Trevor Jordan wrote:
>
> However, be aware that almost every discussion of electric fans on this
> list, brings out GT6 owners who have had overheating problems with electric
> fans. Similar comments do not seem to come from Spit and TR owners. My
> knowledge of GT6s is almost nil, but I suspect that there may be something
> fundamentally inadequate about design of the GT6 cooling system.
>
> I suggest that you get some first-hand advice from GT6 owners before you go
> down this path.
I agree, Trevor, and here's a little been there-done that. The GT6 I
bought last June was not particularly well-cared for, and the cooling
system was no exception. No thermostat installed, and would overheat in
our New Mexico summer weather in about five minutes of idling after
being run up to normal temperature.
Not able to really get into the car in July, I put an electric fan on it
simply so I could manage in traffic on the way to the VTR. The electric
fan was added to, rather than replacing, the existing fan. It does help.
Part of the advantage of a properly-designed electric fan is that the
blades can be shaped to take advantage of the fan motor's constant
speed. There's some inherent cooling efficiency/power consumption
advantages.
Nevertheless, when I did an emergency re-ring last September, I found
that the block was filled about one-third up the jacket with rusty
sludge. The radiator was partially plugged. The water pump was badly
rusted and probably not nearly as efficient as when new. After those
items were corrected as best as was possible under the circumstances,
overheating stopped being a problem. The most interesting thing, though,
was that every time I opened the hood, someone would say, "that's the
tiniest radiator I've ever seen." So, the general lesson would be that
the cooling system is probably under-designed on the GT6, as you say,
and that the only way to stay on top of the problem is to keep up the
cooling system. If that can't be done, then an electric fan is a
reasonably cost-effective stopgap solution, provided it's wired to a
thermostat or a switch, so it doesn't run all the time. The one I used
for a while pulled about ten amps--with a 28A alternator, constant
running would probably represent a significant load on the charging
system.
Cheers.
--
My other Triumph runs, but....
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