How are the front to back coolant pipes attached?

[wagenbod]

Hi di hi ! Campers!

Have been looking at the idea of replacing metal pipes with MDPE blue pipe. Before I lash out on ramps and inspection lamps etc - how are the pipes secured? Are they just attached by hose at the engine housing, pass over the fuel tank and attached again at radiator? My thinking is that I would be able to cut the pipes each side of fuel tank and just pull the centre parts out - at the same time somehow attach the blue pipe to the cut middle bits of pipe to thread them through over the tank .... or are the metal pipes attached where they pass over the fuel tank and access needed to undo something?

Any info much appreciated.

Neil

[jason k]

why not replace em with what was designed to be there???

tbh it sounds like a lash up to me!!!

[wagenbod]

- About fifth of the cost.
- Don't think you can get the metal pipes delivered.
- Don't have off street facility to manouevre long pipes.
- A few people have posted they've used flexible hose successfully.
- Easy option!??

[camper]

Halfords stock a range of ribbed pipes with ends to fit over pipes. The metal ends on the plastic coolent pipes on my van had broken as to cause leakage where the hoses fit over.As a fix i pushed into the plastic pipes the metal sleeves then cut aprox 5 inches off a ribbed length with its connection end of the halfords stores obtain part as seen in the image.With soap the cut ribbed length is pushed inside the coolent hose and the connection end is slid over the plastic pipe .The next step is to put circlips over the connection end and around the pushed in rib section.Its important to get the right size ribbed flex connector .There is a spiral metal wire which runs through the ribbed pipe when you cut the pipe keep part of it inside as it stops the pipe collapsing. Regarding your idea of using the blue plastic pipe and your question how to connect you could use the same method as discribed .In future when funds are available i will replace with Justkampers stainless steel pipes £200 for a set.

[devdub]

If you can get your hands on a pipe bending machine, 28mm copper is the way ahead. You will need some patience and a little bit of skill, but is doable and way better than using pipe that is designed to be underground and affected by ultra violet light.

The pipes come in four sections (2 for the flow and 2 for the return) which will get you over the tank. Any joints can be made using rubber hose and jubilee clips. This will also be the method to get you over any mistakes that migt be made in the bending process.

The total cost should come in at around £60, which is slightly less than the cost of buying the one remaining pipe that is still available to buy.

Steve

[camper]

Steve 28mm copper i have considered but why not in full lengths.Is it not a case of removing the fuel tank and replacing with copper.

[billy739]

is the mdpe blue stuff gas water/pipe?
if it is then it is designed to self seal with heat , ie if the coolant gets hot then it will close up on the end and restrict flow.

i used this many years ago and found out the hard way whilst running a v6 in a shorty beetle!

[wagenbod]

[quote="billy739"]is the mdpe blue stuff gas water/pipe?
if it is then it is designed to self seal with heat , ie if the coolant gets hot then it will close up on the end and restrict flow.

i used this many years ago and found out the hard way whilst running a v6 in a shorty beetle![/quote]


Thanks for letting me know that. Yes I think its probably the same type of pipe. http://www.cityirrigation.co.uk/acatalo ... _pipe.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Not a good idea then especially if it contracts at the time when you need it most.

[wagenbod]

[quote="camper"][img]http://www.muchos.co.uk/members/camper20/PICTURE.JPG[/img] Halfords stock a range of ribbed pipes with ends to fit over pipes. The metal ends on the plastic coolent pipes on my van had broken as to cause leakage where the hoses fit over.As a fix i pushed into the plastic pipes the metal sleeves then cut aprox 5 inches off a ribbed length with its connection end of the halfords stores obtain part as seen in the image.With soap the cut ribbed length is pushed inside the coolent hose and the connection end is slid over the plastic pipe .The next step is to put circlips over the connection end and around the pushed in rib section.Its important to get the right size ribbed flex connector .There is a spiral metal wire which runs through the ribbed pipe when you cut the pipe keep part of it inside as it stops the pipe collapsing. Regarding your idea of using the blue plastic pipe and your question how to connect you could use the same method as discribed .In future when funds are available i will replace with Justkampers stainless steel pipes £200 for a set.[/quote]


Thanks a lot for all the tips. Yes - same here, hope to eventually go for the JK stainless steel.

[jason k]

theres been discussion of the suitability of stainless pipes as the heads etc are ally you get an electrolytic reaction which will eat the ally........

[R0B]

can you point me to this discussion please.i realise one is a cathode and one an anode.but as the two dont touch(heads and pipes) i find this very hard to believe..

theres been discussion of the suitability of stainless pipes as the heads etc are ally you get an electrolytic reaction which will eat the ally

[silverbullet]

Stainless is inert, that's why it doesn't corrode (the clue's in the name)

Copper (pipes) + iron (block) + alloy (rad) + heat + weak current (earth on block) =

Battery!

And your rad becomes the sacrificial anode, like on a steel hulled boat.

Works even better in the winter with salt spray...

[Hacksawbob]

The copper pipe would be on the same (earth) side as the battery so that wouldn't affect it. The corrosion would be through bi-metallic or galvanic corrosion alone, copper is not a good idea.

http://www.roymech.co.uk/Useful_Tables/ ... i_met.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I found a brickyard thread on it.
http://www.brick-yard.co.uk/forum/topic ... B=ASC.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[wagenbod]

Hullo folks

An update on this subject for anyone thinking of replacing their coolant pipes

After a lot of soul searching I decided to lash out and buy a set of stainless steel water pipes and pleased I did. The pipes now come in two sections (the main reason for my decision to buy) with a hose join in the middle. After removing the old very rotted pipes by cutting into sections with a junior hacksaw, I managed to get the nice new shiny pipes in place and connected without dropping the fuel tank !! The two-section pipes mean that's possible. I fed the front part of the pipes through from the rear of the fuel tank to the front. Reason I didn't feed them through from the front was the gear stick coupling protective box seemed to get in the way. After a lot of shoogling and wiggling got the pipes over the fuel tank - a bit of a struggle, but got there eventually.

Thanks to all for their invaluable help and advice.

Neil

[Simon Baxter]

We've been fitting stainless ones for at least 2 years, nothing has blown up, no one got electricuted and we've not had to replace any cooling system parts as a result of Glavanic reactions.