I'm looking at radiators, because the one I have might be too wide. So let's cut to the question... Why do Ford 8N tractor radiators have a 4lb radiator cap and my trucks have a 13lb radiator cap?
(No, I'm not building a Helo-Boat-Jet-Tractor-Monster-Bumper Car-Semi-Submarine-Bucket. It's just something that's bugging me.)
I don't know when they started using pressuer caps but the 36 pontiac in the shop doesn't use pressure. When you increase the pressure you can increase the temperature of the coolant before it boils. The greater the difference in air temp and coolant temperature more heat can transfer. out of the engine. High pressure systems can be smaller, less weight and still get rid of the BTU's of heat. .
So could I use a 8n tractor radiator with a 13lb cap and be fine? I need to know, because that radiator is tall and narrow, and very importantly, inexpensive. Which would work perfectly for my application.
I suppose if ya really wanted to be sure you could take it to a rad shop and have it pressure tested.........Might be a good idea anyways before ya get outside of town and have a sudden steam cleaning that you didn't order.... "BH"
I wouldn't run a higher pressure cap on that tractor radiator without talking to a radiator shop. Just like a lot of things, radiator technology has come a long way since that 8N unit was made. Some of the old cores and tanks just can't take the higher pressure.
The radiator in my 46 is a massive looking copper/brass unit that was only built about 14 years ago and the company that made it cautioned against anything over 7 pounds. I was told that the seams could not stand the constant strain of higher pressure. That came as a surprise to me, since all my newer stuff used 15 lbs or higher and it was a new radiator.
Lets see if I can put this into laymans terms for ya.............
The 8N is a flathead 4 in a old tractor..........pron to overheating if things didn't go as planned in the cooling system...........they wanted the pressure to blow off at a lower temp to keep the engine from frying..........
Your truck engine is probably a V8, more flow at the water pump, more cooling passages in the right places, plus 4 more cylinders.........therefore more possible heat........
The more heat your dealing with needs more presure to keep it cooler when you got it totally loaded down and laboring...............
some of the old radiators would balloon out the tanks at high presure.. then shrink back down when they cool off...this would eventually make the seams leak... I used to drill out a couple of holes in the tank close to the seam then poke a piece of non flux brazing rod thru... bend over the ends and solder them to the tank to stop the ballooning.
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"BH"
