steptoe:
…Does anybody know the capacity of the cooling system of an ERF B series with a 180 Gardner in it? …
According to my information it is 38 Litres, but it did vary slightly at one point when Coventry Radiators changed the design of the rad tanks.
As stated in previous posts, always use deionised water / antifreeze mix to fill a cooling system, never tap water, and don’t use modern OAT based antifeeze in a Gardner (it will leak like a sieve). Use older technology Silicate based antifreeze with a 50/50 mix, or at least a 60/40. Volvo Penta ‘Green Coolant’ is an excellent coolant suitable for older mixed metal engines, and is available ready mixed in 20L drums for reasonable cost.
Just an addition to the excellent advice regarding ■■■■■■■ coolant from ‘cav551’, personally we have moved away from the headache of testing and correctly dosing with DCA, and now use a modern ready mixed speciality coolant with a very good liner anti cavitation additive built in that has a three year life. It is very important to use a plain coolant filter with this, not a DCA / SCA dosed one as the additives are different. We use a WF2122 which is a long life plain filter, but standard life non additive ones are also available and are cheaper to buy.