Michael D. Porter wrote:>
> 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.
Thanks for the advice. I wonder how a cooling fan would affect
my primitive electrical system which has a generator, not an
alternator. Actually, my GT6 doesn't seem to have any problems
keeping cool as long as it's moving. I have driven it up Pike's
Peak and Mt. Evans (both over 14kf) with no overheating but 5
minutes stopped in traffic and it starts puking antifreeze.
Maybe something like a VW two speed fan would draw less current
under normal conditions. Hmmmm.....Bosch components connected
to a Lucas system?
Dave
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