Zane Radiator 'Expansion Tanks/Pressure vessels

Jotaman

Jotaman

Hero member
Location
Verrierdale, Qld
Howdy Ho,
Following the demise of my 6th radiator overflow tank/pressure vessel (yes i have been running low levels of coolant - but they are simply put: a piece a shit),  i am now seriously considering the re-manufacture of a batch of em - injection molded or an alloy weld.

Before i trundle off into the wilds of Malaysian manufacturing, i will ask the question, is anyone else producing these pesky lil suckers ?
(Item 20 on the attached)


Cheers

Peter
 

Attachments

alloy or plastic does not matter, it has to stand the vibes, heat and pressure. If you make one with the original size and caps, you avoid it reduces the hassle. However, question remains WHY they brake... is it overpressure, heat or vibrations? Or just bad quality?
 
Looks like i'm getting my answer.

Lothar they go on the seam - everytime, they come out of a indifferent mould design and the materials soften at temperature, then the pressure kicks in and the bond on the seem is weak - then dribble or spurt as the case may be.

Hey Dick, i'm stunned you've actually got a plastic weld to work, well done.

I'll keep you posted as to how we go, it's either going to be cast alloy (as i've got some fellas wanting to supply a shirt load of cast products at the moment - no yachts on offer so they may feel guilty and cough up with a cheap mould) or its off to the Malay's for some injection moulding - see if we can come up with a better base material, personally i prefer the cast alloy option.

Cheers

Peter
 
Surely an alloy one would stand the pressure better. Just make sure it is adequately isolated from the vibes.
 
alloy would at least be easier to repare I assume.

But again: if the pressure builds up that much that it cracks - wouldn't the logical point be a pressure relieve valve?
 
The cap has a pressure relief valve, probably correctly set to the right pressure, but unfortunately the tank seam can't withstand that pressure! As Peter says, the bond on the seam is weak.

Of course you could fit a cap with a lower pressure relief, but then that would blow too easily, achieving the same overheating effect...

--
Dick
 
Actually, I think I will check that out next time I top up, as maybe it isn't a pressure relief cap - and that would certainly be a problem... They can't have got that wrong, surely? Could they? Not Zane? :-[

--
Dick
 
How does the overflow tank manage to be under pressure? On most cooling systems, they simply catch any coolant that gets past the pressure relief seal on the cap. The catch tank itself is vented to atmosphere. The only liquid cooled bike I own is a Kawasaki, which has a vented overflow tank.

I guess Zane bikes must have a less common cooling system design, with an expansion tank under pressure rather than a vented overflow tank. In which case the pressure relief valve may be set at a higher pressure than an overflow tank system.

Where does the tank connect into the cooling system?

Cheers,
Cam
 
Hi Cam,

the tank is on the right side, roughly on the same level as the head. It is connected via a tube to the head (or was it to the radiator? Not 100% sure).

If this is a pressurized system - which I am not sure about - one reason for the cracks could be that the system is not free of air enough, which then causes two effects that add to each other: a) the cooling is limited as air does not cool as much as liquid and b) pressure rises over the normal level as air expands more than liquid and more air means even more heat.

I haven't had the engine apart yet, but OCT told me after they changed the shaft seal on the water pump (common, eh?) to "massage" the water lines behind the engine when the engine has run for several hours and is still a bit warm so the air that collects there gets transported out of the system.

I thought about using an under pressure gauge to suck out this air but haven't come to a solution as of yet.
 
Laverdalothar said:
Hi Cam,

the tank is on the right side, roughly on the same level as the head. It is connected via a tube to the head (or was it to the radiator? Not 100% sure).

If this is a pressurized system - which I am not sure about - one reason for the cracks could be that the system is not free of air enough, which then causes two effects that add to each other: a) the cooling is limited as air does not cool as much as liquid and b) pressure rises over the normal level as air expands more than liquid and more air means even more heat.

I haven't had the engine apart yet, but OCT told me after they changed the shaft seal on the water pump (common, eh?) to "massage" the water lines behind the engine when the engine has run for several hours and is still a bit warm so the air that collects there gets transported out of the system.

I thought about using an under pressure gauge to suck out this air but haven't come to a solution as of yet.
Click to expand...

The tube from the expansiontank in on the radiator. It takes time for all air is out. Massage the tube from pump>cylinder works  well.
After a short drive check the water level. Must be minimum level.
Check the level a few times.
 
Jotaman said:
Hey Ginox,
Reading between the lines - they 3C Moto, are producing new design expansion tanks, yes ?

Cheers

Peter
ps: Great news :)
Click to expand...

Hello Peter
The new expansion tanks it's identically on design, only a small difference in thickness now more strong.... we hope it is not easy to break as the old :D
 
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