Down in sub tropical Cornwall, my pinto engined, micra radiatored car seem to be on the verge of overheating all the time.

Several thoughts come to mind!

1, I need a bigger fan - easy enough, I have a brand new Pug406 one to mount ahead of the rad, it looks big enough to replace the pinto and use pure air power to propell to car

2, Use a bigger rad - pain in the bum

3, Increase the airflow into the engine bay - could cut away the inner part of the nosecone to allow the air an easier entrance into the car. But, would this make the nosecone too floppy? would it make a significant difference?


What do you think?

[Edited on 13/7/06 by Mark Allanson]
Rescued attachment Airflow.JPG

Mark, It may not be the fan/rad thats the problem. Forgive me if you have already thought of this, but,
cold air hits rad, heats, then goes into engne bay, where it gets even hotter.

Heat rises.
Can the heat escape from the engine bay?

Have you wrapped the exhaust (engine bay side) with adequate heat wrap?

If you mount your rad at an angle, you could get a larger rad in.

Fozzie

[Edited on 13/7/06 by Fozzie]

The nosecone mod is something that was done to quite a few early Westfields - no issues reported from that camp as I know of.
Also bear in mind that the air has to leave the engine bay somewhere as well...

I just did option 3 on my avon.

I cut away the bit you highlighted(last week) and bought an adhesive number plate for on top of the nose cone. The number plate is legal according to about 1 in 10 good enough for me. Cutting this away made little difference to the rigidity of the nose cone in my opinion.

I also cut holes in the bulge on the bonnet at the front to let air in and at back to let air out, a further three holes round holes on each side of the bonnet were drilled to let hot air out. All this has made a massive difference to under bonnet temps. The footwell panels are now cool enough to be touched after giving the car a good pasting. Footwell temps before were unbearable.

If you cut the highlighted bit away and stick an adhesive number plate on I think you should be fine on the move, certainly it will be much improved. However stationary traffic will be much the same.

Looking at the photo the first thing to do is to seal around the radiator so that all the air going into the nosecone can only go through the radiator. The air will take the path of least resistance so if there are gaps around the rad it will take that route and not go through the rad.

Chris

[Edited on 13/7/06 by chriscook]

Cut as you marked and extend the opening towards the radiator with a tube made of sheet aluminum or stainless. Better cooling and looks good too.

I got some louvres from a boat chandlery and mounted them on the bonnet either side of the headers to allow some of the massive heat I get off an iron block. The under bonnet temperatures plummetted.

The other thing to look at is the Pacet fans website. What you are looking at is the CFM (amount of air) which the fans move. I would imagine the PUG fan is good but not nearly as good as an after market.

I am putting a rather large V8 in a Locost and am planning on having a gap of about 1" between the hood and the frame extending from the nose to the scuttle.

Or fit an oil cooler?

The performance professonals take a lot more time designing how to get the hot air OUT, efficiently, than getting cool in.

There's a lesson to be learned somewhere there.

Cheers,
Syd.

Syd, you wouldn't believe the amount of time we have spent on the racing XK's where as you well know, there is no room at all under the bonnet and boy-o-boy do they get hot!
I remember very well, an extremely heated debate with an owner/driver having these 'heat' problems with an XK at the Le Mans 24 hour Classic a few years ago. There was just DLT and me 'on the spanners' for the whole 24 hours, no sleep, no rest............ the owner/driver, a very nice guy, but just could not grasp the concept........ so we 'humoured' him, shooed him out of the pit garage, and ...ahem...got on with it......we finished 1st in our class, had a load of stick from the owner/driver because he thought we had done 'his' mods, and he was right, when in fact, we had done 'ours'................
....say no more!

Fozzie

It goes down the gearbox tunnel and warms your feet and legs (whether they need it or not) I'd go for the bigger radiator, no substitute for volume. Have you got water wetter in, I don't use it but have heard nothing but praise for it.

I would advise to ceep the nose opening, but seal properly around the radiator forcing ALL air to go through the radiator.

Also to make sure the air can easily escape from the engine bay behind the radiator. I have side openings close to the foot well, a small 1300 Opel radiator to my 1600GT X-flow car, and no heating problems at all.

/Hasse

Hi Mark,

I have had similar thoughts ref my Pinto installation. I now have holes in bonnet to aid cool air getting into carb and exhaust heat out. I have also cut holes in front of nosecone under the mouth to help with air flow.

i know that Team Hellfire have had good results with fitting shrouds in nosecone to direct all of the cold air through the rad (builder foam?).

Next area for me was exhaust wrap. I was then thinking along the lines of water wetter or similar.

I tto use Micra rad but dont have header tank. Ive heard or many people using this configuration in anger with no major concerns so i think fundamentally you are OK. might just need some airflow holes and shrouding around fan.

all good suggestions so far...

I use strip of ali aroudn the fan cowling to ensure all the air hasto go through the radiator.

also fitted a tray uner the chassis between nose cone and radiator - side panels make up the sides. Air will exit via one vent in the bonnet and through the engine bay bottom.

if you are worried about nose cone rigidity, it must be possible to build it up on the insdie with GRP surely?

[Edited on 14/7/06 by 02GF74]

Water Wetter , it does what it says on the can. It'll drop the coolant temperature by at least 15 degrees. Cost about £15.00

This how my car looks without the nose cone, the aluminium funnel forces air through the radiator.

Also panelled underneath directly behind the radiator (but not entire engine bay) and exhaust wrapped.

2.0L Zetec with 1.0L Micra Rad and no overheating problems.

[Edited on 16/7/06 by givemethebighammer]
Rescued attachment Jul20625.JPG

Looks like the way to go - thanks

hi there thinking of something us model aeroplane flyers do is to make the surface area of the air exits larger than the surface area of the intake. It wont help much if you are parked up but when you are driving the movement of the air over the exit vents will create a negative air pressure inside the engine bay ie a suction effect which actually draws air through your intake which means you will get alot more air through your radiator.

click the link below for an example go to bottom of page. (ps I don't know who owns this car)
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=47880&page=2

[Edited on 17/7/06 by quinnj3]

I presume you are using anti freeze, if not then put some in to a suitable consintration as it should improve the cooling system efficiency.