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Stalling at Traffic Lights in Hot Weather

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Overdrive45

Overdrive45

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When I bought this 2004 BJ8 a few weeks ago, the owner told me that in hot weather, it tends to stall at stoplights. I haven't driven it enough to experience this, but obviously do not want to see this happen. He did have it tuned just before the sale.

I have the detailed restoration invoices, and I can see a new heater core, so basically there have been no major modifications to the cooling system.

Is there a tried and true "sticky" that has worked for the majority here to prevent this sort of problem? It is very tempting to drive way up into Logan Pass in Glacier, but on a hot day and at that altitude, we might have problems.

Thanks for any advice.

Dave
 
If it won't idle at high altitude, pull the choke out a bit to increase the idle speed.

And watch out for wildlife in Glacier; they didn't get the memo to stay away from humans.
 
"in hot weather, it tends to stall at stoplights"
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This is usually due to fuel percolation either in the fuel bowls or lines, also called "vapor lock". Cures are often systemic and often involve wrapping heat shielding around the fuel bowls and lines--or more as stated above. Some cars seem to have it more than others and rather than anticipating problems and dealing with it piecemeal I'd take the car for some rides in hot weather, esp. if you can find or simulate some stop-and-go traffic, and first assess the problem. You might get lucky.
 
Thanks for the tips so far. I'm saving them in a folder.

Never want to hit even a small deer with the Healey.

You would think the deer in those parts would have a better sense of timing. When I had a LR Discovery, I had small but extremely bright LED's arrayed around the roof carrier frame to warn the critters that I was coming at night, and I was stopped by a Ranger on the south side Logan who said that I was disturbing the wildlife. I told him that disturbing is probably better than killing. Then he said,"Well you're disturbing the motorists." I asked, "Such as..." and he said the car that just went by. I told him that it was my daughter following me. He was not happy with the answer but it was the truth.
 
My preference is to stick with the original copper etc. etc. as metal radiators found in older vehicles (my understanding) can be repaired, but aluminium ones cannot.
There's been some discussion of the stainless steel vs. the plastic Texas Kooler fans here over the years; we have a stainless from Norman Nock and are happy with it.
Regards critters: years ago, deer warning whistles were fashionable (they're still sold) but I've accidentally tested them (without collisions) on my motorcycle on horses, cattle, deer, and mountain sheep, and the beasties remained completely undisturbed as I come around the corner on the highway and get on the brakes.
Lots of threads on this subject - have a look at > Improving BJ8 Cooling < as an example.
And if you're out for a leisurely drive, blasting along behind the RVs on the Going to the Sun highway, and the temperature gauge gets into scary territory, pull over at a scenic location and open the hood and leave the engine running. My understanding is that the real limitation on cooling for the Healey is a lack of egress for the air to escape.
Enjoy! Doug
 
Overdrive45 said:
Thanks for the tips so far. I'm saving them in a folder.

Never want to hit even a small deer with the Healey.

You would think the deer in those parts would have a better sense of timing. When I had a LR Discovery, I had small but extremely bright LED's arrayed around the roof carrier frame to warn the critters that I was coming at night, and I was stopped by a Ranger on the south side Logan who said that I was disturbing the wildlife. I told him that disturbing is probably better than killing. Then he said,"Well you're disturbing the motorists." I asked, "Such as..." and he said the car that just went by. I told him that it was my daughter following me. He was not happy with the answer but it was the truth.
Click to expand...
I was thinking more of when you are out of the car. I was walking on the trail at Logan Pass with my son and the bighorn sheep came right up to us. After we left, a grizzly was following a group on the same trail.
 
Theoretically, the old brass/copper radiators can be repaired, but old fashioned radiator shops that can do it are becoming harder to find. The one that re-cored mine 20+ years ago is long gone. Now, shops just remove the "old" aluminum/plastic radiator and install a new one.

When I installed AC in my car, I considered an aluminum radiator in place of the brass/copper one as the aluminum ones were advertised to have 40% better cooling. Turns out, the aluminum core was 40% thicker and I didn't have room for it.
 
