You are very thorough in the test results given. They are interesting to
say the least.
It appears to me that you may have a serious radiator problem. With a
standard original radiator in good condition, under the circumstances you
describe, my experience is that the running temp should be around 180
degrees. This is with only the original fan and the radiator duct panel
which we install and can supply that fills the gap between the box at the
base of the grill and the radiator core itself. The extra efficient fans
certianly help pull more air through the radiator, but the high temps that
you continue to experience indicate that either the radiator is unable to
give up an adequet amount of heat or else there is something that is causing
the engine to give off to much heat. That could be excessivley retarded
ignition timing, a very lean air/fuel mixture, or possibly a leaking head
gasket.
Regards,
Greg Solow
----- Original Message -----
From: Armando Picciotto <apicciotto@nvusd.k12.ca.us>
To: 'morgans' <morgans@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 04, 1999 5:01 PM
Subject: An Alternative to Electric Fan?
> About a year ago, in my eternal quest for a cooler running Mog, I
purchased
> from Morgan Spares a six-blade fan to replace the original one. I have
been
> running tests with it since then and, if you are interested in the
results,
> read on. If you have one of the new fancy radiators with multiple cooling
> rows, you may want to skip the rest of this e-mail since you are probably
> quite happy with your engine's temperature.
>
> The fan cost about $70.00. Its six blades have a very aggressive pitch,
so
> aggressive that Morgan Spares provides you with a spacer that pushes the
fan
> away from the belt in order to provide the necessary belt-fan clearance.
>
> Installation took a bit of time, but it wasn't a difficult job. I
> disconnected the top radiator hose (after draining the coolant) and the
two
> rods that tie the radiator to the fire wall. I also removed the cross bar
> that runs across the cowl. By pushing the radiator slightly forward, I
> managed to remove the old fan and replace it with the spacer and the new
> fan. All this took me less than an hour. Since all Mogs are different,
it
> may take you less time (or more?).
>
> My Plus 4 has an electric fan that I set to go on at about 210 F and off
at
> about 190 F (I have an accurate temperature gauge that flips and hides
under
> the dash when not needed). I tested the car with the old fan by itself,
the
> old fan with the electric fan, the new fan by itself, and the new fan with
> the electric fan. Yes, perhaps I got carried away, but I guess it's the
> scientist in me.
>
> Anyway, there is no question that the new fan makes a discernible
difference
> in the engine's temperature, both at idle and at speed. I know that when
> cruising, the fan should not make a difference since there should be
enough
> air flowing through the radiator. But this is a Morgan, remember? The
new
> fan cooled the engine by roughly an additional 10 degrees. Here is a
chart
> showing what I found:
>
> Air temperature: 84 F plus or minus 2
> RPM: 3500 plus or minus 100
> Level ground cruising for at least 30 minutes
>
> Old fan only: 212 F
> Old fan/electric fan: 205 F
>
> New fan only: 202 F
> New fan/electric fan: 195 F
>
> Electric fan only: 208 F
>
> You may wish to know that some time ago I wrote the Morgan factory to ask
> for a satisfactory high temperature range for the TR3/4 engine. Their
> response was that anywhere between 190 and 226 was OK. The 226 seems a
bit
> high to me, but I am not one to question them.
>
> So, is there a drawback to the new fan? Yes, without question. It sure
> lets you know it's there. It makes a definite whining sound, a bit lower
in
> pitch than a turbine. At about 3000 rpm, it is quite loud. Is the new
> sound worth the extra cooling? I guess you will have to decide that.
This
> past weekend, at Mog West, I met someone from Washington State that had
> installed the fan and then removed it right away because of the noise. As
> for me, my electric fan rarely goes on anymore since the new fan usually
> keeps the temperature below 210 F unless I'm in really hot weather going
> up-hill. So for now, I'll keep it until I install one of the fancy new
> radiator core some of you have been talking about.
>
> Armando Picciotto
> '63 +4
>
>
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