Radiator System ?

[Lefthander1930]

Can a recovery system work or installed on a stock Model ?

[jg61hawk]

Based on my knowledge ,no. The recovery system works on pressure putting the overflow into the container and then as the system cools the reverse happens and the coolant is drawn back into the radiator. The Model A, as stock, is not a pressurized system.

I'm just a shade tree mechanic so I could be wrong, but I think I nailed this one.

[rotorwrench]

As was mentioned, a catch can will receive expanding coolant but will not allow it to be pulled back into the radiator unless there is some form of low pressure to draw it back.

The model A is not really set up to take any pressure the way the radiator cap is designed. If the cap could be made to seal and one of Skip's 4 PSI check valves could be installed for an overflow system, then it could draw it back but I haven't seen too many folks do that and especially will very old radiators that were never designed to take pressure.

[eagle]

No need for a pressure cap. Put a gasket under the radiator cap so its sealed, then push a hose onto the overflow tube. Put that hose into a container, having the end to the bottom. When engine heats up it will push out the coolant into the container, when it cools off it will suck it back into the radiator. You should make sure the cap is sealed anyway, who wants coolant spitting out on your windshield?

[Bob Johnson]

Originally Posted by eagle

No need for a pressure cap. Put a gasket under the radiator cap so its sealed, then push a hose onto the overflow tube. Put that hose into a container, having the end to the bottom. When engine heats up it will push out the coolant into the container, when it cools off it will suck it back into the radiator. You should make sure the cap is sealed anyway, who wants coolant spitting out on your windshield?

I have done the same thing. However I found that to get the coolant to flow back into the radiator it is best to have the container at the same level as the top radiator tank. I hung the container above the radiator support rods.


Bob

[aermotor]

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Be careful when moving the overflow pipe around, it is very east to develop a leak where the pipe leaves the tank. Make sure the pipe is secured to the radiator and not just hanging at the tank joint.

John

[nkaminar]

Eagle is right. If the radiator is sealed but not pressurized then the coolant should be sucked back into the radiator. That is assuming that water vapor (steam) has pushed out any air in the radiator. As the water vapor condenses it creates a vacuum to draw the water back. Snyders sells overflow tanks that mount aside the radiator in 15, 17, and 19 inch lengths. See part number A-8006-15, -17, -19.

[1931 flamingo]

I put one on my Tudor (since gone to Italy) a few years before it left me. I had a good seal on the Quail and whatever went into the tank got sucked back.
Paul in CT

[talwrench]

Just make sure the recovery tank has a vent hole!!

[nkaminar]

The recovery tank from Snyders has two tubes at the bottom. The short one goes to the overflow tube on the radiator. A rubber hose would make a U turn to connect to the short tube. The longer tube is an overflow that will dump coolant if the tank is full and provides a vent for when the coolant is sucked back into the radiator. For a pressurized system the overflow tube is at the top of the radiator and for an atmospheric radiator it runs to the bottom of the radiator. The tank has a cap at the top so that coolant can be added to it.