John Turney said:
Theoretically, the old brass/copper radiators can be repaired, but old fashioned radiator shops that can do it are becoming harder to find. The one that re-cored mine 20+ years ago is long gone. Now, shops just remove the "old" aluminum/plastic radiator and install a new one.

When I installed AC in my car, I considered an aluminum radiator in place of the brass/copper one as the aluminum ones were advertised to have 40% better cooling. Turns out, the aluminum core was 40% thicker and I didn't have room for it.
Click to expand...
Why didn’t you have room for the radiator? Specifics?
 
Patrick said: "Theoretically, the old brass/copper radiators can be repaired, but old fashioned radiator shops that can do it are becoming harder to find. The one that re-cored mine 20+ years ago is long gone. Now, shops just remove the "old" aluminum/plastic radiator and install a new one."
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Exactly! I had my 100's original rad recored with an extra layer of tubes some years ago. The difference was negligible and might very well have been attributable to the tubes' simply being new. In any case I have yet to hear anyone raving about their recored rad but I have spoken to a couple of Healey owners who installed Wizard AL units and they said it made a big difference.
 
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Patrick67BJ8 said:
Why didn’t you have room for the radiator? Specifics?
Click to expand...
The thickness of the aluminum radiator core, condenser core and electric fan I thought I would have to modify the X-brace. I didn't want to do that. With the brass/copper core, they would all fit (barely), but I ended up putting the fan in front of the X-brace.
 
Are you sure the stalling is a cooling system or fuel issue? I had a flaky coil that would cause issues when it got hot, especially while idling.
 
I had stalling problems on my 100 that seem to be fuel related (went away when I pulled the choke) so am going down the path of insulating bowls and lines. However, I also had the car quit when it overheated and discovered that it was an overheated condenser, as diagnosed by my mechanic passenger. Cooled the condenser with a damp rag and started right up. You may want to check that.
 
This is all interesting and I wonder if anyone has developed an algorithm for this problem. Nothing like a visual to cover the bases and keep things orderly.
 
John Turney said:
The thickness of the aluminum radiator core, condenser core and electric fan I thought I would have to modify the X-brace. I didn't want to do that. With the brass/copper core, they would all fit (barely), but I ended up putting the fan in front of the X-brace.
Click to expand...
My radiator was increased in capacity and my condenser pretty much covers the radiator. I have a Texas Kooler mechanical fan and a pusher electric fan. The X brace was removed from my Jule Frame. The electric fan has a lot of back-blow and is almost as if it can not push the air through both Radiator and Condenser. I am leaning toward a puller electric fan. There is space to gain by moving the radiator forward with longer bottom bolts and similar modifications for the upper mounts.
 
You've probably seen what Dougie did. I put a thin aluminum shroud between the electric fan and condenser so the air has a hard time escaping:
E-Fan shroud.jpg
 
John Turney said:
You've probably seen what Dougie did. I put a thin aluminum shroud between the electric fan and condenser so the air has a hard time escaping:
View attachment 92290
Click to expand...
I saw Doughies photos he posted and I think it’s the best to get airflow through the radiato. I believe getting installation on the lower radiator mounts is the easiest with two longer bolts. I think he said he made a couple of brackets for the upper radiator mounts and leaned the radiator forward. Pulling air through a radiator is more efficient from all the articles on the subject I have read. Cape makes a puller fan for its aluminum radiator. Wizard might too? I believe I have located the source for Doughies fan/shroud setup.
 
Our cars will run (extra) rich on hot days due to less dense air, and the cylinders will 'load up' with unburnt fuel and idle will drop. Blipping the throttle occasionally will help. An advantage of electronic points sets--e.g. Pertronix--is no condenser and, from my experience, no heat-related issues.
 
I had a stalling situation in my BJ7, it was electrically produced with a break in the low tension lead at the dizzy, but this may not be your problem as it happened randomly, but worth checking the lead anyway, it costs nothing.

:cheers:

Bob
 
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