I need a coolant recovery tank for a 1971 mini cooper S.
Any ideas?

 

meaning you want to add one??? it didn't have one in 71.

MiniMania has the tank for the twin point injection motors with a front mounted rad:
http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/PC.../InvDetail.cfm

MOSS catalog lists part numbers of PCF10056 and 10097 for 91 to 96 MPI, showing a different shape tank but also state not available....you can try other suppliers with those numbers

 

Earlier this year I hunted a local junkyard for just such a thing. I found that a 1992-1993 Toyota Camry burp tank fit pretty well. My '73 is LHD however, so I have an empty spot where the wiper motor is placed on RHD Minis.

http://cpwstore.carpartswholesale.co...t+tank+t161301

Another option is to mount a racing burp tank (from Summit Racing or Jegs) inside the left front wheel well. I have seen this on a MIni and it's actually a good location for it. A rock shield would have to be fabricated if it was placed there however.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CT...5/?image=large

Good luck. Please let us know if you find something that works well.
Jeff

 

Yes, I wisk to add a recovery tank where one has never been before.(sounds like star trek). I live in an extremely hot area, 104 yesterday and on my first drive after a two year total restoration, the baby burped up coolant after driving home.
All new cars have a resivour, so I was hoping others may have found a tank that will fit under the bonnet..
Thanks for the replys.

 

Yep, it was nice and hot here in the Phoenix valley yesterday. Today's supposed to be a cool 96 degrees Another three weeks and it should be nice and cool.

Jeff

 

OK - I can see why you are thinking this way but do you have to?

The Mini WAS sold in hot climates and survived. I live in Florida and while it may not be desert hot - it sure is hot in the summer....but it ain't a dry heat!

There are plenty of references that say a properly working Mini cooling system - UNMODIFIED - will keep the motor in the proper temp range

now if this is a racing related question then I am wasting my time .... and depending on your engine mods I might be off base cuz u could generate more heat ... but I run a stage 1 modified 1275: HIF-6 1 3/4 inch carb, K&N filter with the "right" needle, LCB, and a PlayMini exhaust with the stock cooling system - BUT have a plastic front clip so no innner fenders. An escape card?

but I find that if I fill my rad to the 'indicator' it will burp after every spirited drive. But, since I stopped refilling it - but just leave it at the burped level which is about 1/4 inch below the 'full' indicator I don't have increased temps and I don't burp . . .

It is POSSIBLE that the standard rad' doesn't provided the needed expansion capability if you use the standard rad' cap. AHHHHH - there's another rub. Did you know that rad' caps have pressure ratings?

The rad' cap is not just a cap ... that spring is not there to ensure a tight fit. A tighter fit would come from no spring. The spring is behind the seal and will lift at a set number of pounds of pressure - this is when your coolant is vaporizing and a a certain place the PSI lifts the seal in the cap and the coolant vapor burps out the escape line....once the system cools and the PSI drops the cap valve snaps closed and away we go.....

Now what's this business about a recovery tank? Well there R two stages or one recovery and one capture.....

If you don't want that BURP I described to simply happen in the driveway - or on the racetrack - you simply hang a catch tank at the end of the overflow tube on the standard rad' .. catch the burb and you are good to go. AND you can change to a rad' cap with a higher PSI rating as to when it allows the car to burb. For example Seven sells "early car" caps in 7 and 10 PSI and up to 15 for later cars. We're fighting this problem our 'zoo train' and are currenty running a 16 lb cap and no hoses have blown yet!

Which leads to discussion of later cars ... later the cooling system became a closed system where expansion was factored in as the system was expected to run at higher PSI. Here cars are EXPECTED to overflow the system capacity when hot and there is a def' need to recover that fluid when the system cools. Which is why on the new MINI we see a very very important coolant recovery tank......

ADDITION - sorry didn't think it was necesary - if the rad was not designed for coolant recovery, once the system cools and the cap valve is closed the rad WILL NOT RECOVER COOLANT FLUID FROM THE CATCH TANK. It is an overflow tank ONLY....so racetracks will like that you didn't overflow slippery coolant on the track. But when the system cools down you DO NOT recover the coolant into the system. THAT requires different plumbing.....

i.e. if you find a happy medium where the system doesn't boil anymore but might be a smidge below 'normal' ... U may have a happy running point.

