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Post by andychalmers on Aug 5, 2011 16:27:37 GMT
I think a normal cars rads are about 88 deg c so it might be right. Cars seem to run hotter than you would expect due to the temp gauge been a ref point rather than having deg C next to it.
I would say you may need a upgraded rad thats fatter and made out of alloy. Measure your max available area a rad could fit, then have a look on ebay and find a cheap universal rad that will fit with the right connectors etc for about £70 to £100. I did this after my £550 rad was'nt good enough grrr. Also to be honest I dont think you will get a holed rad, if you do you are unlucky. I've done thousands of competitive miles and never holed a rad, and mine are not that protected. I would just put some fine grill mesh over the front and leave it on. Alloy rads can be repaired easily & cheaply. I put my car in the ditch, then rolled it. Was well pissed as I stisted & squished some of my rad plus holes it. I was going to bin it and my mate took to local rad shop, cost £30 to sort out.
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Post by s t o n i c on Aug 5, 2011 22:25:42 GMT
Guys, from what I have gleaned on the web, the zetec engine runs hotter than the crossflow and pinto engines of my youth. If you run it too cool, the engine oil does not get hot enough and you get more engine ware. Maybe the thermostat temps differ between 1.8 2.0 and st170 but Mr Haynes says for 2.0, thermostat fully open at 98... So if youhit 105 with enthusiastic driving that should b ok... I was hoping we could get the temperatures just to see the range we are all working to. Oops... Had to modify post 3 times... Note to self - don't post late night after being out on town. Hopefully message clear even if some words don't make sense.  |
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Post by motorhead on Aug 18, 2011 9:11:49 GMT
Have fitted the new rad and kenlowe high performance fan, but not had the chance to test it yet. Is being mapped today, so should know in the next couple of days or so. Will keep you all posted.
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Post by motorhead on Sept 2, 2011 13:55:34 GMT
Well, we've had the car back. It makes 184bhp on a standard cam!! AND it looks like we've fixed the cooling problems. This is what we've done: 1. We fitted a hi performance kenlow 14" fan. It's MUCH bigger than the original ford, has an adjustable temperature setting, and an added "jetboost" facility which kicks in when the temperature goes 5' above target. You can also see a bit of hardboard, which fills the gap above the radiator, and prevents air from the front of the rad escaping through the "bonnet" vent. Oh yes, nearly forgot, we had to move the bottom rad mounts forward about 3" to get the fan to fit.  2.Talking of the bonnet vent, with some highly scientific and technological items called "bits of string" we discovered the vent doesn't actually work that well, with air only escaping through the rear half of it. We have lifted the reg. plate slightly with some bolts through the bonnet, which also double up as a stop for the hardboard underneath. This causes a low pressure area behind it, and the vent now works to it's full potential. Using captive nuts we can crank it up for track and down flat for the road.  3. We have also drilled a number of large holes in the bulk head, around various piping, to let more of the air out again, and I'm finding it keeps your legs lovely and warm!  All in all, I set the Kenlowe at it's lowest setting, and abused the car somewhat and the engine temperature, (taken from the sensor in the head), never went above 94'. Yes, I know that's probably too low, but it means we have some breathing room. Next wednesday we are going to Blyton Park for a trackday, so fingers crossed this should be confirmation. |
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Post by motorhead on Sept 8, 2011 10:24:22 GMT
Well, after thrashing the rocket round Blyton Park all afternoon, we didn't see the temperature rise above 95' so we can go ahead and set it at a higher working temp now, safe in the knowledge that our overheating problem has definitely been solved. Thanks to everyone for your helpful suggestions, gave us a lot to think about.
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Post by andychalmers on Sept 8, 2011 13:01:06 GMT
Hmm you've gave me a idea, I may make a scoop in the middle of my bulkhead with a bit of trunking and fit some heater outlets. Can use them as a controlled heater to keep the legs from freezing over, my rockets going to get its usage in winter too.
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Post by motorhead on Sept 8, 2011 13:48:32 GMT
Good idea, I got quite wet yesterday, and Paul got caught about 6.30ish when it absolutely threw it down. I always wear gloves when I drive it so my hands don't freeze.
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Post by mabbs on Sept 8, 2011 17:55:39 GMT
Good report. Thanks for keeping us updated on the progress. Will be using some of the solutions in my build
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Post by The Joker on Sept 8, 2011 19:54:47 GMT
Thanks for sharing your findings on this problem...seems to be a common issue when the car is pushed hard.
By conicidence the guy I purchased some parts from noticed my pressed mesh front grill and commented that even this will impede air flow to the radiator. Turns out he was one of the guys that worked on optimising air flow on Mitsubishi vehicles (Intercoolers) some years ago and he said they spent thousands finding the right angle/grade of grille mesh fitted into the front bumper. I guess from this we could say that the perforated sheet may as well have no holes in it from an air flow point of view.
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Post by Stiggy on Sept 8, 2011 21:32:07 GMT
The rad needs tilting so that air will pass through and up. You will need to cut some plastic off the top to tilt it. Air will just bounce back as is. You would need a large hole in the bulk head to make any real difference but you are heading in the right direction. Blocking off the floor area in front of the rad works well. We did this experiment in a wind tunnel. Mesh is an important consideration, I now use expended alloy sheet. If you look at specs for perf it tells you the open area and often it is less than 50%
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Post by motorhead on Sept 9, 2011 8:04:17 GMT
Hi Stu/Joker
It is still tilted forward, although not as much as standard I admit, but the kenlowe is so much thicker than the standard ford fan we had no choice but to move the bottom forward.
As for the grill, we remove that for trackdays. When I get round to it, we'll replace the rivets that held it on with some different fasteners, so we can just undo it when necessary, although we do have the old style mesh, and you're both quite right, it does make quite a difference taking it out.
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Post by andychalmers on Sept 9, 2011 14:56:32 GMT
Good idea, I got quite wet yesterday, and Paul got caught about 6.30ish when it absolutely threw it down. I always wear gloves when I drive it so my hands don't freeze. I have some 1 piece waterproofs I use for my motorbike which are ace, dont flap about etc and Im pretty watertight from the neck down. For £30 they are worth having stored in the back of the rocket. Also some waterproof motorbike gloves. Used with a helmet you'll never get wet again lol. My rocket hopefully will be used in all weather. |
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Post by motorhead on Sept 9, 2011 16:26:08 GMT
Now you've got me thinking, wonder if I can still squeeze my bloated frame into me old race leathers, haha!
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Post by jonb2010 on Oct 9, 2011 21:44:07 GMT
Well, we've had the car back. It makes 184bhp on a standard cam!! What mods have you had done to the engine to get 184bhp ? |
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Post by motorhead on Oct 10, 2011 8:33:40 GMT
Hi John,
Actually it's been back to Mikeanics since, as there was a dodgy connection to the temp sensor, it now makes 191bhp and 154lbft of torque on tesco's momentum 99 super unleaded.
It has jenvey throttle bodies, with a clip on piper cross filter. The back of the engine cover has been cut out to allow the filter to fit as it sticks out pretty far, thus the trumpets are now no longer impeded in any way.
It also has an ashley 4-2-1 tubular manifold finished off with an exhaust system from JP Exhausts in Macclesfield, which made an enormous difference after the standard arrangement. Also, it has no cat.
The whole thing is looked after by an Omex ECU.
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