My cooling project

[SydneyRoverP6B]

Hi Peter,

Sounds like a good outcome. Personally, I have never found the need to replace the engine driven fan on my Rover, nor to add electric fans. Rovers for the Australian market were all fitted with 13 blade nylon fans that run through a viscous coupling, limiting fan speed to 2500 rpm. This arrangement is substantially more efficient when compared to the fixed 5 blade fan found on the P6B just about everywhere else in the World.

Ron.

 

[OZIP6B]

Hi Peter,

Sounds like a good outcome. Personally, I have never found the need to replace the engine driven fan on my Rover, nor to add electric fans. Rovers for the Australian market were all fitted with 13 blade nylon fans that run through a viscous coupling, limiting fan speed to 2500 rpm. This arrangement is substantially more efficient when compared to the fixed 5 blade fan found on the P6B just about everywhere else in the World.

Ron.

Last summer, even with a new 3 core radiator ran a little hot during the day but never ran into the red...
I've just installed a the SPAL 16" Pusher fan along with a Davies Craig digital fan controller as a back up for the coming summer just to be safe.

 

[PeterZRH]

Hi Ron. If the UK markets cars had this arrangement then of course there'd be absolutely no need for this. Clearly Rover were aware of this issue for export markets but were too cheap to offer this in the UK. In fact it isn't the only example of this. I can only assume the early hooked fan was swapped out for the straight bladed one for cheapness. Viscous solutions were at least until very recently quite common.

I think I'm right in saying UK SD1s had this sort of set-up but the pump is too long to adapt to the P6. Genuine P6 parts would be scarce here but I confess I didn't look too much into this (might have been a better idea?).

In some ways I think it's more a reflection in the changes on the roads rather than the car itself. Traffic simply wasn't so much of an issue in the 1960s and as long as you are moving then the fan isn't an issue at all; I drove my car for a few hot days without one at all, I simply avoided rush hour.

I was raised in the main holiday area of the UK Devon and Cornwall. Every year without fail on a warm summer's day you'd see a line of cars with the bonnets up at the traffic pinch points.

 

[PeterZRH]

Last summer, even with a new 3 core radiator ran a little hot during the day but never ran into the red...
I've just installed a the SPAL 16" Pusher fan along with a Davies Craig digital fan controller as a back up for the coming summer just to be safe.

Be interesting to know how you get along with that controller (although for one strange moment I read that as Craig David). The more stable you can get the temperature, the more you'll reduce wear and the more accurately you can tune the carbs to the running conditions. This is why modern cars moved on from multi-speed switches to more elaborate controllers as part of emissions control.

So you got the same fan as I or the lower powered one? This is in the 100-120W range and should just about be enough.

 

[westOz74P6B]

OZIP6B mentioned;

I've just installed a the SPAL 16" Pusher fan along with a Davies Craig digital fan controller as a back up for the coming summer just to be safe.

and

PeterZRH asked;

Be interesting to know how you get along with that controller (although for one strange moment I read that as Craig David).

So, here's the Aussie website links for info;

Switched and Controllers: https://www.google.com.au/url?url=https ... qy270WOsMg

Davies Craig main website: https://www.google.com.au/url?url=https ... rdaitELSHQ

Regards,
Scott

 

[OZIP6B]

Last summer, even with a new 3 core radiator ran a little hot during the day but never ran into the red...
I've just installed a the SPAL 16" Pusher fan along with a Davies Craig digital fan controller as a back up for the coming summer just to be safe.

Be interesting to know how you get along with that controller (although for one strange moment I read that as Craig David). The more stable you can get the temperature, the more you'll reduce wear and the more accurately you can tune the carbs to the running conditions. This is why modern cars moved on from multi-speed switches to more elaborate controllers as part of emissions control.

So you got the same fan as I or the lower powered one? This is in the 100-120W range and should just about be enough.

I got the same fan, it fits perfecty, excellent write up, my fan unit is only as an auxillery not a main fan, I'm keeping the clutched fan for the moment, in the near future I'll intstall an electric water pump and controller.
Here is my fans first test run set at the lowest level on the fan controller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KtskYzSEEw

 

[PeterZRH]

I really wish I didn't open that with the headphones so loud!!!

I reckon I had 2mm clearance where the valance goes backwards in a "V". What do you reckon?

That's massive overkill for an auxiliary, surely??

 

[OZIP6B]

lol... like a jet plane ive heared a lot worse.
I thinlk I'll have about 1mm clearance which is good enough for me...

yeah its slightly overkill as an auxillery but at least it half ready for an electric water pump conversion and i love the sound of a large fan.
I'll have to upgrade the alternator for the electric water conversion though.

 

[PeterZRH]

Excellent. Can the controller crank down the speed as well (PWM?).

Electric water pump as well? What are you planning to upgrade the alternator with?

I've got an electric fuel pump and was originally planning and electric steering pump until I got a complete hydraulic kit (thanks chrisw). I think I'll show the electrics some mercy.

 

[jp928]

I know I am late to this party, but think I can offer some experience based observations. The fan above is rated at 1610 CFM. In my Porsche 928 (very crowded engine bay, 4.7L V8) the original viscous fans are marginal for Oz temps, and very expensive to replace when the viscous dies. I have fitted a SPAL dual 11" set , rated at 2700CFM , and they hold the temps very stable - the car has a gauge that moves truly, rather than heavily suppressed as is the current norm. The shroud covers 90% of the core. I only run them on/off , single speed, switched by a 98c-93C unit. Inaudible inside the car. The assembly is 108mm deep, ~ 10 mm thicker than the fan above. The assembly is only designed to run as a puller, as the shroud has blow open flaps facing backwards. Down side is 2 motors, pulls near 30A. A dual range switch could be used to switch the two fans independently. Peter's fitment of a boss in M22x1.5 is exactly the right move - there are MANY switches that fit this size.
jp

 

[ratwing]

This won't help anyone running a single electric fan but I run 2 and found a circuit diagram that uses 3 relays and a 2 stage temperature switch, when the 'low' temperature comes on the fans run in series (about half speed) and when the 'hot' side switches on they run in parallel (full speed).
I also found a 4 relay circuit but thought this one better because it's got one less.
I've no idea if it would work if you just wired in a second cheapo ebay fan in the engine bay just to get 2 speeds on the main single radiator fan?

 

[jp928]

The other thing Porsche did was fit a 'water deflector' inside the radiator top hose inlet. Its an ally tube that reaches to the front of the side tank with 1/4 of its circumference cut out from 6o'clock to 9o'clock viewed from the rear, assuming the inlet is in the left side tank. The theory is that it prevents/reduces the amount of coolant flow that goes straight into the cross tubes, and forces it to travel down the tank more before going into the tubes. Dont know if anybody has tested it, but I'm not about to remove mine.