I will have pictures in the next few days, as my time is going into working on the car, not talking about it(except right now). I wanted to know if I needed to bleed the inter-coolers for air locks. I have the two pump setup Mez 136 up front and an intank Rule2000, both run on with accessory power(key on). Lots of flow, 6 gallon tank and a supplemental heat exchange up front.

Now with the tank it doesn't operate as a closed system. After the car was off I opened the I/C filler to see if it was low and immediately it drained down to the trunk tank which sits lower. I could hear the air sucking in and gurgling so I closed it right away. I guess if I leave the cap on now it will maintain fluid in the system without draining to the tank. I plan on running ice.

Any techniques or advice would be a big help.

Thanks

 

i would delete the OEM filler cap and the system would become self bleeding via the rear tank

 

I agree with Shardul, delete and re-plumb the system without the original filler. My only concern would be the top 1/2 of the heat exchanger will probably still be full of air as the stupid design with the outlet in the center rather than top will probably always keep a large air pocket there if the system is not vacuum filled. If I ever have a reason to remove my radiator you can bet I'll be removing that heat exchanger to have a bleed port added to the top of the passenger side.

 

I think a vacuum bleeder is the ideal way to do it. Doesn't have to be expensive.

Nick

 

So I let the car run again for a while, did an oil change and took it out for a blast. The two pump set up certainly pushes alot of water. I think keeping the radiator cap up top by the inter-coolers intact is not a bad thing as long as its left untouched. The intercoolers sit higher than the trunk tank, so when the pumps force water through the system the air can be pushed out at the tank which is not air tight. I was thinking that I would top the fluid up front in the filler cap after the loss from installing a new pump up front. As long as you don't open the top cap, I think it will keep fluid from dropping back to the tank. Re-plumbing the entire system would be alot of work, and I think trying to force the air out will always remain an issue with the reservoir lower than the intercoolers, (unless the flow can simply overcome any air pockets in the system. I hope to get some dyno runs in with ice and 100 octane to see what the actual benefits total up to compared to without.

 

How would it prevent self bleeding if left closed?

 

trunk tanks are not air tight.
the inlet of the tank is on the top and the outlet is on the bottom of the tank

 

Understood, I never thought it was air tight. My tank discharge and return are both on the bottom. The return elbows up to a 10" long piece of perforated 3/4" pipe inside the tank. This minimizes the splashing sound of running water in the tank by being close to the top but still submerged. All that being said, it can still release bubbles, but shouldn't draw in air if the lines are full.

I was more concerned about air being trapped up front. Since its no longer an air tight setup, I guess it can always relieve itself through the trunk tank. As we know, the stock setup, with hot coolant, would expand and blow out the rear radiator cap overflow then draw in air as it cooled and was under negative pressure. I'm thinking, as long as I don't mess with the cap no air should be introduced to the intercoolers. If so, it shouldn't take too long to circulate out with the double pump setup.

I don't intend to totally remove the front cap setup. When I ran the lines to the rear, I installed a set of valves that would allow me to by-pass the trunk tank. This will allow me to remove the tank and run off the Mezeire pump only with coolant for the winter months. Also, the tank can be setup with or without the spare tire, another reason/need to be able to isolate the front without losing fluid to the system. The foam, in the pic below, was cut down so its flush with the wheel and the trunk mat can cover it all without losing any function or the spare. I ended up making a pedestal out of an extra spare tire basket and added a plate for the tank to sit on. The in/out and drain were located to fit between the spokes of the full size spare.

I still have to install the "Flight Test" mini overflow for the winter months. The bracket is made, and test fitted just need to drill the hole. and connect the hose. It probably won't do anything until its minus the rear tank and back to an isolated system in the winter.