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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: German/French border
Posts: 31
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When I am lugging the engine on a hill...for example...unable to down shift to 2nd gear without slowing down a lot, double clutching, and grinding gears only to end up lugging in 2nd because the gear change took so long... sometimes I get anti-freeze splashing out of my radiator cap. The car is not over-heating at that point. What causes that burst of pressure that is expelling anti-freeze? I have found that I need to keep the fluid level so low that I can not see or even feel it when I stick my finger in the radiator. That reduces it...but it still happens when I hit the right situation. I have thoroughly flushed the system and the car does not seem to be over-heating.
Any suggestions? |
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#2 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2022
Location: Canton, Michigan
Posts: 153
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Sounds like you could have a gasket that could be blown on the head. No expert but my $0.02 worth.
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--------------------------------------- 1929 Model A Tudor "Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution" Model A Ford Club of America Model A Restorers Club Motor City A's Club |
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#3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Western North Carolina
Posts: 4,132
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I use an extra thick O ring on my radiator cap to seal it and keep the coolant from splashing out. The water pump impeller can push extra coolant when you rev the motor to down shift. Or, as Canton said, you could have a blown head gasket. You can grind the corners off the water pump impeller to reduce it pumping ability. The best time to downshift is before you need to. Try to anticipate the need.
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A is for apple, green as the sky. Step on the gas, for tomorrow I die. Forget the brakes, they really don't work. The clutch always sticks, and starts with a jerk. My car grows red hair, and flies through the air. Driving's a blast, a blast from the past. |
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#4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Between Seattle & Tacoma
Posts: 2,365
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The normal water level is below the baffle. So it sounds like part of your problem is overfilling. I stand inside the bumper and rock the car sideways, to check my level. You can usually just barely see it sloshing.
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#5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 1,937
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Rule out a head gasket leak by testing for combustion gasses in the cooling system.
An auto parts store should have a test kit or drop by your local mechanic and have them test it. Have you checked the torque on your head nuts? Regardless of what is causing this you shouldn't have coolant coming out from around your radiator cap. You have a bad gasket on the cap.
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Dave / Lincoln Nebraska |
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#6 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Posts: 2,168
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Yes, one way to help curb this problem is to keep the coolant level a little lower than usual, yet not enough to compromise cooling efficiency. Do not fill the radiator to just below the filler neck. That's too much coolant. The level should be just above the top of the core inside the top tank, which is considerably lower than if the top tank were filled. As the water heats up, it expands and will exit wherever it can. Too much water/coolant exacerbates the problem. Once the water starts flowing out of the radiator filler neck, people often think the engine is overheating. Well, it WILL overheat if enough coolant is lost. What happens when the coolant in the radiator heats up and begins flowing out of the split radiator cap, is it becomes a self-perpetuating puking action that will only cease when the car is stopped for a while or if you can coast downhill for quite a distance. Try putting on a regular factory-style flat cap in place of your fancy two-piece radiator cap and see if the problem persists with water rushing out of the overfill tube. If it does, then there are other issues to contend with, such as a weak radiator core (especially if it is only a two-tube core sold by J.C. Whitney) or a blown head gasket, as has already been suggested. I should think if the head gasket were blown, however, you'd notice a drop in performance and perhaps misfiring. Any of that going on with your car? Marshall |
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#7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,138
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Marshall, very well said.
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#8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Posts: 2,168
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old31 -
Thanks for the thumbs-up! 'Been there many times in the past during my Model A learning curve. I speak from painful (and messy) experience. ![]() ![]() Marshall |
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#9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: The Great Dismal Swamp
Posts: 186
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One of the things I love about the internet is chances are, if you're asking a question, someone else is wondering the same thing.
My car (31 Victoria) was doing the same thing. When the engine was under load, antifreeze would foam and spew out from the radiator cap. I was troubled by this, particularly since I just replaced the radiator with a brand new Brassworks "extreme touring" one, and while everything was opened up, flushed the cooling system out. (I changed out the cylinder head, water pump and head gasket with a Best brand one last year, so all of those were good to go.) Anyway, I figured I'd try out changing the cool Motormeter radiator cap with the "stock" Model A one. Kind of boring, but I doubled up the gasket and put it on. It was tight, but that's the key. Long story short...no issues with foaming. I filled the radiator up with coolant, just above the baffle, and had a couple of drips come out of the drainage tube (as it's supposed to) after driving. Otherwise...it didn't look as cool, but the stock radiator cap with doubled up gaskets worked great.
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Member, MAFCA and MARC Current owner, 1928 RHD Australian-built Phaeton CA4752 "Felicity" and a 1931 Victoria "Katie" Former owner, 1929 Phaeton, 1929 Fordor |
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#10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Eagle Bend, MN
Posts: 2,030
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I use a repro quail with an Oring gasket, no leaking, ever.
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"There are some that can destroy an anvil with a teaspoon and shouldn't be allowed to touch anything resembling a tool." |
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#11 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: German/French border
Posts: 31
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yyy
Last edited by German guy; 05-03-2024 at 03:48 AM. |
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#12 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2023
Location: German/French border
Posts: 31
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I pulled the fancy 'quail' and discovered that the mouth of the radiator is very bent ...threads for the stock cap all bent out of shape. I am trying to get it into a flat surface to mate with the washer under the 'quail' which seems to have a good tight fit otherwise. I that fails it may be that the 'quail' has to take flight. Also..it is the original radiator and has no baffle at the top to direct ant-freeze to the over-flow tube. Over-heating is not a common problem here in Germany. Seems that little things make a big difference in these cars.
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#13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 284
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I have the original radiator in our ‘30 coupe. It is sitting at 69,413 original miles and I drive it 2-4 times a week. The mention of a baffle has me baffled… since it is original and 94 years on the road, was it built with a baffle?
Baffled, but so far not buffaloed. Thanks in advance for the input. |
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#14 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Young Harris, GA
Posts: 1,846
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And Ford said to gently bend the overflow tub back toward the back of the filler neck. I insert a round Phillips screwdriver in the overflow tube and lift a bit, take the screwdriver out a little, lift a bit more, repeat until the overflow is curved toward the back.
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Jim Cannon Former MAFCA Technical Director ![]() "Have a Model A day!" |
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#15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Hebron, CT
Posts: 443
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I am assuming you know the cooling system is non-pressurized so the only way coolant can come out of the cap is because of a poor seal. It is also possible the overflow tube is too short. It should be above the baffle and almost near the bottom of the fill neck. The normal operating level of the coolant in most Model A's is usually at or slightly below the baffle. If the overflow tube has been shortened enough the coolant can escape while driving causing the engine to run hot or overheat. This becomes very obvious when climbing a hill at low speed.
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#16 | |
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Redondo Beach, CA
Posts: 5,942
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Last edited by Y-Blockhead; 05-07-2024 at 09:57 AM. |
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