How much water

Byron1930

Byron1930

Junior Member
Hi Gang! Just a quick new Model A owner question or two.

How Much water (demineralised) do you put in a Model A radiator? Do I fill that Bad boy up to the top and screw my beautiful bird wing cap back on or is there a certain amount that must be in the radiator for it to work properly.

And

What Oil is recommended for the Engine. when I bought My A I noticed that there was a slight leak from the sump gasket. So when I fix it I will do an oil change too.

Thanks
Byron
 
Any good 30W or 20-40, etc detergent oil will work. I often use Shell Rotella or Castrol brand.

I alway use 50% antifreeze and fill to just above the tops of the tubes, about 2 1/2 gallons.
 
If you are initially only putting water & possibly some rust resistor or soluable oil, just fill it to the top. Radiator cap MUST seal completely. As the water heats & expands, it will dump some out the overflow & seek it's own "happy Level". Drop a large head, loose fitting nail in the top of the overflow tube to prevent ocassional splash over that will sloooowly lower your level enough to run hot. The nail prevents splash over at road speed, because the waterpump REALLY churns the water at higher RPM's. Put a sleeved 160 degree thermostat in the upper end of the upper hose & that will help control the flow. Modern thermostats RARELY fail. REMEMBER, the engine is a water HEATER, the radiator is a water COOLER & the thermostat can be likened to a "little man", inside the hose, operating a valve, that coordinates the two systems , as needed, to maintain constant correct water temperature. I ran this setup on Minerva for years & even drove her in 112 degree temps & had NO problems. Some folks WILL argue my points, BUT I do know my **** & speak from experience! Remember, ALL modern cars run thermostats----case closed!--Bill W. (And pay attention to the MAFCA, Car Of The Day pic, EVEN with my modified side exhaust systen, Mallory Distributor, & Weber Carb setup, in plain view:D)
If If I sound rather BLUNT, I jist fell down in the hall, clobbered my elbow, BUT got lots of free Dog:cool: licks:D
 

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Yes I fill up the radiator to the top. After a couple of trips I refill if and make note of the amount I added. After a few more trips I do it again, and take noe af the water I added. I see that I added the same amount so I leave it for another couple of months before I do it again. The radiator will "spit" our excess water and since most radiators have a baffle and you cannot see the tubes, the procedure placed my mind at rest that the water has not boiling out.

As for oil, You are going to get all kinds of personal preferences. The bottom line is if it is good for a vehicle it is good for your A.

Welcome to the hoppy.
 
Tom (#2) I am not trying to be funny - but do you suggest the anti-freeze for any other purposes than the name suggests? I wondered if the ingredients in it also prolongs radiator core life or something? Like Bryon I am also in the tropics - his average minimum temp is 23.2C (or 74F) and mine is 20.8C (or 70F)
 
Anti freeze aids the cooling process, lubricates and inhibits rust. There are also products available to increase the ability of water to dissipate heat, they are surfactants, they make water wetter.

Chet
 
JohninKuranda said:
Tom (#2) I am not trying to be funny - but do you suggest the anti-freeze for any other purposes than the name suggests? I wondered if the ingredients in it also prolongs radiator core life or something? Like Bryon I am also in the tropics - his average minimum temp is 23.2C (or 74F) and mine is 20.8C (or 70F)
Click to expand...

What Chet said.:)

After having a lot of trouble with rust flakes blocking the radiator tubes, you'd be cussing those plain water users.:D
Also I don't want my engine block rusting from the inside out. I wonder how thin the cylinder walls are now?:confused:
 
as tom said fill it just above the tubes or if you have a baffle put it to that level... if you fill it to the top it will find its own level right around the baffle height plus youll have a mess under your car from the overflow....
 
You must have a clean cooling system. If you see evidence of rust in your water it must be eliminated. I have found the best way to clean the system is to drain it and refill with kerosene. I know it sounds crazy, but it works. I learned this trick from an old time Model Aer. He said during WWII anti-freeze was unavailable. He lived in Nebraska. He further told me they filled radiators of the farm equipment and autos in the winter with Kerosene to prevent freezing. The side benefit was a completely clean cooling system. I tried this on my Model A, drove it for about 3weeks, and the result was a very clean system. It is important to be sure after driving around with the kerosene in the system the radiator and block are flushed until clean. You may have to have the radiator boiled out at a shop to get it clean. I live in an area where we don't get too many days below freezing. I use spring water (crystal geyser) and two bottles of "water wetter" in my cooling system. You can purchase water wetter at any parts store. I do not accumulate any rust as water wetter has a rust inhibitor. Further, anti- freeze boils at about 240 degrees which I do not see as an advantage. Water has better cooling properties than anti-freeze and therefore it cools your engine more efficiently. I change the water in the system at the beginning of each driving season. Our summer days are 95+degrees and my car never runs over 180 degrees unless climbing a long hill in which case it can climb to 190 degreees. JMO
 
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Thanks Guys for all the Input.
Heat is a big problem where I am from at the moment the average temperature is 93.2F (34 Degrees C) and a about 98% humidity.
When I get some time next week Ill drop the Water in it and have a look and see if I have any rust in the water.
Then Ill fill her up and see how It levels out.
 
To answer your question, Model A radiator specs call for 3 gallon capacity.

I use 50/50 antifreeze and distilled water. No minerals, not a speck of rust in 28 years.

To add to the old timer farm fix hijack: "Kerosene was typically used in the Winter only when overheating was not so likely. The fire danger was very real. Kerosene eats up radiator hoses"
 
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