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Overheating Question:

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Tinster

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The Crypt Car is now operational to the degree
it's no longer white knuckle driving and waiting
for the break down to occur.

I noticed Crypty's normal running temp is 180* which
I checked with an IR gun many times for accuracy.

We have many traffic jams here on the island. Sadly,
a way of life on small islands. Our average temps in
the air are 85* year round and most of our roads are
blacktop that read 145* with the IR gun under full sun.

Any suggestions to keep from hitting the 210* mark?
David suggests an oil cooler radiator. Does that make
sense for a TR6? David drives a MGB which might be a
little bit different.

thanks, /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thankyousign.gif

d
 
I am not so sure a oil cool radiator works real well in stop and go traffic. I would think that starting with:
Fan shroud in good condition, verify t-stat ok, coolant and level ok , check radiator ,water pump should be first.
Next a auxilary fan setup with manual or thermostatic hookup would help even in traffic.
I will let others comment on the oil cooler
 
Got a brand new aluminum heat shroud, new coolant,
new t-stat verified with IR gun, new radiator, old
DPO Pedro water pump.

Would the fan be in addition to the one I have?

d
 
They sell auxilary electric fans that can either push or pull air through the radiator. They can be set up manually, or with a thermostatic switch.
 
Personally, I'd go with an electric fan. Auxillary or only fan if you desire. The problem with the engine driven fans on the TR's is that they move the least amount of air when you need it the most (at slow speed) and the most amount of air when you need it the least (at highway speed).

Put on a thermostat control along with a manual over ride switch. The relay and wiring should be in your Dan Masters wiring harness and power block.

By having the manual switch over ride, when you see the traffic slow down, just flick on the fan. Everything stays cool. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thirsty.gif
 
Dale.
With your temperatures there, I would think you could safely go to a 165 degree t-stat and not have to worry. If you want, put an auxiliary fan (push type) in front of the rad. Then hook up a manual switch to turn it on only when the temp rises above 200 degrees. Also, an oil cooler will help but only on really long trips.
Dave
 
It's a small island. What's a long trip?
 
Our island is 100 miles long by 35 miles wide.
The central area is rugged mountains, a bit of
foothils and then ocean..

"Long" trips are measured in hours of drive
time NOT miles. It sometimes takes me 3 hours
to drive 45 miles from Humacao to Bayamon.

Two hours to drive 10-15 miles to work is fairly common.

d
 
Dale, you are gunshy.

Instead of worrying, wait until it goes wrong. Carry a couple of quarts of water for if it does.

Then and only then if it does, swap out your fan extension for an eliminator kit (from Rick Patten) and put a 16" Spal or Permacool fan on your radiator. Set it to pull through with a 165 degree thermostat. The whole setup will be in the order of $200 all up and will take you about an hour to fit.

Just make sure you get some of the U-shaped brackets that clamp around your rad, not the push through plastic ones.

If you have that and a shroud, there is no way it's ever going to boil. I can idle in 90 degree heat at 1/2way up the dial all day long with this setup.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]Any suggestions to keep from hitting the 210* mark?[/QUOTE]

You could go back to parking it in the garage, but that's not why you worked so hard all winter.

I like the 165 stat idea along with a 14"-16", manually controlled push fan. Wiring something like this would be a nothing job for you these days and with a new Masters harness and high amp alternator, you're 3/4's of the way there.

Be careful mounting the fan itself. You want no vibrations if it's against the core and make sure everything has clearance.

I have zero overheat issues at this time, but I'm thinking about one of these "just in case".
 
My 3A came with a mounted electric pusher. When I pulled the radiator last week, I noticed that the electric had some foam rubber between it and the core that had deteriorated. It was mounted nicely on brackets welded to the side of the radiator support pieces so the foam wasn't really needed.

But when I tested the fan after I removed it, I noticed that the Dpo had it set as a puller and mounted as a pusher. So no wonder, everytime I flicked it on, then temp never went down! d'oh as Homer would say.
 
Peter,

Much better to have found that now, than in a traffic jam on the hottest day in Maine's history.

BTW, that's not the first time that I've seen that done. That's why I posted specific pictures on my website in the heater rebuild section to insure that anyone doing the job, take the time to make sure they are wired correctly before installing.

Also the pitch of the blades is important, since you could wire it correctly, but have it mounted backwards on the frame.
 
Reverse slipstreaming.....push the guy ahead of you out of your way
 
Air flow, Air flow, Air flow.. Its all about getting as much air flowing through the radiator as possible weather standing still or moving at highway speeds
 
Tinster said:
Got a brand new aluminum heat shroud, new coolant,
new t-stat verified with IR gun, new radiator, old
DPO Pedro water pump....
Click to expand...
Have you flushed the cooling system thoroughly since getting Crypty back on the road? New radiator aside, how's the water flow through the block? Could be a lot of sediment in there.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/frown.gif
 
First thing to do is make sure the stock system is working properly. As you have learned, most problems are a result of poorly thought out modifications.

Make sure that the fan shrouds are all in proper condition. Otherwise, all the hot air just gets recirculated around the radiator and won't do any good.

Second as Andy says, make sure there is no crud blocking the engine or radiator. While I had my engine apart, I spent a long time poking around the water passages. There is really allot of crud which can accumulate in 40 years. If you have a pressure washer, I would take off the water pump housing, and blast water through the passages in the head.
If you haven't had it done yet, you can also have a radiator shop open up the radiator, and make sure it isn't plugged up this is really cheap, and worth the effort. If it is, they can usually clean it out. I had this done on my radiator it only cost about $40 and now I know that it is working properly. While they are looking at the radiator, they can tell you if the cooling fins are in good shape. If they are all mushed up, or no longer connected to the cooling tubes they won't help cool the coolant.
While the radiator is out, they can add an adapter for a temp switch if you decide you need a fan in the future.

I would not add an oil cooler. First of all it is cooling the wrong part of the engine (the bottom) for the type of issue you are talking about. Secondly, modern oils are designed to run much hotter than anything a Triumph will create. Also, the oil needs the heat to boil off moisture which accumulates and oil molecules which have started to break down. Finally, if you put it in front of the radiator, it will reduce the airflow to the radiator reducing its capacity.
Yisrael
 
Tinster
I hear you. I can't sit in traffic for too long either, without the temp gauge heading towards the 'H' during summer.
I'm going the electric fan route for next summer.
I have an oil cooler installed, doesn't help when sitting in traffic at idle. As the man said 'airflow, airflow, airflow....'
Regards
Craig
 
Dale, try ditching the antifreeze and going straight water.






<span style="color: #FFFF66">Uh, ditching doesn't mean dropping it into a ditch, as they would around here.</span>
 
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