Whodathunkit?

[TR3BGeorge]

Hello Folks! Well, the world is alot rosier today than it was yesterday. Paul (a RRTC friend with a TR3B) came over yesterday and "fixed" my car. AND DETECTED MY CHRONIC OVERHEATING PROBLEM!!!

 

1. First, he adjusted my timing. I only had it retarded 30 degrees too far. (Remember, I retarded it when I thought that my overheating/dieseling was because I had it too far advanced.) So, with that out of the way, and my horn contacts cleaned off, I had him take it for a ride around town. He raved that it ran and handled better than HIS car.

 

2. Pulling in the driveway, we hear the radiator making blow back noises, and the temp guage is wrapped again. Whatthehell? So, my electric fan is running, like it always does when the car is stopped, and he sticks his hand down behind it and notices that hardly ANY AIR is moving from it. He walks around to the front of the car and puts his hand in front of the grille, and HOT AIR IS POURING OUT THE RADIATOR:

 

 

THE FAN IS WIRED IN BACKWARDS!!!

 

 

So, instead of sucking cool air thru the radiator, it has been trying to blow hot air thru the radiator. Now, you physicists can determine: at what road speed will the force of the air blowing thru the radiator equal the forced air coming the other direction from the fan? Literally, I have been driving with NO AIR coming thru the radiator.

 

The part that is amazing: how did I drive thru Oklahoma and Arkansas and return without the engine blowing up? In the heat of the summer, no less! Of course, it caught up to me 2 weeks later, on the way to Ed's garage to get my bypass modification and upgraded water pump added: the engine overheated, and I drove 40 miles, and fried two valve guides, valves, and push rods.

 

At least now I know the cause. Paul and I will reverse the wires tomorrow, and see how it goes.

 

Live and learn.

 

We have a nice 2-day event this weekend that I am truly looking forward to.

 

Peace.

[Guest colinTR2]

George

You are certainly not the first that this has happened to. A few years ago the Kent Group were entering the Bromley Pageant of Motoring in SE London and the chap in front of me was overheating, we subsequently discovered his fan blowing out of the front. Five minutes to reverse the wires and all was fine.

Hope all is OK now and you can enjoy what remains of the autumn.

cheers

Colin

[Dave Larnder]

Hello Folks! Well, the world is alot rosier today than it was yesterday. Paul (a RRTC friend with a TR3B) came over yesterday and "fixed" my car. AND DETECTED MY CHRONIC OVERHEATING PROBLEM!!!

 

1. First, he adjusted my timing. I only had it retarded 30 degrees too far. (Remember, I retarded it when I thought that my overheating/dieseling was because I had it too far advanced.) So, with that out of the way, and my horn contacts cleaned off, I had him take it for a ride around town. He raved that it ran and handled better than HIS car.

 

2. Pulling in the driveway, we hear the radiator making blow back noises, and the temp guage is wrapped again. Whatthehell? So, my electric fan is running, like it always does when the car is stopped, and he sticks his hand down behind it and notices that hardly ANY AIR is moving from it. He walks around to the front of the car and puts his hand in front of the grille, and HOT AIR IS POURING OUT THE RADIATOR:

 

 

THE FAN IS WIRED IN BACKWARDS!!!

 

 

So, instead of sucking cool air thru the radiator, it has been trying to blow hot air thru the radiator. Now, you physicists can determine: at what road speed will the force of the air blowing thru the radiator equal the forced air coming the other direction from the fan? Literally, I have been driving with NO AIR coming thru the radiator.

 

The part that is amazing: how did I drive thru Oklahoma and Arkansas and return without the engine blowing up? In the heat of the summer, no less! Of course, it caught up to me 2 weeks later, on the way to Ed's garage to get my bypass modification and upgraded water pump added: the engine overheated, and I drove 40 miles, and fried two valve guides, valves, and push rods.

 

At least now I know the cause. Paul and I will reverse the wires tomorrow, and see how it goes.

 

Live and learn.

 

We have a nice 2-day event this weekend that I am truly looking forward to.

 

Peace.

 

George

 

You must learn from the old methods, stick a lighted candle in front of the rad. and start the fan manually if you have that facility and watch the flame which way it goes. If you are nervous about using a naked flame, then blow it out first and watch the smoke! It's a dead giveaway.

