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Hello,
I would like to report something odd. I had been tuning my B20 142E with megasquirt. and doing well. The only problem my car had was that often it ran below 160F which disabled the TunerStudio auto tune. the temp has been running under 195F all week long in my driveway with no problems.
I was sitting for a moment after pulling in the driveway and all of a sudden my car turned into a sauna. The top of my expansion tank had ruptured off. Not the cap coming loose, but the neck becoming separated from the body. Looks like a failed seam where the neck and bottle were fused together. This was one of those pretty new white ones you can get from Europe for $101. I also had a new pressure cap on board as well. It exploded under pressure, but my temp was only at 175F when it popped. the hose to the radiator stayed on.
Just cause its looks new and pretty don't mean it is a quality product. D
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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Something like this might be an option:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Speedway-Coolant-Expansion-Tank,1840.html
The AN fittings would require a barbed adapter which is a bit fussy; but, the price is reasonable and should address the quality issues with the new bottles. No good if you are doing a concurs restoration; but, just fine if you are doing a restomod.
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That is a pretty tank, but all I saw at a glance where 30 lb caps for the tank. I think we would need 15 lbs. Any ideas? I am looking at options, yours is a good one, thanks 142 Guy.
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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I don't think the Speedway tank comes with a cap, so you get to pick. Your existing cap may fit; however, Speedway does have a selection of caps in the 7 to 15 psi range.
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7psi cap. I used a 0 psi cap except on the dyno.
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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual
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I would definitely get a new pressure cap, or have it tested. I would also check your temperature gauge for accuracy.
Here's my theory - when you stopped, the temperature rose, then the cap released some pressure, and possibly stuck open - this would be similar to removing the radiator cap on a hot bar.
Hot water in the head flashed to steam due to the loss of pressure - this could be a BLEVE - Boiling Liquid Evaporating Vapor Explosion.
Water, heated to beyond its boiling point changes to steam and expands up to 1700 times its original volume.
Of course, this could also occur as a result of tank failure. :)
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I do have a new pressure cap. Its function and vent hole alignment with the tank seem in order.
I have two temp sensors on my motor, the sensor for the dash and for Megasquirt. Both seem to be in correlation.
At the time my thermostat was malfunctioning, since replaced. I had difficulty getting the motor hot enough to tune, and was returning to my driveway. I had sat there for only two minutes, my eye was watching the gauge at 170. I think a BLEVE is possible given your description, but the evidence seems lacking so far. It was an impressive release of steam for sure.
I am considering an aftermarket tank if I cant find a used tank. I have another new one. And yes, I wanted a pretty white clean one, which I thought was equal due to the name on the product. My car is rather fancy.
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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Why would you spend that amount of money for a piece of junk, when a 2nd hand original is much better? You need to find a better thermostat too.
What have you done to your motor, are you using the original d-jet & how much duty cycle is remaining? I'm thinking my old webers would make good throttle bodies for megasquirt!
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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual
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Over here in the states, most of the nice restored cars at the shows are using these new tanks from Sweden with the Volvo name. I am competitive enough that appearance means something to me. If they can make their 45 year old car look new.....so can I. I would think I would pay three times that for a 2008 BMW expansion tank.
And HECK YEAH !! I wish I had my old tank.
My pressure cap is OME and brand new. And the thermostat sitting for three years had failed and has been replaced.
I am using megasquirtII extra to run both fuel and spark. I have a Ford EDIS4 unit with a missing tooth wheel with sensor. I am using original injectors that have plenty of capacity for fuel. I have a modified 850 TPS switch mounted. Trying to set up a PWM 2 wire bosch cold start valve. I have an LC-1 WB02 sensor and gauge. The motor is stock B20E except for lightened flywheel, 7001 ISKY cam, oil pan baffle, remote oil filter and double valve springs. I am using a GM IAT sensor, and a MAT sensitive FPR. I had to make a new electrical harness throughout the engine bay for Megasquirt.
I drive around daily with my laptop tuning my VE fuel tables getting the tuning just right. All this in preparation for a ported head some day. This set up will give the right amount of fuel.
I think you could easily do a throttle body setup. You would need the IAT, WB02 system, and the MAP sensitive FPR
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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Are the new tanks the same yellow colour as the origianals? The concours type car is not what I like, all mine were daily drivers with the exception of my last one, it had a locked 4.56 diff which made my 5-speed conversion uselesss, and really hurt the rear bushes + a nasty big cam. All previous creations got flogged daily, the last one I drove to work twice however.
