Urgent help needed SPF coolant leak

[Seymour Snerd]

Here is what I found...a few leaks due to loose clamps, one clamp too short for a location, and possibly one hose to short...shoudn't the metal tube bead be on the other side of the clamp?

Regarding 40Bud's comment, that area showing rust and/or electrolysis is the end of (I think) a plated steel pipe, whose end may not be plated (i.e. was cut). I wonder if the rust, etc, is simply the result of having bare steel in the coolant stream. Just trying to be optimistic.

Otherwise you might need to investigate the voltage between the coolant and ground, and make sure nobody is trying to use the coolant pipes as a current path and that no dissimilar metals within that path are touching (like a steel pipe touching an aluminum one within a rubber coupling). There are discussions about this problem elsewhere, but I don't recall where exactly.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

the area under the seats was pooled with coolant. No puddles under the car.

Longer term I wonder if we should drill drain hole(s) in the floor of the tunnel just so any leakage runs out rather than into our carpet.

 

[Seymour Snerd]

BTW I do NOT see the bead or trench on my pipe so Mike's hose/pipe must not be properly installed.

Steve, I think you're right: the whole arrangement isn't really reliable unless the entire tench is covered by hose and the hose clamp centered.

 

[Kirby Schrader]

Here is what I found...a few leaks due to loose clamps, one clamp too short for a location, and possibly one hose to short...shoudn't the metal tube bead be on the other side of the clamp?

I had the same problem. The hose was not on far enough nor was the clamp straight and the bead was not covered.

My leak was more dramatic. The hose decided to come off completely under hard acceleration while giving a friend from Canada a ride. When I saw the steam in the engine compartment, I thought it was fire, but then my butt started burning, too.
By the time I got stopped and got out of the car, there was over an inch of coolant in my seat.
First and only time my GT40 got taken home on a wrecker.

FWIW,
Kirby

 

[Mike Christian]

Yikes Kirby! I guess I am glad mine happened this way.

I will be taking those tube off to get the setup fixed properly and will check for items you mention Alan. There is a vertical flange at the beginning of the aft end of the tunnel and that prevented coolant from going forward. The coolant found a path throught the inboard rear corner of the seat area. I think, for this weepage type of leak, a hole drilled under the pipes in that small compartment would have cause less grief.

 

[Chuck]

This may not work on the SPF, but on the equivalent connections in my RCR I did the same thing we do on boat thru hulls: double hose clamps. May be overkill but I do sleep better at night.

 

[Mike]

My SPF was leaking coolant at a decent rate up front over the first couple weeks of driving. It turned out the the bottom hose where it was connected to the tube entering the front bulkhead was barely pushed over the bead and the clamp itself was behind the bead. It appeared as though the when it was pushed on, the horn was in the way and as such they pushed it to where it contacted the horn and cinched her up. How it didn't blow off under pressure is a miracle. I have checked all the other clamps up front but need to check everything else. I love my SPF but so many just dumb build issues. If I ever do this again, I'll assemble it myself since it seems to some degree I'm coming back and doing it anyway.

 

[Vaughn]

throttle cable

Could someone give me a recommendation on a throttle cable for an RCR 40. I'm running a Holly 1150 cfm ultra dominator four barrel race. I know that some of you have used Lokar. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Vaughn