Header Tank Strap

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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Rambo » Fri 29.01.2016, 19:06

Woooo. Calumny. Big word. Is that Doric for bullshit ? ;-)
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby John_W » Fri 29.01.2016, 21:07

Rambo wrote:Woooo. Calumny. Big word. Is that Doric for bullshit ? ;-)

Naw, that's "keech".

I presume that the neurons which have survived the sangria might have been remembering this thread with Gazza's Milton solution.

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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Rambo » Fri 29.01.2016, 21:30

Well done John. I knew I could rely on someone with younger brain cells ;-)
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby GeoffSmith » Fri 29.01.2016, 21:42

Is Gazza the grandson John....
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Tue 04.07.2017, 05:57

Hey guys, i' m in an EMERGENCY situation, yesterday my tank exploded on the way. I had switch to the black cap instead of the yellow one which was letting fluid come out and thus the black one was perfect, my tank exploded. So no tank at all right now and no car! Is there any suggested part number to search first for tank then for cap? Please respond ASAP guys..
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Fredjohn » Tue 04.07.2017, 09:19

Try UK ebay there are currently 2 used ones for sale

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elan-M100 ... Ciid%253A2

And

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elan-M100 ... Ciid%253A3

Hope this helps. But better option and more expensive is cool experts alloy tank. Full thread on here somewhere.
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Rambo » Tue 04.07.2017, 09:58

http://www.coolexperts.co.uk/motor-vehicle/

I know that Jim (Muley) and a few others have fitted them and been very satisfied with the results. Best to go for the one with the sight glass though. More £££ but better visibility ;-)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALUMINIUM-HEA ... 1945956056

But if you don't want to go down the expensive route, I would buy a new one from Wayne, a fellow LEC'r located in Bahrain.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-Elan-M1 ... Sw~OVWzIMW
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby dapinky » Tue 04.07.2017, 10:58

As well as the tank (I can also recommend Coolexperts - I have had one since they were first made), I would be wondering if the cooling system is over-pressurising.

Maybe the yellow cap was okay, but releasing the excess pressure at the correct value, and then the black cap held the pressure higher, causing the tank to explode.

Just make sure that the cap is good, and at the correct value, then if it still leaks, you have a more serious issue - hopefully yours' will just be a combination of an old tank suddenly exposed to higher pressure than it liked due to a good cap being used, and the plastic let go.
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby lotusflasherman » Tue 04.07.2017, 16:00

dapinky wrote: Maybe the yellow cap was okay, but releasing the excess pressure at the correct value, and then the black cap held the pressure higher, causing the tank to explode.


Could be, but I was wondering if the leak was actually a split in the tank and the 'higher pressure' just finished it off.... Not usually much to go wrong in pressure caps but don't read too much into colours as they are all yellow these days.
Manual says 110 kPA (15 psi) but my black one in use is marked with '120', so about 17.5 psi, and I have a yellow one marked with '140' so that's about 20 psi...
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Fri 07.07.2017, 06:19

I got Wayne's one , but what's wrong with the caps?
The yellow I had was letting fluid come out and the black one cause the tank to explode. I also have new coolant hoses and a radiator from coolexperts. Should I wonder for something else also?
Anyway explosion happened after I switched from yellow to black cap. But even yellow wasn't that good I was losing fluid..
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Rambo » Fri 07.07.2017, 08:42

Sounds very much like you have a problem with overoressurising ? Maybe you have a blocked radiator (is the old one still in place or have you fitted the Coolexperts alloy one ?)

Or perhaps early signs of HG failure ?? I would carry out a header tank sniffer check whilst you're doing all the other problem solving and checking
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Fredjohn » Fri 07.07.2017, 09:49

Try the simple things first though.

The yellow cap is leaking with the new tank, so it probably leaked with the old tank. So the old tank didn't split with the yellow cap because some pressure was released via the cap. As soon as you fitted the new black cap, which doesn't leak, there was full pressure in the old tank which may have had a weakness (it's old after all) and split along the weakness.

You now have a new tank which should not split under normal full pressure. The yellow cap leaks, so use the black one and the new tank should sustain the full pressure.

Bear in mind there were some new dodgy tanks on ebay a few months ago which split immediately on use: the seam between top and bottom wasn't good enough. Wayne's tanks however will be up to the job.

