water level in a 30 model a
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roccaas
Well-known member
Yep, let her find her own level.
Whenever I got extra safety conscious before a road trip, I'd top off the radiator. As soon as I hit an uphill grade at speed, a nice mist would come back off the radiator cap, ruining the clean windshield (and paint).
When you have a chance, flush everything out, fill it with any old plain water as high as it will go, and put it through a normal run. Whatever it spits out, it doesnt need, so use that level when you put the antifreeze/boil and water back in.
Usually just at the bottom level of the top tank is great. Enough to cover the tops of the vertical down pipes. Also make sure you have the splash shield in place in the neck of the radiator opening, this prevents a fast pump from pumping all of the fluid back in your face.
Are you running an overflow, or recovery tank?
pat in Santa Cruz
Well-known member
in general they are happy with the level about 2 inches below the neck, cold. They will puke out any excess. As long as the water covers the core, you are OK. Does your radiator have a baffle below the neck? It should. The overflow tube should be at the back of the filler neck. Without a baffle and high overflow tube opening, they will kick out more water than what is ideal. If it has a baffle, the water line when cold is right at the lower level of the baffle.
BILL WILLIAMSON
Well-known member
With a leak proof radiator cap, just hang a plastic overflow bottle inside the left side of radiator shell, run a short hose from it to the bottom of the overflow tube. Fill radiator full, fill overflow bottle 1/3 full cold. Now your radiator will be full at all times and not full of air bubbles that contribute to running hot. The water that's forced to the overflow tank by heat expansion will be "sucked" back to the radiator as the engine cools and cretes a vacuum. This will maintain a full radiator for a longer period of time.---Bill W.
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Mike V. Florida
Well-known member
When I first got my A I witnessed the same thing. I would drive it around and see that the water was below the baffle so I would fill it again. I read here online that the A's for different reasons, impellers, natural water expansion, etc an A could lose water. I started to take note of the amount of water i added each time and noticed it was always the same. So since I cannot see the water level, every couple of months I top it off and let it "drain" to where it is happy.
pat in Santa Cruz
Well-known member
Jordan makes a good point...Normally, water above the preferred water level overflows at high speed. If yours is really "boiling" out the cap with steam and rumbling sounds from the block, you have an over heating situation.