Coolant Tank Replacement

[Brit-Car-Nut]

Ken: The hose listed in the parts guide (B100K0077F) went obsolete in 2008.

If that hose is questionable, then your others may also need to be looked at.

There is a US/Federal Samco Cooling Hose Kit Group Buy being offered here: viewtopic.php?f=85&t=21953#p279057

This is for any of the hose kits offered by Samco and now open to all LEC members.

[ccb056]

I purchased around 10 over the last few years and as soon as I got them, others needed them and I passed them on. Nobody has complained except for DBE who got one recently and sold it only to have the buyer say it blew up immediately.

I am still convinced the tanks are fine but if there is a problem with head gaskets, cracks or bad pressure caps, then nothing will stand up.

I picked up 10 more last time I was in the UK (and let Graham have one for my cost) but I don't dare sell any others since I have no warranty recourse if a tank fails.

One of these days, I will run a proper pressure test on one and see what I need to do to blow one up.

BTW, both eBay links are for the same company.

John, been running one from you for about a year now.... still running strong!

[Fourdoorcat]

Yea, John. The Samco kit is certainly the way to go and, I expect, there will be one in the future.

For now, I note that the shape of the hoses does vary quite a bit. For instance, the hose going to the top spigot of the coolant tank was in very good shape. It is now sitting in a container marked "Lotus Parts" as I had to replace it with a longer hose to go under the new tank. I would not think twice about re-using it.

Last year I replaced the axillary pump. The associated hoses didn't seem all that bad. The car has had a relatively easy life here in California, so parts are not so corroded and weathered.

Thanks for the update on the part. I would still go NOS if someone offered one.

Ken

[superbad]

Okay, I know this has probably been done to death but of these two on ebay who's had what experience with what?
LMF Vauxhall
vauxhallpartsuk

If they're both known to have failed then I needn't get one!
Cheers,
Will

Those are the same part I believe, SJS sells it as well. I have had two (or was it three?) of those fail pretty spectacularly. The tank is a two piece bonded design, and every one has failed at the joint. One of them exploded cleanly into its two constituent pieces, all the way around the joint. Properly bonded plastic should be just as strong as the molded plastic around it. When you get a perfectly clean separation at the joint, that's a pretty major indicator that the bond was bad. But some people have had no problems with them, so who knows.

[Coolexperts]

Fitting instructions for Coolex aluminium header tank.

Fit tank

Shut bonnet

forget about problem

Amen.

[racerstev]

vematank.JPG

Just got another one today- this one is made by Vema (p/n 16380). Looks stouter than the ones we have been getting. Hard to say for sure, but appears to be a single piece molding- it doesn't have an obvious bond line between the upper and lower sections. Seems thicker too. I'll let everyone know if it explodes. Came from here:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/120964805362?ss ... 1439.l2649

This looks like an affordable option, did it come with a cap or will the stock black
Elan cap fit?

Is there a US source for this, shipping costs more then the tank...

Steve

[superbad]

This looks like an affordable option, did it come with a cap or will the stock black
Elan cap fit?

Is there a US source for this, shipping costs more then the tank...

It came with one of the yellow caps, which I discarded and replaced with a stock black cap. It has been fine all summer.

I don't know of any closer sources unfortunately, but even with shipping, it's cheaper than buying 2 or 3 of the other ones. This is a much nicer piece.

[racerstev]

Looks like I can put this off a little longer, seems I popped a hose not the tank.

After digging around in there awhile it became apparent the coolant pump has died.
The hose that went was from one of the T's to the pump, so for now I plumbed around
it and removed the pump. The Isuzu Impulse version of this engine didn't use one so I
can't see it being a problem.

One thing for sure after this, I'll be sure to retorque the head just in case this is head gasket related..

[ashm]

it became apparent the coolant pump has died.

Really? Several people here have had their pumps die, so it's not that unlikely. However, you should remember that this pump only runs occasionally in very specific circumstances, which might make you think it has died when it hasn't.

for now I plumbed around it and removed the pump

I wouldn't do that, as I believe the pump is designed specifically to protect the engine & turbo if you switch off the engine whilst it's very hot.