Try this but keep an eye on engine temp, general running and other leaks now that your system is fully pressurised. Remember it was not fully pressurised before because of the old tank weakness and leaking yellow cap.

Sniffer test, checking for oil/water mix in oil filler cap etc etc should be done regularly until you are satisfied all is well.
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Sun 09.07.2017, 10:24

Story so far...
at first I had a COOLEX alloy radiator fitted and a NEW WAYNE'S tank using again my old yellow cap.. everythings were ok but I was losing collant from the cap.. Then I got the used black cap which was perfect and no coolant leak at all but after some days my new tank exploded split in two!! Now I got another Waynes tank using my old yellow cap, but I saw that the overpressure that happened caused a leaking to another hose where now I lose coolant.
So I need to tighten up maybe that hose or replace it and then see what's going on. Gregory (engineer of Shark Elan) told me that we should make an alloy one as most of them crack always.
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby lotusflasherman » Sun 09.07.2017, 13:39

Under normal circumstances you shouldn't loose coolant from any cap ... pressure maybe, but not coolant. Coolant level should be at the halfway seam when cold so there's room for expansion - put any more in and it will be expelled when hot.

Quite simple to test a cap ... remove small hose from header tank, insert something appropriate into hose to block it and tighten clip. Get a tyre pump with gauge and a tapered 'airbed adapter' and push it into the header tank tube & 'inflate'.
Pressure will rise until the operating pressure of the cap is reached ... then you'll know if the cap works or not, and at what pressure.
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Sun 09.07.2017, 13:43

lotusflasherman wrote:Under normal circumstances you shouldn't loose coolant from any cap ... pressure maybe, but not coolant. Coolant level should be at the halfway seam when cold so there's room for expansion - put any more in and it will be expelled when hot.

Quite simple to test a cap ... remove small hose from header tank, insert something appropriate into hose to block it and tighten clip. Get a tyre pump with gauge and a tapered 'airbed adapter' and push it into the header tank tube & 'inflate'.
Pressure will rise until the operating pressure of the cap is reached ... then you'll know if the cap works or not, and at what pressure.

I cant understand exactly what you describe and what to do so cant do it myself.. make a video!!!
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby lotusflasherman » Sun 09.07.2017, 15:39

Scott wrote:[ .. make a video!!!


A "Please" would be nice .... :lol: ... or a :cheers:

Does this help?....https://youtu.be/_TcjYOmVE2g ...

Not up to Toby's standard but think you'll get the idea. Didn't really have enough hands to hold phone and do the test and wasn't going to spend much time on it... too much else to do...

I've used a tapered centre punch to block the hose and I'm using a 240V pump which is great but gauge is rubbish - it reads high when 'ON' & pumping tyres and low when 'OFF', correct reading is about the midpoint between the two so I always check tyres with a digital gauge ..

My black cap is marked as 120 kPA (17.5 psi) and seems to be working about right ... it max 'ed at 25 psi when ON & showed 10 psi when off so midpoint is 17.5 ...
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Sun 09.07.2017, 15:43

lotusflasherman wrote:
Scott wrote:[ .. make a video!!!


A "Please" would be nice .... :lol: ... or a :cheers:

Does this help?....https://youtu.be/_TcjYOmVE2g

Not up to Toby's standard but think you'll get the idea. Didn't really have enough hands to hold phone and do the test and wasn't going to spend much time on it... too much else to do...

I'm using a 240V pump which is great but gauge is rubbish - it reads high when 'ON' & pumping tyres and low when 'OFF', correct reading is about the midpoint between the two so I always check tyres with a digital gauge ..

My black cap is marked as 120 kPA (17.5 psi) and seems to be working about right ... it max 'ed at 25 psi when ON & showed 10 psi when off so midpoint is 17.5 ...


OK Great video! Thanks!!! you are using also a BOV? is it any good at all?
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby lotusflasherman » Sun 09.07.2017, 19:12

Scott wrote: you are using also a BOV? is it any good at all?


