• Hi Guest!
    You can help ensure that British Car Forum (BCF) continues to provide a great place to engage in the British car hobby! If you find BCF a beneficial community, please consider supporting our efforts with a subscription.
    There are some perks with a member upgrade!
    **Upgrade Now**
    (PS: Subscribers don't see this gawd-aweful banner
Tips
Tips

Best ways to keep a 'B' Cold

Share this page

1

1980MGBLE

Freshman Member
Offline
So my 1980 Limited Edition has a funny habit of wanting to get a little too hot for my taste. The cooling fans work off the radiator thermostat, but I dont like how the thermostat waits until the car is almost boiling over to turn on the fans. I think Moss or Victoria British sells an oil cooler whch can help keep it cool. (Wasn't this a factory option?) Anyway, will an oil cooler help much? Let me know what you guys think is the best way to keep my car cold in 100 degree heat.

Thanks
 
Well, the first thing to do is to make sure there is no debris in the cooling system. Make sure your timing is correct. Make sure you are not running too lean.

OK assuming all the above is correct, I would go to a 180 degree thermostat and go to a switch for the fan that turns it on earlier.

I would also go to 25% antifreeze to 75% water- but make sure you go the proper mix for cold weather before winter.
 
The timing and the mixture are spot on- But a good flush of the cooling system would probably be a good idea. Does Moss or Victoria British sell a fan switch with a lower temperature threshold?
 
Moss sells a thermostat that clicks on at 160 - part# 434-180 (i'd double check when ordering though, i found it under the 1275/1500 cooling system for the midget).

john
 
There are a number of adjustable thermo fan switches available which could be set to any temp. that you wish. Almost any parts store should have one. Try a search on jcwhitney.com for a fan switch. About $20.

An alternate would be to add a toggle switch in parallel with the fan switch so that you can turn the fan on any time & temp. that you wish.
D
 
Before you modify the system, flush the system as previously recommended and check your fans. My 80 had 2 fans that the PO had butcherd and moved back in the mounting and when I went to adjust them I found the bearing to be impacted and not moving freely. I've rebuilt the fans and mounted them the correct distance from the radiator.
Where I live it gets over 100 (with the humidity it feels worse) in the summer and I drive around on local streets with a lot of idleing at lights and I have never overheated.
My 77 B the PO put a belt drive fan in it and it overheated all the time. I switched to a 10in. aftermarket push type electric fan and didn't have any overheating till the rings went out. (3 years)
 
I had a chronic problem with mt B running warm. After flushing, new watew pump, ignition timing,thermostat I found two things that really worked. One is a sleeve available through Moss that blocks off the bypass port around the thermostat and the other is Water Wetter additive.
 
Back
Top