If I went concours, I would cry when someone crashed in to it. Here in .au, concours events are restricted to 120/P1800ES and earlier, with 140 onwards being largely unloved. I just like a car to be one colour and not draw attention from cops.
The stock E manifold isn't right, but it's a giant leap forward from the Twin SU manifold. Doing everything possible to the the exhaust ports + having a reasonable exhaust system will boost your engine everywhere by 25%+ by reducing pumping loses. Porting the intake, fitting a decent intake system and suitable cam will see a total of 50%+ more power AND torque in the same rpm range, so you need aleast another 30% more fuel from 3000rpm upwards. My wild(toughest) B20 matched my mild B30E from 2500rpm to 6500. I has twin 48mm DHLA, but 45mm are enough for my head.
If you think I'm talking rubbish, Stefan Linqvist's B20 stroker made 272BHP@6530rpm, and his 120 did 10 second quarters! SPM Has 92.5mm stroke cranks and you can get the 4G63 rods anywhere you want. I think he had a two-piece roller cam from AGAP.se & his masterpiece of a head to get that (and a pair of 50DCO Webers)
I don't know why you would nead a cold start injector either, having said that, if you did, what is wrong with the factory one?
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69 142S Overdrive + 69 164S Manual
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I just got my replacement expansion tank from VP. It looks to be the same product that ruptured as Eric described. It has the 1/4 inch additional spacer glued in place.
VP guy says he has not heard of these problems with his tanks. I have my receipt for the high dollar tank on file now just in case. I'll bump this if and when it ruptures.
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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Test the expansion tank 1st with some water and the correct cap.
Put some water inside the tank and install the cap and turn the tank upside down and see if any water leaks out past the cap seal.
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Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502
hiperformanceautoservice.com or oldvolvosonly.com
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Eric,
I wondered exactly how to differentiate the proper bottle for my cap. I did invert my tank and no water leaked out past the cap.
It seems after looking at the cap carefully, I see that pressure will elevate the valve to the height of the vent hole. I never looked carefully at a pressure cap function before.
Do you think the ruptured bottle was maybe not venting properly? I am using the same new pressure cap as before.
What are the chances of successfully gluing of fusing the neck back on the tank?
Eric, you are an asset for the forum. Thanks
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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Who was the manufacturer?
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This was a new Volvo part. It was definitely a defect. The neck is a layered plastic. The neck on which the cap attaches to the tank is either fused or glued to the tank. This neck just popped off at under 175F I wonder if the cap was venting at the proper pressure. It too was new.
I bought it new three years ago. The car just got back on the road for the first time sense then. The defective tank failed within the first 40 miles of use.
I'll keep this receipt for the new replacement from VP, but yipes, it is high dollar stuff.
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Antique Swedish Steel 71 142E color V#102
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I have been having problems with the last 2 batches of the expansion tanks.
In fact I have 3 count'em 3 defective new ones at my shop and no way to get a refund.
The problem with the 1st of the last 2 batches was they used the wrong early mold for the upper half. The difference being that the early expansion tanks use the same low pressure cap as the earlier pre-expansion tank radiators. The early caps are limited to only 7 lbs and they have a 1" reach and the caps aren't easily available. And not only did they use the wrong upper half, they did a very poor job of bonding the upper half to the lower and the process left a very rough sealing surface. So rough that not even the 1" cap would seal on it.
So the 2nd, and AFAIK the current batch, was made the same as the 1st batch, with the early 1" deep upper section but they tried to bond in a 1/4" spacer on top of what I am assuming is the unusable 1" surface. Problem is they did a very bad job of bonding the spacer and the expansion tanks leak around the outside of the spacer where the cap doesn't seal. And 1 of the defective tanks I have, the spacer ring actually fell out before I could even sell it.
The later expansion tanks are supposed to have a 3/4" reach and IIRC the correct style of caps can be had in pressures exceeding 20 lbs The correct style of 3/4" reach caps are not hard to find although I haven't found a 11 lb aftermarket cap to match the Volvo original cap so I use a 13 lbs which almost every auto parts store has in stock.
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Eric
Hi Performance Automotive Service (formerly OVO or Old Volvos Only)
Torrance, CA 90502
hiperformanceautoservice.com or oldvolvosonly.com
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Interesting and not good. I think I'd be looking for an old original. Yes they can be rather brown and scruffy looking but they can be revived quite a bit with a lot of coarse sand shaking inside and a good soak in some bleach. I'd also seen mention of early and late bottles on the Amazon but didn't know the difference. I'll try and work those differences out via Eric's comments.
I note that CVI list the same bottle #686833 for both the Amazon and 140. Just one type of bottle listed.
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