Coolant modification

[Wille R Scandinavia <veloce@domain.elided>]

Thanx for the comments about the cooling system. I have it here 
for everybody to read. The photos are here:

http://hem.passagen.se/veloce/MECH2.HTM#radiator

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One thing that sometimes causes problem with the Alfa engine is a 
blown head gasket. I noticed that when driving long distances the 
coolant evaporated and the pressure forced the air into the 
drainpipe leading to the reservoir. The loss off coolant was 
normal, the gasket was tight, but I had to refill the radiator now 
and then every season.

     Since the hose between the radiator and the reservoir makes a 
loop before connected to the bottom of the reservoir, the air 
stayed at the highest point, i.e. the hose. 

     When the engine was cooling down, the valve in the radiator 
cap was opening to let new coolant into the radiator. This works 
fine if the hose is totally full with coolant but it is not. The 
air will be sucked into the radiator instead, as the reservoir is 
placed a bit lower than the highest level of the radiator.

     I got a reservoir of a modern type with two hoses from the 
junk yard. I found that the reservoir from a Volvo 340 was 
excellent. It is square, has two connections and is big  enough. 
Most reservoirs are shaped to fit a special model, but this one 
was neutral.

     The reservoir was mounted in the engine bay on the right side 
(I have an old 105-engine with the air filter over the exhaust 
manifold). You may place it to the left where the original 
reservoir is. 

     I connected the bigger bottom hose using a T-pipe connection 
from an Alfa 33 to the water pump. I used a short hose between the 
water pump and the T-connection and the original hose from the 
heater was attached to the T-connection. 

     The smaller hose was then connected to the pipe close to the 
radiator cap and finally to the new reservoir. That's it. 

     Now, place the new reservoir at a suitable place in the 
engine bay, but place it as high as possible. It must be higher 
than the radiator so the water level is higher than the  level of 
the radiator.

     Finally, get a new radiator cap and remove the bottom seal so 
that it will remain fully opened. I squeezed the bottom of the cap 
to improve flushing. This is so the water can  flush and reach the 
reservoir when it expands. Fill the reservoir with new coolant and 
the radiator cap off as shown in the previous photo. When the 
water flushes over in the radiator, you have reached the minimum 
level of coolant.

 Note the level on the reservoir using a marking pen or whatever. 
Refit the cap of the radiator and add some extra water in the 
reservoir. 

     I used a regular stick to check the level of coolant in the 
reservoir. I placed the stick on top of the engine to see how much 
I needed to add to get the maximum level of  coolant. Well, it is 
just about trial and error. 

     Start the engine. If you have done it properly, a small 
string of water will go through the top of the radiator into the 
reservoir and always keep the engine with enough  coolant and 
hopefully no more overheating. 

     For those of you who say "it is not original", I know. It is 
just the same method used on the Alfas from 1980 and on, Milano, 
75, GTV etc. 

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Thanx to all of you who have e-mailed me.

Saluti		Wille R
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http://www.veloce.alfaromeo.org
http://www.come.to/veloce

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