look at the nice welds . oh and what's that? an m7 strut bar? sweet!! this thing actually works . i forgot i did it early this am and got done doing the front breaks so i went for a ride and the steering felt waay solid . i was dumfounded till i remembered putting it on . too funny .

 

beautiful welds

 

Whose tank is that? I haven't seen that one before.

Paul

 

Beautiful tank. I too would like to know whos? M7 STB, apparently you not only forgot you installed it, you also forgot to remove the fingerprints! I just installed one too. I'm still working to get the hood to go back into proper postition per M7 suggestions.

 

Looks great. Might do that some day.

Is that Reynolds wrap? If its supposed to be for heat shielding, I'd recommend some of the stuff from DEI that Summit Racing sells. That stuff actually works.

 

That is a CANTON tank

Livermore Performance has them

Be VERY sure to use a high pressure rad cap

 

What about the Cap that Livermore performance sells? Is that a high pressure rad cap?

http://www.livermoreperformance.com/mini_tanks.html

It seems that there is a hose coming out of cap that Cor Blmy posted but none on the one that herbie hind posted... Is that to vent the excess coolant to a better location?

 

that's for any over pressure . it'll dump the overflow . i got mine from seven enterprises a long time ago. they don't sell um any more i guess . i'm running a 16 lb. cap with no ill effects . they recommended a 30 lb. cap but geez that seemed extreme . a member suggested 14 -18 lb. as per mini . so 16 it is .

 

it's thermal insulation . but yes it does look like wrenalds . it did make a diff.

 

Why do you say that?
The Bentley manual.
It says and I quote, "Radiator TEST PRESSURE 21.75 PSI"

"CAUTION-
Exceeding the specified test pressure could damage the radiator or other system components."

My lodgic is BMW knows what pressure the radiator or other system components are designed to handle and where they will fail.

 

I vented the overflow to terminate right on top of the header...
(an old motorcycle trick) ... so that if there is a flow, the coolent will hit the hot header and LOTS of steam will be produced ... you WILL know something is wrong right away, not after you have lost gallons of coolent.

here is some info I sent on the cap >>>
Yes it is about TWICE the "Operating Pressure"

But the MINI system is a CLOSED SYSTEM, so if you run a cap that is right at the "Operating Pressure" it will often release pressure as the temp reaches that limit.
When pressure is released the coolent will actually get hotter (fluid boils at a lower pressure). Then you will loose coolent and raise the temp so the whole thing repeats itself ... next you will have a no/ low coolent and overheating.

In the stock system the is NO blow off / overflow mechanisim other than the seal on the waterpump or to blow off a hose.

So by running the high pressure cap the system will operate correctly and if there is a overheating issue the cap will still vent pressure before damaging hoses or seals.

I have installed about 6 of the Canton tanks, and one customer insisted on the low pressure cap. He was constantly loosing a bit of coolent ( not yet over heating ) but would have eventually got there. Replaced cap with a high pressure and never a issue at all.

Check with a good mechanic and or radiator shop. Contact Canton or Livermore Performance.
PS my son made custom radiators for race cars and special equipment for about 2 years and has verified this as well.

Hope that helped

I'll try to dig up the printed info that I have as well.

EDIT ... here is Livermore Performance info >>>
MODEL SPECIFIC COOLANT EXPANSION AND RECOVERY TANKS
Canton model specific coolant expansion and recovery tanks are designed to fit in the same location as the stock tank. Built out of .100" aluminum, these tanks provide a stronger more reliable and better looking replacement for the stock plastic tanks.MINI COOPER COOLANT EXPANSION TANK
#80-272 '02-up Mini Cooper & Cooper S coolant expansion / fill tank. Features billet radiator style neck, which accepts Canton part #81-030 pressure cap or any standard 30 psi radiator style cap..EXPANSION TANK PRESSURE CAPS
These pressure caps are for use with our aluminum expansion tanks or any other application that requires a high pressure radiator style cap. Two different pressure settings are available.#81-030 30 psi. Radiator Style Cap.

 

The MINI Closed cooling system has a plastic coolant cap on the pressure bottle it is a pressure cap with built in relief valve, even though it doesn't appear to be. Take it off when the engine is cool and you will see the brass valve on the bottom, there are slots in the threads of the cap to allow excess coolant and pressure to escape when the cap is screwed on.
It’s there to protect the system from over pressure MAX 21.75PSI and is probably somewhat under that.
I like the tip about venting onto the header and the OEM does basically the same thing due to it’s location but for me I would use the 16PSI. Cap they (Livermore) offer and stay within the recommended BMW pressure range.

In a closed cooling system overpressure can be caused by;
1. cylinder compression leak into cooling system
a. head gasket
b. head, cracked, porosity, warped
c. cylinder wall crack

2. low coolant level
3. air bound system
4. stuck thermostat
5. blocked radiator internal or external
6. blocked or collapsed hoses
7. cooling fan failure
8. failed temp. sender not turning on the fan
It could be an expensive proposition to find out that what lets go at 29.75PSI.

 

It's kind of hard to focus on the nice tank and it's welds because of the tinfoil but you probably get a nice tan from the reflection

 

damb it ; !!!! it's not tin foil !!!! hah!! i'm gonna have to replace it ; this is more critisism than i'm willing to take .

 

Sorry Dude I certainly didn't mean to ruin your day Let me reiterate I do like the tank and the welds,

 

lmao . naw it's cool . it does look like a bag o crap . but it really did help . no data to support the claim but my hand could tell on the exit horn .

 

Where can I find this JCW foil you speak of?

Recovery system is the only way to go. No overflow tank is soo 1950s and not legal in some racing venues.

 

Nice set up .

Longboard

 

ha it's just duct insulation from lowes .

 

Thanks, the recovery tank is just a $3 aluminum "Ozark Trail" water bottle from Walmart. The threads on the top are garden hose sized so that's a brass garden hose repair fitting threaded into the top and a fuel hose leading to the Canton tank's overflow fitting.

The stock screwcap has no markings, but I did see a Volvo cap that looked identical except for being marked "1.4 bar," which is 20psi. I'd much rather use a standard pressure cap + recovery bottle because the aluminum expansion tank removes the obvious weak point of the stock system, and I'm not looking to discover where the next weakest point is.

 

The stock cap should be the next weak point. I knew mine was venting coolant from the cap when I overfilled the system and went for a long, hard drive. Did exactly what its supposed to do. I'm reluctant to use a cap other than the OEM one.

 

Was the overfilled condition due to overfilling after a cooling system flush?