Hi All,
I've now done 1.5 seasons of competition in my RSX, and have clocked up about 15 hours on the car (with only about 60% of this being 'on load time' due to the relatively short format 'sprint' racing that we do here - race lengths are only about 12-15 minutes each)
I haven't had to take the side pods off my car since I started racing the car 18 months ago, but did remove them both after I purchased the car from the UK 'second-hand' to help with checking over the car and cleaning everything up before it's first use.
At that time I drained the compressor receiver and removed all the water that was in there.... but haven't done it since.
What do other people do, or recommend in terms of how often it should be done? Obviously the frequency needed will relate to the humidity in the are where the car is used, as well as how many cycles the compressor runs through... but as a general rule what are people doing?
Hmm, good question Rod. I have never done it, but my plan is to strip bodywork and suspension components (to examine bushings, every nut and bolt, and anything else I might find) at the end of every season. So I will do it then.
u can get access from small side panel held in by allen key bolts and use allen key to slacken drain plug on base of compressor unit .. some cars also have a hole drilled on underside with rubber gromet so that when jacked up u can use allen key to release drain plug
I was instructed by local Radical race team to drain the small tank regularly, especially if located in hot humid coastal area. They have done it for me, but I have yet to do it myself. On SR3XX, the tank is completely hidden to left of access panel, making extremely difficult to work on directly without the use of mirrors. I was wondering, can simply remove line prior to solenoid, power up initiating the compressor - will that force all moisture out?
@raider89 - G'day Dan,
No - the air line that runs to the back of the car and feeds the solenoid block looks like it comes off the top of the compressors storage receiver (which is where it should be to prevent any water going to the solenoid block!)
... the compressor feed line (from the compressor outlet into the tank) looks like it connects to the bottom, so removing that line should allow the water to drain... but like others, the access hatch on my RSX is further back in the sidepod and doesn't allow access to that area (it looks like the access hatch is there to allow you to change the aux/starter battery)
I haven't got a photo of it, but I think there is also a hex-head drain plug in the bottom of the tank that would be there specifically to allow the condensate to drain.
I think I might cut a hole in the bottom of my sidepod to allow access..... and I will simply put duct tape/race tape over the hole to prevent debris getting in while running the car.
Anyone else got a better idea??
I think I might cut a hole in the bottom of my sidepod to allow access..... and I will simply put duct tape/race tape over the hole to prevent debris getting in while running the car.
Anyone else got a better idea??
That seems like a good idea. You could make a cover for it out of aluminum or something and rivet in place or secure with button head screws and blind nuts.
@rjbender That's gotta be the cleanest Radical sidepod interior I've ever seen!
@rjbender That's gotta be the cleanest Radical sidepod interior I've ever seen!
@parsonsj - Thanks ... I think 😆 My OCD might help a bit...
Chassis has done ~80 hours so it's not too bad. I don't think it's done much work in the rain. It had around ~65 hours on it when I purchased it and I haven't driven it on a wet track yet...
There was some dirt in there.... but not a lot!... and it wasn't there when I put it all back together...
Will be interesting to see when I take these side pods off again what's in there now. There will be plenty of dust no doubt.
Hi All,
Just a quick update on what I ended up doing re draining the condensation out of the air receiver.
I took Dan’s idea and ended up drilling a 18mm diameter hole in the bottom of the side pod, directly below the drain plug in the bottom of the receiver. This worked great…. Until I got impatient and took the threaded bung all the way out too early before the receiver pressure had dropped to zero. I knew that would be a risk, but laying under the car, it sounded like the air had almost stopped coming out a lot, so I decided to take it all the way out… and as a result the air rushing out as the bung came loose blew the bung off the Allen key…
No real drama, but I did have to take the cover off the inner moulding of the side pod (where the auxiliary starter battery is located) and put my hand in there and find the bung. Luckily it hadn’t rolled too far. Lesson for next time - be more patient and wait until all the air pressure has been lost. I think then the bung will simply come out on the allen key.
the bung has an o-ring seal on it, so no need for thread sealant or similar.
I got about 100ml of water out of the receiver, so I’m glad I did it…
I think you could get the bung out by just using the factory access in the side pod… but you can’t see what your doing and it would help to have small hands, and be a contortionist… but you could do it if you ever had to without drilling a hole.
I simply put some 50mm wide race tape over the hole I drilled to cover it back up until next time (probably every 12 months)…tape was less weight (joking!) and less mucking around than a bung….
Hope that helps others.
I did this on my RXC and only a few drops came out.
However I did find that the drain plug has a small pin hole in the center where the allen wrench fits.
Does anyone know where to source these plugs?
I found the direct replacement part for the drain plug on the canister through McMaster-Carr here in the USA. Part number 4860K125. Threads are 1/8 BSPP.
Time for me to address this. What is the size is the allen key for the drain and where is the drain relative to the air tank? Center?
I just saw that my tank is oriented 90° different than yours -- mine is mounted horizontal. It looks like I may have to take the sidepod off to figure this out.
@davidf ... wow! That seems like a big change between cars in the same "model family".
Yes - if it's mounted horizontally then you will need to take the side pod off and then remove the receiver from the car... there's no point taking any drain plug out unless it's at the bottom of the receiver volume.... given the drain plug is roughly in the centre of the end plate, then yours could still be approx half full if you just remove the plug... a much bigger job!
