A rubber air dam under the radiator is a great help. It seems to stop
back pressure of air coming up under the radiator, thus encouraging a
full flow through the radiator.
The viscous fan coupling on the later 4/4 Ford 1600 crossflow engine was
standard on the later model Ford Escorts (who shared this engine), and
is still available. I replaced mine recently.
Some folk claim that an expansion bottle is also a benefit, as it helps
to minimise the amount of air in the top tank, thus adding to the amount
of coolant available.
I have an air dam, but have never bothered to fit an expansion bottle to
my 1981 4/4 4 seater, as it runs quite cool even when the temperature is
over 40 centigrade. The only time it has overheated, was when we were
using it to make a movie on a 44c day. The slow running and time
waiting idling between takes, caused it to get to the boil several
times.
Each time, I easily cooled it down by taking it out for a fast run over
several miles. The air flow at speed was sufficient to restore normal
operating temperature.
We in the antipodes (through necessity) probably pay more attention to
regular flushing and maintenaunce of the cooling system of our mogs.
Regards
John Mott
Western Australia
1981 4/4 4 seater
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