S-Series Inlet Manifold

[SimonR]

I've just bought a new Inlet manifold for my S-Series engine and am now struck with a question that I had not previously considered:

Why does coolant have to flow through it? Is it to heat it, or cool it? With my basic understanding of the internal combustion engine I can't work it out!

[Maria]

So it was you that got the manifold... :mad: :laugh:

I was going to bid on that but I forgot when the auction ended. Oh well!

[SimonR]

Yeah - it'll look lovely below my polished carb dashpot when the engine is replaced. It'll also mean that F153's coolant doesn't go missing as I had to replace the steel pipes on the current one and it leaks a tiny bit now....

Btw, I've also got a PAS pump so all is forgiven! :)

[e692wtt]

I think it is to heat the inlet manifold during warm up, to ensure that the petrol remains in suspension in the air/fuel mix and doesn't condense out - this means that fuel consumption and exhaust emissions are both minimised during the time the engine is warming up. Once the engine is warmed up, the heat from the coolant will actually reduce the engine's performance slightly.

Try bypassing the manifold and see how the car runs - probably slightly better when it is warmed up but possibly slightly worse when the engine is cold (but the inlet manifold on the S-series also has an electric manifold heater as well which should minimise this...).

[Maria]

Originally posted by F153JUE
Yeah - it'll look lovely below my polished carb dashpot when the engine is replaced. It'll also mean that F153's coolant doesn't go missing as I had to replace the steel pipes on the current one and it leaks a tiny bit now....

Btw, I've also got a PAS pump so all is forgiven! :)

Yes, but you still got the VP grille *growl* :laugh:

[GK AutoWorks]

They are water heated. I doubt any benefit would be seen if it were disconnected, as it will help stabilise the temperature rather than have any hot spots which *could* occur from rising exhaust heat. If it were to get too cold, especially winter time, you may encounter carb icing and an increase in fuel consumption and emissions.

[SimonR]

Ah, thanks for your replies people. I may try bypassing the manifold at some stage, but to be honest for now, I'll just stick with trying to coordinate fitting it (and the new engine!) to the car...

Maria, if I see another grille, I'll know where to send it. Of course that's implying that I can prise MaestroMatt's hands from it! :)