Page 1 of 1

expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:07 am
by Sparky6911
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

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:19 am
by haydn callow
All sounds excellent to me...

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 9:58 am
by Simon Jones
So you've got a van that drives well and doesn't overheat. Why would you think that's unusual? :)

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:11 am
by teenmal
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...

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:42 am
by haydn callow
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

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 12:58 pm
by Sparky6911
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. :D

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 1:08 pm
by Simon Jones
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.

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:07 pm
by hijimhere
What was your fuel consumption like?

Re: expansion tank temp and pressure

Posted: Sun Apr 13, 2014 2:20 pm
by Sparky6911
Not had a chance to work it out yet, as soon as I've done the maths I'll let you know