expansion tank temp and pressure

Sparky6911 · Post by **Sparky6911** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:07 am

Morning all,

Well after a very successful trip to the Alps and back where Freda performed brilliantly, 8 people, 15 pairs of skis and all the associated gubbins that goes with a ski trip and not a single issue.

One question that keeps coming back to me is that the expansion tank rarely get hot and always with minimal pressure in it after a 10 minute break.

The temp on the engine even after a 3 hour stretch was between 87 and 95 degrees (except on a couple of the huge hills coming into and out of the mountains) and coolant levels were consistent for the whole of the trip.

What am I not understanding here or what could be causing this.

Thanks

David

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:19 am

All sounds excellent to me...

Post by **Simon Jones** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:58 am

So you've got a van that drives well and doesn't overheat. Why would you think that's unusual?

teenmal · Post by **teenmal** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:11 am

Sparky6911 wrote:Morning all,

Well after a very successful trip to the Alps and back where Freda performed brilliantly, 8 people, 15 pairs of skis and all the associated gubbins that goes with a ski trip and not a single issue.

One question that keeps coming back to me is that the expansion tank rarely get hot and always with minimal pressure in it after a 10 minute break.

The temp on the engine even after a 3 hour stretch was between 87 and 95 degrees (except on a couple of the huge hills coming into and out of the mountains) and coolant levels were consistent for the whole of the trip.

What am I not understanding here or what could be causing this.

Thanks

David

I think they are looking for an explanation of that part...

haydn callow · Post by **haydn callow** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:42 am

As you are not losing coolant I would suspect the pressure cap may not be a perfect seal.
The expansion tank will be at about the same temp as the top hose...however as the material is different to the hoses it could well feel a bit cooler ...the coolant inside will be pretty hot.
I'm sure all is well

Sparky6911 · Post by **Sparky6911** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:58 pm

That's just it, the larger of the two hoses gets slightly warm and the smaller not at all.

It was a real pleasure to drive, in fact a more relaxed drive than my company VW T5.

We had intended to get her just for this trip but have now decided to keep the Freda and sell the rest of the fleet. At least this way summer camping with the kids just got a huge amount easier.

Post by **Simon Jones** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:08 pm

The coolant in the tank will be the same temp as the rest of the system, but the outside will feel relatively cool to the touch. If you were to open the cap (carefully) when hot and measure the temp of the liquid it will be over 80 degrees.

hijimhere · Post by **hijimhere** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:07 pm

What was your fuel consumption like?

Sparky6911 · Post by **Sparky6911** » Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:20 pm

Not had a chance to work it out yet, as soon as I've done the maths I'll let you know

expansion tank temp and pressure

expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure