> The temp gauge was recently rebuilt and recalibrated by Nisinger, so
> maybe it has always done this but the gauge didn't pick it up.
Or maybe the rebuilt gauge was not calibrated properly at the high end of the
scale ?
It's normal for the temperature to run up when the engine is shut off,
especially if you've been driving at highway speeds just before shutting down.
As long as it doesn't boil over when parked, and the temp is reasonably normal
when driving, I'd say you don't have a problem.
Not trying to start another vendor bashing thread, but I've heard several
complaints about Nisongers; since they were sold and Mr. Nisonger is no longer
involved.
> I'm thinking about installing an electric fan to just deal with this
> problem (hopefully) once and for all.
Even if you wire the fan to run with the engine off, it will still be of limited
help. The problem is that the metal of the engine is hotter than the coolant
under normal operation. Once you've shut the engine off, there is no flow of
coolant to carry away the heat, and so the coolant trapped inside the engine has
to absorb the heat (making it hotter). A fan will cool what's in the radiator,
but it will have very little effect on what's in the engine until the engine is
started again.
> The fan from Moss has a fixed
> thermostat at 185 and the one from Victoria British has a variable
> one. Has anyone had experience with either of these two fans? Do you
> need to cut anything to make them fit?
I've not had experience with either of the fans you mention. However, unless
you remove the original fan and it's extension, there isn't room to mount the
electric fan behind the radiator. And mounting it in front will actually reduce
cooling at highway speeds, IMO. It may or may not reduce it enough to be a
problem, but it will reduce it (by interfering with the ram-air flow through the
radiator).
Generally, aftermarket fans install without cutting anything. The Hayden I used
on my TR3A certainly did.
Another thing to consider is how much current the fan draws, and where that
current is going to come from. The stock generator is marginal at best (my
measurements indicate that it cannot keep up with the full load of the car, so
in the winter time your battery actually runs down going down the road). And
the fan is a big additional load.
Randall
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