 

I can only speak for myself, but I added an expansion tank so that I would pass NASA (National Auto Sport Association) tech inspection. My situation is different than most, as I will be taking my Mini to the track for high-performance driving 1 or 2 times a year. I would not have installed the expansion tank if given the choice.

I have driven mine (with the expansion tank) in 115 degree temps, and IMHO the cooling system does not work any better than without it. My cooling system is inadequate for the hottest part of the summer here, but the cooling system is functioning correctly as far as I can tell. That being said, I do not have a radiator shroud (metalwork closing the gap between the radiator and the wing) and my engine runs hotter than a stock 1275 due to some performance mods. I have talked to many Mini owners in the Phoenix area, and all say an electric cooling fan mounted in the wing opening does the trick.

Jeff

 

my motor is heavily modify and it always ran hot. I turned my washer fluid bottle into a overflow bottle and I installed an electric fan. I also didn't have the inner shroud between the radiator and the fender so I built one. Those three things have helped keep my motor running cool. I got the fan from spal.com. check it out.

 

My 71 is not modified except for maybe a rebuild boring and new pistons. I picked up a simple recovery system from Auto Zone. This may not do anything but make me feel better that the baked off coolant will return to the radiator after cool down. I have seen the addition of electric fans, and wonder how they might improve airflow over the existing power fan of the engine. Someone did mention a shroud between the radiator and wheel vents, as this may improve air velocity drawn through the radiator. Are these mini or after market? My major problem is I've only driven my baby one time, and it was about the hottest day of the month. I have no history of what the temp gauge is indicating versus true temperature. I do know that I only have a 10 psi cap, and it probably should not be less than 13.
So tomorrow I will install tank, then try to obtain new cap and just be **** about monitoring the temperature until I build up my trust of this rebuild.
So many thanks for everyone's participation to my newby questions. This forum rocks as well as the people who makie it up.

 

since you have only driven it one time you might have other problems. I redid my coolent system but I have driven mine alot. You might want to double check the other parts of the system first. rad, cap, hoses, temp sensor, gauge???

Good luck

 

OK, I installed a recovery tank and have it all plumbed in. My next step is to get a 13 lb radiator cap, then give it a test. When I thought the project was complete, I found I do not have a left rear turn signal. I have voltage under the bonnet on the correct wire, but it is not making it to the trunk connector. Going to see if it goes through any other connectors on its way back.
I'll post the heat test tomorrow.

 

Well, today I took my mini over the mountain into Redding to test the new recovery tank. The coolant exchanged between the radiator and tank just as designed! Then I replaced my 10 psi cap with a 13 psi. The baby still hits the red line on the gauge as I come home over the mountain,(air temp 103 degrees today).
My next attempt to get the temp down is replace my thermostat and use a low temperature rating if I can. If possible, I may have a winter and a summer thermostat. If the cooler thermostat doesn't do the trick, I still have the radiator and water pump, but they are both brand new.

 

I had (have) a similar problem, and I found that the thermostat was stuck closed. It was a new thermostat as well. Does the temp stabilize once it gets to redline, or does it continue to climb?

I don't think a lower temp thermostat will fix your problem. As a general rule on these cars, the thermostat is only closed when the engine is warming up, then opens and stays open for the duration of the drive cycle. Thus reducing the thermostat temp from 180 to 165 will not reduce the running temp, only reduce the temp at which the thermostat initially opens.

FYI, I used an MG thermostat, but someone here posted that a Chevy 350 themostat fits as well.

Jeff

 

The temperature seems to hoover around the 3/4 mark once on the road. Then as I pull a long grade,the needle almost covers the red mark until I come over the hill for the down hill drive and it slowly starts back down, but never at the center of the gauge, always at the upper portion. I feel if my ambient outdoor temperature were in the 80's, it would be running where I was comfortable. Not sure if these little things were built to operate in the 100's.

