Healey Sports Cars

mods & upgrades for Healey (Nash, Austin, or Jensen) cars, including engine swaps

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HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

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So This is Embarassing
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: May 08, 2013 03:45PM

One of the last things I did before putting the Healey [forum.britishv8.org] away last winter was to try to address the cooling issues. Despite fitting a 14" Maradyne electric fan as a pusher, it still wasn't getting the job done. The car was running hot and was even worse in traffic. So I built a shroud out of a discarded cookie baking pan, attached the Maradyne as a puller, and leaned the radiator back so the rear of the fan could motor could pass under the water pump pulley and hoped for the best:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j222/healeyrick/IMG_0320_zpsfc409614.jpg

I finally got to try it out yesterday and to my dismay found it was running even hotter. Limped it home, raised the bonnet and watched the fan whirring away. But I didn't feel any air movement under the hood. Took a piece of paper and put it near the fan in the engine compartment and it was sucked toward the fan. Hmmm. Took the paper and held it against the grille and it blew straight forward. I had engineered a perfect system for passing engine heat through the radiator. Even though I flipped the fan over properly to change it from a pusher to a puller and thought I had wired it correctly ... apparently I didn't. Embarrassing thing is I had the exact same problem when I installed it as a pusher last year. Reversed the leads on the fan motor and it was now operating correctly. After two days of driving it around, my water temp hasn't gone over 200 degrees. I'm cautiously optimistic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/08/2013 03:49PM by HealeyRick.


Moderator
Curtis Jacobson
Portland Oregon
(4576 posts)

Registered:
10/12/2007 02:16AM

Main British Car:
71 MGBGT, Buick 215

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Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: Moderator
Date: May 08, 2013 04:22PM

You're not the first to make this mistake.

I thought you were going to say you forgot to cut a hole in the cookie pan.


HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

authors avatar
Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: May 08, 2013 04:25PM

The way it was cooling I might as well have not cut a hole in the cookie pan.


DC Townsend
David Townsend
Vermont
(406 posts)

Registered:
11/21/2007 12:22PM

Main British Car:
'78 B (almost done) 30-over SBF, dry sump

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Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: DC Townsend
Date: May 09, 2013 11:18AM

Doesn't hold a candle to the whole front brake episode.


roverman
Art Gertz
Winchester, CA.
(3188 posts)

Registered:
04/24/2009 11:02AM

Main British Car:
74' Jensen Healy, 79 Huff. GT 1, 74 MGB Lotus 907,2L

Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: roverman
Date: May 09, 2013 11:20AM

Rick, Don't be so hard on yourself. I bet IF you drove it really fast, in reverse, it would be just fine...lol. At least you didn't melt it. Cheers, roverman.


HealeyRick
Rick Neville

(489 posts)

Registered:
12/19/2007 05:01PM

Main British Car:
1963 Austin-Healey 3000 Ford 5.0L

authors avatar
Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: HealeyRick
Date: May 09, 2013 11:58AM

Thanks for bringing the brakes up, Dave. Remember, "Whatever doesn't kill us still makes us pretty f'n miserable."


DC Townsend
David Townsend
Vermont
(406 posts)

Registered:
11/21/2007 12:22PM

Main British Car:
'78 B (almost done) 30-over SBF, dry sump

authors avatar
Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: DC Townsend
Date: May 09, 2013 08:04PM

At least yours in running. It's more than I can say for mine.



rficalora
Rob Ficalora
Willis, TX
(2764 posts)

Registered:
10/24/2007 02:46PM

Main British Car:
'76 MGB w/CB front, Sebring rear, early metal dash Ford 302

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Re: So This is Embarassing
Posted by: rficalora
Date: May 09, 2013 10:21PM

I did the exact same thing on mine. Set up as a puller... overheated 1st time out... fan was installed backwards. What's worse is mine had a label with an arrow clearly pointing into the radiator!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2013 10:24PM by rficalora.


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