Radiator overflow

[1969CoronetR/T]

I installed a Mr. Gasket radiator overflow a few months ago. I drove to Pittsburgh Raceway Park on the other side of town which is about an hours drive. Stayed a few hours and watched a lot of great Mopars drag race from te novice to the professional. Drove home on the highway keeping my RPMs at 3500 for an hour. The needle just entered the hot box markers and never had a problem with overheating even though it was in the high 80's today. I parked my car in the driveway to clear the gas and fumes before putting it in the garage. I came out an hour later to put the car in the garage and my driveway was covered in coolant. I know it purged (or puked) out the vent tube on the overflow tank, but they all seem to have one and was wondering if I installed it incorrectly. Does anyone know if the hose is on the wrong tube and which was do the tubes point? I have the tubes facing up.
Thanks again,
Mark

 

[70rr-brian]

Couple things I would think about based on your story.

1- After long driving it starter to creep in the hot zone. Based on the length of drive and the RPM's you mentioned your lower radiator hose is probably collapsing somewhat causing the temp climb.

2- You coolant level was probably too high to begin with would be my guess. Did you fill the radiator up? If so that would probably explain the puddle in your driveway.

3- Having never used one of those it doesn't look terribly complicated. It just looks like to me that either of the tubes would be OK to put the hose on. I suspect that they are just both open to the overflow device. I might be wrong IDK...but I would'nt see why not.

I suspect your fluid level was just too high and the hose collapsing caused it to reach higher temps/pressures forcing the fluid out....the overflow took what it could then overflowed from the opposing tube.

 

[Dako]

By the photo it looks like there is a cap on the other end. Wouldn't that face up? I'm guessing one of the tubes extends through the resivoir and ends near the cap. That would be the over flow for the tank...if mounted with the cap facing up. Maybe you can open it and look inside to see which of those tubes is short and which is long. Flip it, then hook your over-flow tube to the short one.

As for your purging (puking), I agree with comments made by 70rr-brian...a combination of high revs and a full radiator when you started your trip.

 

[Jim Bob The Dancing Bear]

With the cap up, your hose should be on the tube that is open to the bottom of the canister. The long tube will be a vent tube.

When the fluid heats up and expands, it will enter the reservoir. Then as it cools the hose will let the fluid go back into the radiator. If you have your hose connected to the tube open to the top of the reservoir, there will be no way for it to suck it back into the radator as the fluid cools.

Once you have this done, fill up the radiator. Run it and anything that comes out is trully excess fluid. You should not have the reservoir full when the car is cold. It doesn't need to be full when hot either. It needs enough to hold the extra fluid (half tank maybe) to compensate for the expansion and contraction of the fluid.

 

[1969CoronetR/T]

I did top it off before the ride out to the show and I will flip it with the tubes facing down. Thanks for all the help.