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Post by foglaursen on Jul 11, 2014 17:32:13 GMT
These days have been very hot in Denmark (30 C), and I am pleased to notice that the cooling of the Landcrab engine is effective with the needle staying in the “normal” area. Also the interior climate is fine with effective fresh air ventilation. Nevertheless this made me think: The cylinder head has a valve by which you can open or close for coolant circulation through the heater. I have always left it open, so hot coolant is circulation through the heater also in the summer. Should it in fact be closed? I guess this would speed up coolant flow through the radiator, and thus making engine cooling even more effective. Any thoughts? Peter  |
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Post by tommydp on Jul 14, 2014 19:45:26 GMT
Hi Peter!
I've just been to Copenhagen, and yes it was hot! We also went through Sweden, and it was around 30 C there, too. Came home today, and it's actually been above 30 here too.
I've always kept the cylinder head valve open, and at present I now have the Marina type "elbow" connection, instead of the brass valve, so obviously is open all the time.
I've never had any overheating issues and don't know really, if it's an advantage to close the valve. On the other hand, the heater matrix can aid cooling. If I'm in a traffic jam and anxious about the needle starting to pass 'N' I switch the heater motor on, and the needle goes down as the incoming air cools the heater matrix.
I've also thought about extra cooling for the engine. As said, never had any trouble, but just to be kind to it. Also, I spend some time in traffic jams now and then and yeah, Norway can be very hot too:-)
My thoughts are around installing an additional electric fan, switch or sensor operated.
The big question then: Should it be installed in the inner wing, to draw air through the radiator or should it be right behind the grille, to draw extra air into the engine bay? After all, the 1800's cooling works in the way that air is drawn through the front/ grille, then through the radiator and out inside the left hand front wing. When the car is in a traffic jam, there's no ram effect on the front, so I'd go for a fan in the front, to supply the engine bay with air.
But.. as said, I'm not sure.
Any thoughts?
Tommy
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Post by foglaursen on Jul 15, 2014 9:26:24 GMT
Hi Tony, Thanks for your comments. My thoughts are that the valve must be there for a reason. Otherwise it would have been cheaper with the “elbow”. Maybe I will give it a try. Concerning extra cooling: The Wolseley has a plastic screen behind the grille, and I have installed a similar screen in the Morris (to protect the distributor from water), so the ram effect is rather limited. I would think that the most effective place for the electric fan is at the radiator. There it could solve the potential problem with the original fan’s slow rotation at idle. Peter |
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Post by Penguin45 on Jul 15, 2014 11:34:03 GMT
The closer you mount a fan to the radiator, the more efficiently it works. The effieciency drops very rapidly with distance.
Sounds like you're both enjoying a great summer.
Chris.
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Post by dave1800 on Jul 16, 2014 3:46:37 GMT
And the cowling is so important. I've seen Austin 1300s here where they fitted a larger radiator but removed the cowl, which can make up to 50% difference and lost efficiency. I have seen a Landcrab here with an electric fan mounted inside the wheel arch to pull the air through but have no idea whether it worked or not. Nick's car has an electric water pump arrangement that tries to optimise the water flow at all engine speeds to what is required. I found the 1800 engine in the Landcrab installation only susceptible to slight overheating on hot days in traffic if the mixture was set a little on the weak side as happened after an MOT when the mechanic tried to reduce the HC levels using an exhaust gas analyser. I think in normal circumstances if you are not trying to run an aircon and the cooling system is in good condition and not clogged up the standard set up should suffice. Anyone in the hotter parts of the world - like Australia - have any thoughts? David The closer you mount a fan to the radiator, the more efficiently it works. The effieciency drops very rapidly with distance. Sounds like you're both enjoying a great summer. Chris. |
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Post by foglaursen on Oct 8, 2015 10:59:35 GMT
Further to my question on the tap for coolant to the heater I did a test with my MGB. The heater is regulated by a valve that controls the water flow to the heater. This is in contrast to the Landcrab where the coolant has the maximum temperature through the heater, and the temperature is regulated by mixing cold and warm air.
The cooling system in my MGB should be in good working order including a new radiator. Going at a steady speed on the motorway with the valve closed the temperature of the coolant read 83C. I then opened the valve, thus heat was on (without fan). Coolant temperature rose to 86C. I repeated this several times with the same result. Thus with the valve closed the cooling was better although the “radiator” area was increased. This must be due to the higher flow through the radiator.
I you drive the Landcrab with heater off, and the valve open, you will reduce the flow through the radiator, and cooling will be less effective. Even if you want extra cooling on a hot day, it may therefore not be a good idea to turn on the heat, assuming that the radiator is in order.
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Post by dave1800 on Oct 9, 2015 1:08:35 GMT
That's a very interesting experiment which demonstrates clearly that cooling depends on the surface area of the radiator(s) AND the flow. Did you try the effect in stationary traffic where I would guess that opening the valve and turning on the heater fan should reduce the water temperature - but maybe not!!! Another altenative for the crab was a smaller diameter water pump pulley when running in hot climates, now I wonder how mch effect it had?
regards
David
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Post by tommydp on Oct 9, 2015 22:21:47 GMT
While on the subject, do anyone know the dimension or where to get the o ring for the 1800's brass tap/ valve at the cylinder head? All mine have damaged/ dried out o rings, that's the reason why I switched to the Marina elbow type on both cars. Doesn't look original though and the elbow type pipe is also larger in diameter so the hose is a tight fit.
Tommy
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Post by Penguin45 on Oct 9, 2015 23:54:02 GMT
Odd - both my cars only have the elbow.
Chris.
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Post by dave1800 on Oct 10, 2015 1:07:59 GMT
So did my two Mk111 cars, part of the cost cuts along with single timing chain and valve springs. David Odd - both my cars only have the elbow. Chris. |
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Post by foglaursen on Oct 10, 2015 8:22:42 GMT
No, I haven’t tried in stationary traffic. With the fan on it might help cooling, especially if the radiator is not in optimal condition. That's a very interesting experiment which demonstrates clearly that cooling depends on the surface area of the radiator(s) AND the flow. Did you try the effect in stationary traffic where I would guess that opening the valve and turning on the heater fan should reduce the water temperature - but maybe not!!! Another altenative for the crab was a smaller diameter water pump pulley when running in hot climates, now I wonder how mch effect it had? regards David |
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