Home How Tos Shed Log Products Contact Phoenix Links

Terms & Conditions

Supporting:


Shrouded Electric Fan

The following article was sent to me by Win Muehling in Vancouver and he has kindly given me permission to reproduce it here. I think Plus 8 owners in particular will find it very interesting.

Shrouded electric fan

 When I purchased my 1986 Plus 8 a few years ago it was plagued with chronic overheating.. I had the radiator checked and cleaned and replaced the unpressurized radiator cap with the correct pressurized one. Added water-wetter, but still only a minor improvement. I talked to a Morgan shop and they recommended an uprated electric fan with 8 blades (Plus 8 only came with electric fans). Again, it helped a bit, but it didn’t solve the problem . I did more research and it seemed that the only options left were an oil cooler or a shrouded fan. Shrouded fans are much more efficient in moving air through a radiator rather than just stirring up the air. The problem of course, where do you find a shrouded fan that will fit in the confined space behind the Plus 8 radiator?

I discounted the option of installing a pusher fan in front of the rad since it obstructs the airflow at speed and only helps at idle. Oil coolers were readily available, so I ordered an oil cooler kit from the UK. The kit arrived from the UK, but the oil filter adaptor didn’t fit.. No problem, according to the dealer, we will send you the right one.

 While I am waiting for the rest of my oil cooler parts, I happen to be in the local auto supply store, and they had a sale on shrouded aftermarket fans for Honda Civics. It immediately caught my eye since it was very thin and appeared to be about the same size as a Plus 8 radiator. I took some measurements, went back home and sure enough it was the exact size of the finned area of the mog rad!. It was actually cheaper than the uprated fan I had purchased the year before from the Morgan Dealer, and which hadn’t improved matters. The only modification needed was a notch at the bottom of the shroud to accommodate the bottom hose spigot.

The fan and shroud are attached to the radiator by four nylon zip ties. . While I had the radiator out, I also had a new socket soldered on to take a standard threaded Japanese temperature switch rather than the archaic friction fit switch the rad came with. (One less source of leaks and a choice of on/off temperatures). I also used a Bosch relay to make life easier on the switch. A little extra work with the wiring but always a good investment.

I have had three summers with the shrouded fan and no more over heating problems .The oil cooler is still sitting on the shelf.

 When I purchased my 1966 Plus 4 4-seater , it came with an oil cooler and a large ugly pusher fan mounted in front of the radiator.  Lots of oil all over the radiator from previous oil leaks in the oil cooler plumbing. The car wasn’t overheating, but when it started cooling off in the fall I couldn't get the engine to warm up at all since there was no thermostatic by-pass on the oil-cooler and a 160 degree thermostat. Possibly a great set-up for a hot summer, but not for fall or winter motoring.

I didn’t like the looks of the oil-cooler and fan in front of the radiator, plus by going to a more efficient fan, I figured the oil cooler would become unnecessary and one more possible source of oil leaks could be eliminated. If it worked on the Plus 8, why wouldn’t it work on the Plus 4? The finned area on the plus 4 rad is the same as the Plus 8, although the Plus 8 has a much thicker core.

Although there appeared to be plenty of room, the shrouded fan was actually a tighter fit than on the Plus 8. The only way I could get the fan and radiator back in was to lower the radiator and move it forward by nearly an inch. (The only way to move it forward is to also lower it in order to clear the cowl. Can’t move it too far forward as otherwise your filler extension will be inaccessible. ( At a later date I actually extended the filler extension, in order to make it more accessible) . After experimenting with some home-made radiator mounting brackets, I settled on a very simple bracket extension that utilized the original radiator mounting brackets (see photo)


Win Muehling, Vancouver, Canada


 


 


 Forgot to mention that the brandname I showed doesn't be around anymore and now part of "Flexalite". I just bought another fan for my dHC a few days ago and am attaching a copy of the box. It is available with straight or curved blades and with and without sensor. About CAN$200. Depending on discount.


Cheers


Win