Radiator fluid reservoir tank

[Juha Paavo Kaita]

Hi!

Few months ago I was looking photos of the Essex from 1919 and noticed that the car was equipped with radiator fluid reservoir tank. I own a Reo Model G from 1926 and I would like to have a such tank in my car. On the Essex the tank was made of plastic and had two hoses. I guess one inlet and one outlate - draining. What kind of tank it should be? It would be nice if it looked like "original". Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

Happy New year 2014

Juha Kaitanen

Turku, Finland

[Rusty_OToole]

These tanks were invented in the sixties and first used by car manufacturers in 1968-1970. I mean to American cars. Some European cars like Renault had them earlier.

Anything you use, will be non original.

To function correctly you need a pressure cooling system. This allows the radiator to draw the water back up when it is cold. Pressure cooling systems were first used in the early 50s. For cars previous to this, it has no function.

You need to leave an air space of 2 or 3 inches in the rad to allow for expansion and there will be no discharge from the overflow.

[Larry Schramm]

From memory, the car that really put the coolant resevoir tanks into prime time was the Chevrolet Vega. It was very sensitive to low coolant. I believe that that was the car that helped to make the pressurized cooling systems with the overflow tank standard on all cars.

[5219]

Chevrolets in the late forties and early fifties offered an accessory coolant reservoir. It was shaped like a cylinder, was made of metal, and was painted gray.

Most GM cars got them in the late sixties.

[Curti]

Chevrolets in the late forties and early fifties offered an accessory coolant reservoir. It was shaped like a cylinder, was made of metal, and was painted gray.

Most GM cars got them in the late sixties.

I believe this was first offered as an accessory in 1939 Chevrolet , Maybe other GM cars got one as well.

[kings32]

A friend of mine has a 1910 Pullman . He put a overflow on his car , it works great. Keeps the fluid from draining on the ground , and don't have to put fluid in it every time he takes the car for a run. I put one on my 1932 chevy That I use on Gliddens. Works great on those long hill climbs . Kings chevy

[Juha Paavo Kaita]

I realiize that the reservoir tank in 1926 Reo is not original. I just would like to make my Reo house clean -not marking its place. On the other hand if the tank makes the car run better and easier to maintain - then I would use the tank. You vcan always make the tank look like origonal equipment. So what type of tank your friend is using in his Pulman? In what high the tank should be in relation to radiator?

Juha Kaitanen

Turku

[kings32]

Hi On the Pullman he put it on the right of the engine , about half way down. He machined his out of brass to match the car being a brass car.

[GLong]

Since a modern cooling system uses a 'pressure-suction' cap, and an early car is not a pressure system, it seems at first glance, that a coolant reservoir will not work. but, if done properly it should.. Here's why:

A modern cooling system has a radiator cap that releases pressure at usually 15psi, and since modern cooling systems don't have any air space in them, the cap releases coolant as the engine warms up, [the coolant expands] the coolant is captured in the reservoir.

When the car is parked when hot, the additional heat-soak will often push even more coolant into the reservoir due to coolant expansion..

But, once the engine starts to cool, the coolant contracts, and the radiator cap is designed to allow the system to suck back the coolant from the reservoir.. Most caps will start to recover coolant at about 1-3PSI of vacuum.

The coolant reservoir usually has a built in tube in the plastic bottle that goes to the bottom of the tank, so that the coolant that is recovered is drawn from the bottom of the tank, and most of the coolant in the reservoir is recoverable.

With an early car, the cooling system is not sealed or pressurized, but has an overflow tube up near the top of the expansion tank of the radiator, or in most radiators I've looked in, the overflow tube comes up into the radiator neck and ends just short of the bottom of the screw-on radiator cap. This keeps most of the coolant and any foam from being expelled with any air that is leaving the radiator due to expansion from heat.

If the radiator cap is tight and has a good gasket, the only way for coolant to get out is through the overflow tube. If you are using an antifreeze mix in the summer, antifreeze likes to foam in unpressurized cooling systems, so the foam and coolant that the foam displaces gets pushed out the overflow tube, to be dumped on the ground.. [i use pure water in the summer, with No-Rosion, or similar additive]

So, if an unpressurized cooling system is tight, and the overflow is hooked to a reservoir that has it's connection at the bottom of the tank,and is an sealed tank with a vented cap, then the same scenario will occur: as the engine heats up, or as coolant foams or boils a bit and causes the system to push coolant out the overflow, the coolant will be captured in the tank, and then as the engine cools down, it will be drawn back into the radiator.

Many old cooling systems have a powerful water pump, and a partially clogged radiator, due to rust flakes from the inside of the engine, and old congealed waterpump grease, and some calcium and other mineral deposits.

So a strong water pump is trying to pull coolant through a restricted radiator, and can't. so it tends to draw air in past 'only snug, not tight' radiator hoses and clamps and in past the packing on the waterpump. This air, when mixed with the water or coolant takes up more space than the cooling system's normal capacity, so coolant is pushed out the overflow tube..

IF all this air was able to get to the top of the radiator it would be pushed out, but the air is pumped into the cooling jacket and expands rapidly from the heat, and creates hot spots the will quickly create steam when coolant comes in contact with the hot spots.. The steam does the same as the air, it takes up large amounts of the volume of the cooling system, and the coolant is pushed out through the overflow.

Obviously air and steam will also be pushed out the overflow tube, but often these bubbles of air and steam push a lot of coolant ahead of them in the flow of coolant, so the radiator upper tank fills with coolant as well as steam and hot air.

So, A recovery tank will work, and you must keep lower radiator hoses and hose clamps tight, and have a good seal and packing on the waterpump. If your car has a long rubber radiator hose on the suction side of the pump, it should have a coil spring inside the hose to prevent the pump from sucking the hose flat, and further restricting coolant flow.

Greg L