|Date: 6-1-93 1:48pm
|From: Dean Zywicki:dcrt:nih
| To: {british-cars@autox.team.net}:BITNET
|Subj: Cooling system on 1500 midget
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I tried a very interesting experiment this past weekend. While
fixing my oil leak, I decided to install an electric fan to help when I
get caught in traffic all around town (traffic in the D.C. area, hah?).
Well, I decided to first try it without the belt driven water pump fan.
The car revved beautifully, felt like it actually had some power. But,
it was running 15-20 degrees hotter (around the 190-200 degree range
even with the electric fan running constantly). 190 I could deal with,
but 200 is not very pleasant and makes me worry. So, I drained the
radiator and put the waterpump fan back on.
The water pump mounted fan has a clutch on it, so I thought the
clutch would kick in pretty quickly. Apparantly I was wrong. Now, it's
back to revving like a slug, but stays real cool. I set the adjustable
thermostat for the fan at 180 and when it kicks in the temperature
barely rises any more. It's a 10 inch electric fan and fits perfectly
in the radiator shroud in front of the radiator.
I guess I was mistaken that the water pump mounted fan wasn't doing
anything at decent engine speeds. Why bother having the clutch at all
then?
One thing I was thinking is that I had too much antifreeze/coolant
in the mixture. The second time I refilled the system I used a mixture
with a lot less prestone. I guess I need to invest in one of the
coolant testers.
Any ideas or comments would be appreciated, since I would love to be
able to dump the water pump fan. It just revved too nicely without it.
Dean
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