 

a. which fan are you running? there is a "tropical fan"
http://www.minimania.com/web/Item/2A998/InvDetail.cfm
"
A 6 blade metal "Tropical" fan is also available. These make a bit more noise, but they move a lot of air.
"
b. is your fan installed correctly? Most fans are intended to pull air thru the rad' & over the block, however the unique arrangement of the Mini means the fan needs to PUSH air out the side, thru the rad'. Many people end up with the fan installed backwards.
http://members.tripod.com/austin_america/id77.html

c. a stuck therm' is a possibility, mine was stuck when I got the car .... a sharp WHACK to the housing freed it and it has not stuck again in 5 years!

d. what concentration of a/f are you using? popular wisdom when I read a zillion different sites about this engine (used in many many vehicles) said a 25% concentration is best....not the 50% recommended for most cars, including this one in the owner's manual. I run 25%. {I also tried 'water wetter' with no noticable change in temps} I have a stock cooling system on a 1275 with a stage 1, HIF-6 w/ K&N cone here in Fl.

 

I have a yellow plastic fan with 12 blades. It does spin so the air is forced out of the engine compartment. This seems odd as it takes the heated air off the engine and then attempts to cool the radiator. I found some proper thermostat gaskets, so as an experiment, I gutted an old thermostat and put it back together. This will rule out a bad thermostat. I looked into the top of the radiator, and where I can see looks very clean. I will have a drive again tomorrow when hot and see if there is a difference. The only thing that seems to cool down the engine, is when the outside air temp decreases.

 

i also had a heating problem, always running in the 3/4 range, i got an overflow tank for my rad from a ford festiva, mounted it beside the mastercyl.

also got a oil cooler, now my car is always running in the 1/2 area.

 

Was the oil cooler difficult to find a mounting place? The recocery tank was quite a creative beast to mount. I can see the advantage of externally cooling the oil.
My oil filter is in the side of the engine that faces the grill.(where the radiator should be).

 

i managed to squeez it between the starter and the grill,

 

Can you tell me the manufacture and source of your kit. I am finding many types but not much info on guidance to get the right one for which model.

 

i just got one from canadian tire... they had them on sale, $50ish...

 

My 1275 has an oil cooler from Mini Mania. The biggest problem with the oil coolers is over cooling the oil. When Heritage Garage rebuilt my power unit I had Graham drill and tap the trans sump for an oil temp sender. During the cooler part of the year (70s ambient temp), I needed to completely tape off the cooler to allow the oil temp to reach 200 degrees. In the hot part of the year it reaches 210 pretty quickly without any tape installed. 212 degrees is supposed to be the sweet spot for oil temps; too low and you under-lubricate the engine.

FWIW, my experience is that an oil cooler does not reduce the coolant temp much if at all. Just my $0.02.

Jeff

 

Yes, over cooling is a concern of mine as we see snow here when the weather is not in the 100's. I guess I need to decide if I am going to drive in summertime or winter only.
It's a shame the radiator was not mounted behind the grill with outside air pulling across it instead of pushing engine heat out the side through radiator.
This must have worked well in cool damp GB. I guess all we had around here were cowboys on horseback.

 

you have the basic plastic fan and may want to consider the 6 blade tropical....

the cooling system design was a part of the compromise made by simply turning an existing motor 90 degrees....having all the electricals behind a grill with no rad' to sheild it isn't exactly brilliant either 'cept it made the engineering/implementation easy as no need to design a new power plant. Just a new exhaust header.

do you still have a heater? Have you run with the heater on full? Any difference?

Many have had luck by moving the heater coil (or placing another heater coil) in the engine compartment and running that set of piping wide open. Essentially you are adding a second, smaller radiator but increase rad' sq inches by almost a third.....

All this said - is your radiator clean? When is the last time it was flushed - really flushed WELL???? Is your coolant staying clean looking?

Do you trust your temp' gau' ??? A low cost electronic thermom'ter could help verify the temps you are registering....

just throwing ideas on the table here...

A recent article in Classic Motorcars made the strong arguement that the cooling system in the Mini and other small UK cans was built to handle extreme circumstances and the cars were sold in these places with few modifications (tropical fan). Their contention was that by adding extra fans you simply cover any real problem. Well, it IS an opinion.....

 

I would double check everything that has to do with your cooling system. I redid my rad, cap, new tropical fan, new sensor. my point is I went over my whole system just to make sure everything works. I did add a electric fan and a aftermarket gauge. it works great.