 

Dave

[88V8]

You must learn from the old methods, stick a lighted candle in front of the rad. and start the fan manually if you have that facility and watch the flame which way it goes. If you are nervous about using a naked flame, then blow it out first and watch the smoke! It's a dead giveaway.

 

Or you could stand in front of it with no trousers. That will save a match. A tree was sacrificed to make that match. One must think of these things. So they say.

 

Ivor

[tthomson]

You are correct Ivor! ...and to be certain, you could always urinate into the air flow and see which way the yellow stream bends!

 

Be sure to face the right way

 

TT

 

Or you could stand in front of it with no trousers. That will save a match. A tree was sacrificed to make that match. One must think of these things. So they say.

 

Ivor

 

[TR3BGeorge]

Dang, you guys! After Ivor's lighting a match, followed immediately about taking off my trousers, I expected the next instruction to be drop my pants, stand in front of the radiator, and light "something" on fire! Like my Dad used to say, "stand in that bucket of water and hold this wire."

 

Well, I am not there yet, but am making progress. Since Paul could not come over until tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and cut and splice the wires, to save him a trip. Got it done, took her out for a spin. Same 4-mile run, needle pegged. Got her home into the garage, fan was blowing fine, IN THE CORRECT DIRECTION!!! So, he still has to come over tomorrow, this time with a heat sensor, and feel around the radiator for hot and cool spots.

 

I have been in a little of a fools paradise, as I have assumed that since EVERYTHING ON THE CAR is 12-years old or less, that nothing major can go wrong. As you all know, alot can happen in 12 years. A new, upgraded, water pump was put in 2 weeks ago, so that shouldn't be it. The belt is fine, and it is only a 160-degree thermostat.

 

Anyway, wish us luck, as I really want to attend the Shootout this weekend in Denison, TX (Eisenhower's birthplace).

 

Later, mes amis,

 

George

[RogerH]

Hi George,

I've come in part way through your engine problem - I take it that it is overheating.

Does the electric fan come on when driving forward at a decent speed or does it only start when going slow or staionary.

Have you checked the thermostat to see that it is actually opening - place in a pan of hot water and see what happens at what temp.

If the fan comes on when driving forward at speed, have you tried driving with the thermostat removed.

Is the water temp gauge reading correctly - place the sender in a pan of hot water and see the response.

When your pal comes over to check the rad temp have a look also at the engine block to see if the temp is uniform or towards one end - blockage around 3 and 4 pot.

 

Roger

[TR3BGeorge]

Hi George,

I've come in part way through your engine problem - I take it that it is overheating.

Does the electric fan come on when driving forward at a decent speed or does it only start when going slow or staionary.

Have you checked the thermostat to see that it is actually opening - place in a pan of hot water and see what happens at what temp.

If the fan comes on when driving forward at speed, have you tried driving with the thermostat removed.

Is the water temp gauge reading correctly - place the sender in a pan of hot water and see the response.

When your pal comes over to check the rad temp have a look also at the engine block to see if the temp is uniform or towards one end - blockage around 3 and 4 pot.

 

Roger

 

Thanks Rog, you make some good points. I cannot tell exactly when the fan comes on; when the motor is running, I cannot hear it. Ed had set it so that the fan came on the same time the thermostat opened.

 

The thermostat is opening, as the fan is coming on. The PO installed the sensor for the fan into the radiator end of the upper hose (no leak around it!), rather than slide it into the fins close to the upper hose opening in the radiator.

 

As for accuracy of the temp guage, Ed (the mechanic who has done all of my "head work") put a heat sensor on it, and when the guage read 185º, his sensor read 150º, so I know that there is a "little error" there. But, when the guage is wrapped, clearly you can stick your head under the hood/bonnet and tell that it is too hot, from the steam coming out from around the radiator cap, to the smoke coming out the oil breather. And it doesn't smell like it should. Back to the guage; it is metric, some day I might exchange it for a Farenheit guage. (We americans don't like dealing in tens, when we can deal in 32s, 212s, 5280s, et al.)

 

The sensor tonight will tell all. We have about exhausted the possibilities; I hope that the radiator tells us something.

 

Thanks again, all of you,

 

GAB