volvo expansion tank

[tgalea]

Hi All,

My recently acquired boat has an md2020 and there is no expansion tank for the heat exchanger. A small pipe comes out from just under the filling tap and vents into the bilge when needed.

Now next year i'm planning a longish trip which might require let's say 10 hours of motoring if there is no wind and am concerned if i actually should install an expansion tank ?

What are your views ? What installation do you guys have ?

Thanks
Tyrone

 

[tillergirl]

No. All the 20** series are like that. I have had a 1 litre plastic bottle alongside the engine for that pipe to go into and in 10 years not much has gone in it except when I overfilled the heat exchanger while adding a calorifier. If you have the pipe going into a bottle, at least if you have a problem, you'll be able to pour it back.

 

[VicS]

[ QUOTE ]
If you have the pipe going into a bottle, at least if you have a problem, you'll be able to pour it back.

[/ QUOTE ] Many yeras ago I did that with a car that had a problem with the cooling system. In fact I even put a additional joint washer on the cap and put the pipe down to the bottom of the bottle so that when it cooled it drew any coolant that had been expelled back into the system automatically

 

[alldownwind]

I've run a 2020 for the last 3 seasons, it has no expansion tank, and I've never had to top up the water.