| 434 RV8 
top hose inserts
 Anyone who has done the job will know what a pain 
it is to refill the RV8 cooling system when changing the coolant, or following 
work on the system. With the original RV8 cooling system, filling has to be done 
very slowly and, in the final stages, you are as likely to fill the valley gasket 
as the cooling system, when trapped air coughs back through the filler pipe. No 
amount of squeezing of the top radiator hose will fully purge air locks from the 
system, and entrapped air will accumulate in the arch of the hose when the engine 
is running - leading to reduced coolant flow and possible engine overheating.
 
 Stuart sets out a detailed twelve point procedure for fitting the top 
hose self-purging insert and then filling the cooling system. He concedes it still 
appears fairly involved when written down step by step, but it is quite quick 
and easy to carry out in practice. It normally takes 3 or 4 minutes to fill the 
system from empty, rather than the 30 - 40 which has been quoted for the standard 
arrangement.
 
 Although his car is fitted with a non-standard brass expansion 
tank, this top hose insert arrangement should work equally well with the standard 
expansion tank, or the modern replacement tank available from Clive Wheatley. 
Stuart is planning to make a batch of the self-purging inserts which should be 
available shortly through Clive at MGV8parts.
 
 |  RV8 
bleed insert in the top hose
 In 
2015 Stuart McGuigan produced a bleed insert to help remove trapped air when refilling 
or maintaining the RV8 cooling system. In RV8NOTE409 released in November 2015 
Stuart set out a detailed 
twelve point procedure for fitting the top hose 
bleed insert.
 See full copy of RV8NOTE409
 |  RV8 
self purging top hose insert
 Now 
Stuart McGuigan has devised an improved solution in the form of a self-purging 
top hose insert fitted in the top radiator hose. A prototype fitted to his car 
is performing well. The 
detailed twelve point procedure is set out in a detailed article.
 See 
a full copy of RV8NOTE434
 
 Posted: 
170301
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