Yes, brilliant for me, but depends what sort of roads you drive on. Both my SE's now have Bailey DV30 recirculating type (RDV) that feed dumped air back into the air-filter drum so I can't hear any annoying 'WHOOSH" . My Subarus have had a dump valve on the intercooler as part of the turbo installation and they said it avoids the turbine stalling against a closed throttle - which isn't good for the turbine wheel and then creates a lag when throttle is reopened as the turbine speed has to build again. (Those who say "Most cars with turbos aren't built with a dump valve already inline" are talking out of their... 'exhaust pipes' ... :lol: )

First fitted one to my '91 SE in 2003 when I was driving past Bailey's twice a day and called in to have a chat about why Subaru had them and Lotus didn't. I fitted my RDV mainly to enhance the life of the turbo but it seemed to improve the performance a lot as boost was back much quicker for powering out of a corner. I live in Suffolk where B roads seem to follow the edge of ancient fields so lots of short straights and 90°bends and 2nd gear corners, then 3rd, 4th maybe (never 5th) before braking for next corner. The 2 mile run to my village from the nearest A road has 16 significant corners or bends ... just what Lotus were built for.. :bananasex:

A few years back I bought another SE, because it was a '93 L Reg, under 43k miles and I haggled a bargain price I couldn't resist. It went very well but didn't seem to get me home from the A road as quickly as the old SE so I 'borrowed' the RDV set up from the old SE and "Boy, what a difference!". I left it on there and bought a new Elan installation kit but DV30 weren't available so started watching ebay and bought a used DV30 to go back on the other SE. Baileys are very scarce now and very expensive but there's nothing wrong with Forge or others mentioned on other threads, such as here - BOV topic

I now have an ECU with an Everest Chip, with boost to 0.9 bar, and the RDV is even more significant in keeping the turbine spinning and back on boost to power through the corner... but if you only drive straight lines on main roads it won't make much difference having one or not.

Some time I might sell the '91 SE so I've bought one of these - cheap RECIRCULATING-DUMP-BLOW-OFF-VALVE and if it works OK it can replace the DV30 which I'll keep as a spare, or sell at an extortionate price .. :lol:
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Re: Header Tank Strap

Postby Scott » Wed 12.07.2017, 05:40

lotusflasherman wrote:
Scott wrote: you are using also a BOV? is it any good at all?


Yes, brilliant for me, but depends what sort of roads you drive on. Both my SE's now have Bailey DV30 recirculating type (RDV) that feed dumped air back into the air-filter drum so I can't hear any annoying 'WHOOSH" . My Subarus have had a dump valve on the intercooler as part of the turbo installation and they said it avoids the turbine stalling against a closed throttle - which isn't good for the turbine wheel and then creates a lag when throttle is reopened as the turbine speed has to build again. (Those who say "Most cars with turbos aren't built with a dump valve already inline" are talking out of their... 'exhaust pipes' ... :lol: )

First fitted one to my '91 SE in 2003 when I was driving past Bailey's twice a day and called in to have a chat about why Subaru had them and Lotus didn't. I fitted my RDV mainly to enhance the life of the turbo but it seemed to improve the performance a lot as boost was back much quicker for powering out of a corner. I live in Suffolk where B roads seem to follow the edge of ancient fields so lots of short straights and 90°bends and 2nd gear corners, then 3rd, 4th maybe (never 5th) before braking for next corner. The 2 mile run to my village from the nearest A road has 16 significant corners or bends ... just what Lotus were built for.. :bananasex:

A few years back I bought another SE, because it was a '93 L Reg, under 43k miles and I haggled a bargain price I couldn't resist. It went very well but didn't seem to get me home from the A road as quickly as the old SE so I 'borrowed' the RDV set up from the old SE and "Boy, what a difference!". I left it on there and bought a new Elan installation kit but DV30 weren't available so started watching ebay and bought a used DV30 to go back on the other SE. Baileys are very scarce now and very expensive but there's nothing wrong with Forge or others mentioned on other threads, such as here - BOV topic

I now have an ECU with an Everest Chip, with boost to 0.9 bar, and the RDV is even more significant in keeping the turbine spinning and back on boost to power through the corner... but if you only drive straight lines on main roads it won't make much difference having one or not.

Some time I might sell the '91 SE so I've bought one of these - cheap RECIRCULATING-DUMP-BLOW-OFF-VALVE and if it works OK it can replace the DV30 which I'll keep as a spare, or sell at an extortionate price .. :lol:


I'm looking for installing one - maybe - but cant figure out which type or model to choose. PNM offer a kit also.
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2004 Ducati Monster 620ie

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