A

[racerstev]

I jumped the fan switch to turn the pump on, the relay clicked on but no pump. After I
removed the pump I popped the turbine off the end and sure enough the motor itself
is seized up. I'll take it apart and see if I can revive it one of these days.

Steve

[Fourdoorcat]

Some things to consider:

The pump is protected by a fuse. If the pump seizes, the fuse blows.

You can activate the pump by shorting the thermal sensor lead to the block. Of course, if the fuse is open the pump will not run. I had this problem and found that, after I replaced the fuse, the pump worked swell when it was cold. Hot was a different story; it seized and blew the fuse. Since yours appears to be seized when cold, you can be certain that the fuse is open.

My solution was to install the Johnson pump (I think it was the Johnson CM30P7-1). You have to rewire the connector that comes with the pump. Not a big deal. I agree with the previous poster that running without the pump is not a good idea. The pump ensures that the turbo gets better cooling when the thermal situation demands it.

I did a tear down of the old pump and found that the armature varnish was applied by monkeys and dribbled onto the surface that has a small clearance to the field. I suspect that when things got hot, the varnish got a little sticky and locked the rotor (blowing the fuse). I fully expect that removal of the varnish from the rotor outer surfaces would fix the problem. Since I had the new pump, I did not fix the old pump.

Let us know what you do to fix it and how it went.

Ken

[superbad]

Rebuilding it probably doesn't make much sense when you can get a new Bosch pump for $60. Depending on which one you get, you may have to swap the plastic end cap with the hose connections, or make a new electrical lead (using a VW connector).

[JPope]

I've taken the liberty of copying Steve's post from the Rad Thread.

Hello All,

THE HEADER TANK HAS LANDED!!

Just got back from fitting Woodies and it went on like a glove. The sight glass is a real bonus otherwise you have to take the cap off and dip the water to check the level. I have attached some pictures of the final fitting.

Header Tank:



Engine Bay:



This item is of extremely high quality in both manufacture and materials and this is the pricing structure:

The basic header tank will be offered on eBay for £168.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.
The cost including sight glass will be £198.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.

The basic header tank will be offered to forum members for £155.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.
The cost including sight glass will be £180.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.

We have nearly finished the second header for Steve in Virginia and would hope to have 10 available by the end on next week.

The items will not be placed on eBay until any forum members requirements have been fulfilled.

Please let me know if you like the design

Regards

Steve

Steve,

I do, I do

Have you thought of bringing some over to Donington next Saturday (20th)

If you do, I'll buy a sight glass version off you and pay cash on the spot. (Saves me postage )

Rgds

Jim

Are these tanks still available i need one as i am in the us. And my tank just cracked at the top hose nipple. It is the original tank.

[Coolexperts]

Hi There

The tank is still available for £210.00 and £245.00 with the sight glass. This price includes VAT and the UK shipping is £10.00

The header tanks sold to the USA will be entitled to a rebate of VAT sales tax making without sight glass £180.00 and with sight glass £210.00 Shipping this item to the USA costs £65.00

[steve matthews]

Steve please check your PM. I need items addressed in it this winter.
Thanks and Merry Xmas
Steve

[Coolexperts]

MORE GOOD NEWS!!!

Following some tough negotiations with a company in Europe for the outsourced engineered parts, we are now able to return the price of the header tanks to the launch prices quoted as follows:

The basic header tank will be offered on eBay for £168.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.
The cost including sight glass will be £198.00 inclusive of vat plus £10.00 shipping in the UK.

The basic header tank will be offered to European forum members for £155.00 inclusive of vat plus shipping, in the UK £10.00. The cost including sight glass will be £180.00 inclusive of vat plus shipping.

The basic header tank will be offered to USA and rest of the World forum members for £130.00 plus shipping, to the USA £60.00. The cost including sight glass will be £150.00 plus shipping

I hope this puts a spring cheer on your face.

Regards

Steve
AKA Mr cool

steve@coolexperts.co.uk

http://www.coolexperts.co.uk