunks. Mineral deposits would need to be removed chemically with a flush compound, Coca-cola or another preferred chemical.
Watching the rate of flow from the block & radiator outlet appears to show some obstruction by the lesser water flow.

The fluid level should be right @ the bottom of the inner baffle. That's about the middle of the tank.
If the water level is correct & the tubes open, rusty water wont reach the filler neck.
I give you credit for checking the overflow tube. That can be plugged by bug work & easily overlooked.

[DanTreace]

Mitch

Fun video as all of yours are, thanks for sharing.

Leaky or even missing radiator cap gaskets do indeed allow seepage to flow over the hood and onto the windshield

Have used over the years lots of gaskets, cut from cork, some from paper some from rubber, but always the flat circular gaskets don't do the job.

Best for me is the modern plumber's drain trap elbow thick rubber parts. Lang's sells them too. Very effective and long lasting.

[ModelTMitch]

Thanks for that mate!
As the video is already 22 minutes, I didn't address that important point, yes I do in fact use a corrosion inhibitor in my radiator I shall have to do a follow up video to address that.
In terms of the water I'm using, it's actually rain water, which where I live is very clean and actually drinkable. Living in a rural area, there's very little if any air traffic, excellent air quality, and as a result, beautiful rainwater.
Flushing the radiator revealed there's no blockages, full flow through both the radiator and the block as well, basically just discoloured water from block corrosion, which I will treat with a rust inhibitor.
One last point, I suspect I've also been overfilling the radiator, which wouldn't be helping!!

Thanks again for your input

You should be putting some sort of rust preventative in the system, not plain water out of a hose.
@ the least, water soluble oil. Distilled water would be better if your tap water has a healthy mineral content.

Secondly, you didn't address possible clogged/obstructed tubes. Look for mineral deposits & chunks of rust.
You can drain off the top tank & look @ the top core tubes. With the normal baffling, you will only see a few. A bore scope will give you a better look.
The radiator would need to come off & water forced from the bottom out with the radiator upside down to remove those rust chunks. Mineral deposits would need to be removed chemically with a flush compound, Coca-cola or another preferred chemical.
Watching the rate of flow from the block & radiator outlet appears to show some obstruction by the lesser water flow.

The fluid level should be right @ the bottom of the inner baffle. That's about the middle of the tank.
If the water level is correct & the tubes open, rusty water wont reach the filler neck.
I give you credit for checking the overflow tube. That can be plugged by bug work & easily overlooked.

[DanTreace]

Mitch

It’s rather a good idea to keep the coolant up high. Any excess will just spill out the overflow anyway.

The thermo syphon needs the upper outlet covered at all times with coolant, otherwise the flow will stop, and stay in the cylinder head and overheat the motor. As with any syphon, let the hose come free of the bucket and flow stops

Image 7-12-22 at 9.01 PM.jpeg (25.34 KiB) Viewed 1467 times

[WatchDog]

Why was Mitch gone for three years? I never heard what happened. Nice to see him back.

[WatchDog]

I guess nobody knows the reason? Ok, thanks anyway....

[ModelTMitch]

To set the record straight, I had some personal issues to deal with, a train-wreck of a marriage... Surviving the savage 'Black Summer' bush fires of 2019 where we almost lost our home - one of the most intense and catastrophic bush fire seasons in Australia's history, almost 94,000 square miles burnt out... To top it all off, going through a messy divorce... it's been a very rough time for me.

On the plus side however, I've been overwhelmed with the amount of support and welcoming I've received since my return to YouTube.

Thank you for your comment all the same.

Why was Mitch gone for three years? I never heard what happened. Nice to see him back.