Just crossed my mind. Why isn't the degas bottle made out of metal? If the plastic is so reactive to diesel and exhaust fumes, why isn't it made from metal? I know the answer is OEM parts sales, but you would think somebody would have developed an aftermarket metal degas bottle with the failure rate the plastic OEM have.

 

I have not spent a second worrying about a degas bottle leak but I know it does happen. The main thing needed is a way to watch the level in it. I know that it has been done by at least one person and posted up on one of the forums in years past. I can't recall how he addressed the level observation.

 

Hmm,
It would take some tinkering and odd and ends for parts.
But you could also add a level system into it with a remote
indicator in the cab. Also 16 PSI operating pressure is not that
high. So you build the thing to withstand say about 3 or 4 times
that pressure for a safety margin.

Sean

P.S. If some knows where that post is I would like to see the guys work.

 

Does any of the other fords have a level monitor? If so you could use that sensor?

 

I'm thinking 16 PSI is 3 or 4 times the normal operating range of a perfectly running engine and increasing the ability of the tank to hold 3 or 4 times that would be a huge mistake and create issues in other components, hoses clamps etc.

Fixing the weak point only leads to finding the next weak point.

You can build complex patches or simple solutions that don't require complex patches.

My .02


D

 

If you can do it go for it, there's a market for aftermarket stuff.

But it's a $40 - $50 part that takes minutes to remove and put a new one on, plus it doesn't fail catastrophically.

I didn't know there was a major problem with failing degas bottles.

 

A couple of the commercial trucks (class 7 & 8) have/had metal tanks. But I seriously doubt they were operating above 16-20psi in the cooling systems. I'm with Mark, why do you want to waste the time with a part that isn't that big of an issue? To me the lifters dropping needle bearings is a bigger issue than the degas bottle. But again, that's just me.