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sri coolant system

Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 7:24 pm
by El-pal
hey all, owner of a mint l reg 1994 sri 8v with c14se engine. totally standard when bought in march 09 with 41k!!!! :shock: and for only £850 :lol: all is fine with the car appart from the cooling system.on start up you can hear the water sloshing about. ive been told the system needs bleeding but cant find the valve to do this, if left standing from hot overnite til morning the pipes from rad are swelling from the pressure even when engine is cold :( so i just unsrew cap on expan tank to release.the heaters still work so i dnt think anything wrong with matrix. ive also had rad off and flushed out with hosepipe. any help cheerz.

Re: sri coolant system

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 1:58 pm
by haydn1987
Wow good find I would love to have an old SRI the C14SE is a fantastic engine with lots of power. I bought a P reg 1.2 8v three years ago with 57K on the clock for £800 so £850 for a SRI with 41K is great value.

As for the coolant there is no way to bleed system you just have to make sure that when you fill it up that you don't get any air pockets.

To get rid of air locks your going to have to drain the water again.
When you refill very slowy add the water If you squeeze the pipes every now and agian as you fill with water if will hopefully dislodge any bubbles. It has to be slowly so that the air can get out as you put the water in.
Once you have filled it up to the line with the correct mix of water and antifreeze, run the engine with the cap off and the heater controls to hot untill its up to temperature and keep checking the water level as it may drop, replace the cap before it gets too hot as the water may boil over.

Some people turn the heater controls to cold before they drain the system as this will lock the water in and you will be less likely to get an airlock.

Re: sri coolant system

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 6:57 pm
by El-pal
cheerz haydn, where would be the best place to drain the system, i was thinking of taking sensor out bottom of rad? all the water will cum out then? last time when i refilled it i didnt leave cap off with it running and heaters on so probly trapped the air then... p.s my first car was an N reg spin,84k , had bk wheels, lowerd springs n full respray in silk violet 1.2 8v spi,(seriously poo injection) 45bhp standard, till i put a 1.4 spi head n cam on, rolling road proved 64BHp, not bad for £25 to scrappy 4 head.handled well but jst lacked power,just a sniff of a hill and its back down a gear!!!! i did plan doing an engine swap, but a mondeo ruined it at a junction this year, oh well, wudnt have this otherwise...

Re: sri coolant system

Posted: Sat Jun 06, 2009 10:03 pm
by gonzo94
it sounds like you cooling system is over pressurising,best way to drain system is remove the bottom hose,i would suggest that you buy some rad flush and add it to your system and let it tick over till the fan cuts,switch off/let it cool down then drain system,disconnect the top hose from the radiator side put a hose pipe in the pipe and flush the engine through until it runs clear,re connect both hoses fill up with clean water,check for leaks/leave cap off expansion bottle and start engine,run till hot,switch off motor/let it cool/drain down again/connect hose/put anti freeze in 1st/top up system/start motor withuot cap on bottle/top up when needed/replace cap and let system pressurise/check for leaks.job done.

Re: sri coolant system

Posted: Sun Jun 07, 2009 4:02 pm
by El-pal
sorted it, thnx 4 the help.