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electric fan for my TR 3

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Tinkerman

Tinkerman

Darth Vader
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After the joy of having my car up and running I noticed that it is running hot. I am going to run it in today so will keep a close watch on the temp gauge.
If I have to go to an electric fan to keep it cool what thoughts do any of you have? I see comments like pusher or puller? Are they thin enough to go between the rad and the engine? Is one brand bettter than another? Are they thermostatically controlled? Is there a better way to keep the engine temp down. I am running straight coolant now.

Your thoughts and comments are greatly apppreciated.

Cheers, Tinkerman
 
If the engine is running hot, and conditions aren't bad, such as crawling in traffic with ambient temps in triple digits, I would first look to make sure that there aren't causes that can be remedied by something other then adding an electric fan. There could be several issues that will cause the engine to run hot. Incorrect ignition timing, bad or incorrect thermostat, radiator blockages, bad head gasket, loose fan belt, no shroud in the grill, bad water pump, etc.

An electric fan can help the TRactor motors during slow driving (stop and go) when the flow through the radiator is at it's lowest. If you do decide to go with an electric fan, the decision between pusher or puller will depend on whether or not you want to retain the original engine driven fan. If you want to retain it, then it will most likely have to be a pusher, as there isn't enough room between the radiator and the original fan. You also have a choice on how to activate it. You can choose to just have a switch to turn it on and off, you can thermostatically control it, or have both. Either way, it's best to install a relay. Which brings us to another topic...the generator if you're still using it. Electric fans draw quite a bit of power depending on size. Typically 10-15 amps. Since the one on my TR3 is the only fan I have, I opted for a large cfm fan, and it draws about 15 amps when it's running. Since the generator is only rated for about 22 amps, there definitely could be times when when the poor little generator will become taxed. However, for occasion use in summer traffic conditions, an electric fan can be a big plus.

Just make sure that you don't have any other issues causing the engine to run hot.
 
Other issues is a good point Art, I will be checking it all along the way. Everything in the cooling system is new so Im not to worried about the system. I am still grappling with ignition and that's where I will be looking today. Didn't think about a loose fan belt though so I will take a close look at that.

Thaanks, Dick
 
I don't know how you define "straight coolant". 100% antifreeze is not a good choice. For years I mixed my antifreeze 50/50 with Deionized Water but for the last 7 years or so, I have been using about 80% water and 20% antifreeze. The more water you have, the cooler the temperature. The heat transfer co-efficient is better - the more water you have. Water Wetter is "supposed" to change the surface tension of the coolant to improve heat transfer and adding a bottle might help. But you still want (or need) about 20% antifreeze to prevent rust and crud accumulation in the block, especially around cylinder #4 and the rear drain tap above the starter.
 
Just to echo what Art said, a lot depends on when it is running hot. If the problem is at higher speeds, above say 40 mph or so, then an electric fan is not likely to help.

Two of the things that are important on a 3A are the openings in the grille, and the cardboard radiator shroud inside the grille. The factory revised the grille pressing shortly after it was introduced, to make the holes larger, but it appears that many reproductions are made to the original prints. The cardboard shroud was also a factory change that sometimes gets overlooked. Originals tend to fall apart with rain and time.

Carburetion can also cause overheating at speed. If the needles were not centered properly in the past, the bore of the jet can be worn such that it makes the mixture go rich at idle. Then when you adjust the idle mixture by the book, the cruise mixture winds up too lean and the engine overheats. Probably not so common these days, but a common malady when we were kids and these were just funky old cars that no one wanted to spend money on.
 
If you buy an electric fan, don't use the cable tie mounting system that is usually included with the fan. This system is prone to causing leaks.
 
Don Elliott said:
I don't know how you define "straight coolant". 100% antifreeze is not a good choice.
Click to expand...
Definitely!
For years I mixed my antifreeze 50/50 with Deionized Water but for the last 7 years or so, I have been using about 80% water and 20% antifreeze. The more water you have, the cooler the temperature. The heat transfer co-efficient is better - the more water you have. Water Wetter is "supposed" to change the surface tension of the coolant to improve heat transfer and adding a bottle might help. But you still want (or need) about 20% antifreeze to prevent rust and crud accumulation in the block, especially around cylinder #4 and the rear drain tap above the starter.
Click to expand...
Remember though, that you need to keep freeze protection for the coldest weather that the car will see. Water Wetter and No-Rosion both claim that their product will provide adequate rust protection, if you don't need freeze protection.

Don, I'm surprised you get by with that little. 20% is only supposed to be good to about -10C, but Montreal frequently gets much colder (forecast -16 tonight). You must have a heated garage.
 
DougF said:
If you buy an electric fan, don't use the cable tie mounting system that is usually included with the fan. This system is prone to causing leaks.
Click to expand...
Or if you do use it, be careful that the ties don't touch the radiator tubes. As long as they go through the center between the tubes, they can't cause leaks.
 
Tinkerman said:
Your thoughts and comments are greatly apppreciated.

Cheers, Tinkerman
Click to expand...

I think my 1st question would be, are you sure your gauge is accurate? Maybe hit it with an IR gun to confirm....
 
Sheech! I hate it when I do a dumb thing and have to admit it! I will drain off about 3/4's of the coolant and add a like amount of water as suggested.

Thanks for the info.

Dick
 
Tinkerman said:
Sheech! I hate it when I do a dumb thing and have to admit it! I will drain off about 3/4's of the coolant and add a like amount of water as suggested.
Click to expand...

Check to make sure you didn't get "pre-mixed" antifreeze.
 
Randall - You are correct about Montreal winters. I store my TR in my heated garage where it never goes cooler than 55 deg. F. Because it is off the road from Nov to May, I get healthy refunds for my Quebec plate and from my insurance as well because I only keep the "fire & theft" coverage.

If I want to work on my car during the winter, I turn on my electric heater and in about 30 minutes the garage is up to 70 deg. F.

That's how I can get away with a 20% antifreeze mix.
 
Jerry said:
Art,
I like your high cfm fan use. Do you have a brand and model number that you use?

Jerry
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a Spal. I'm at work now, so I'll dig out the model number when I get home.

Edit: I found the fan online. It's a Spal, model number 30102038. 12" fan, 1630 cfm at 14.5 amps. It's a puller only. Spal has dedicated pusher and puller fans, so if you need a pusher, it'll be a different number. It blows 20 amp fuses when first started up. I had to put in a 30 amp fuse. Here's a link to show how I attached it to the radiator, and a comparison to the wimpy one I took off that was supplied in the rack & pinion kit that I bought.

https://www.britishcarforum.com/bcf/showthread.php?65478-New-Fan-For-The-TR3&highlight=spal
 
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