Temperature w/out Fan

[30ccpickup]

With the fans on back order, I have a friend who is testing his engine for the first time. How hot will the engine run without the fan?


Thanks,
Paul

[1931 flamingo]

Stationary w/out air flow thru the radiator probably not so long. If driving and depending on outside air temp and your speed probably for the whole "trip" if timing right and adjusted properly for driving. JMO
Paul in CT

[30ccpickup]

Thanks, it is stationary and the outside temp is 50. He reached 210 in about six minutes.

[johnbuckley]

I have driven hundreds of miles through France in the summer without a fan. Didn't travel through many cities though. Fans only effective below about 4mph - above that they can actually hinder the flow.

[Mikeinnj]

Put a window fan (box fan) in front of the radiator and run it on medium speed while running the new engine.
Of course you do have a fan pulley on the water pump to circulate the water in the engine, right ?
If not, wait until you get a fan/pulley or you will do serious harm to the new engine if water is not circulating.

[Joe K]

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Of course the upper limit in temperature for an open unpressurized system is 212F. It CANT get any hotter than that - a fact that Ford relied upon with the Model T - which relied on convective circulation and a non too large radiator.

Of course in the boiling (cooling) process your water will leave behind all sorts of stuff in your water jacket eventually obstructing heat flow - best to start with distilled water methinks?

Those who shudder at the thought of being that warm can consider that a pressurized system will operate at somewhat below 15 psi - and at temperatures of 225F or so.

As for wear, about 212F seem optimal?


This a diesel chart but charts of gasoline engine wear are similar. The Model A with its cold cylinders is not the longest lived engine because of cylinder wear.

So maybe boiling over isn't such a bad thing?

Joe K

[Tom Wesenberg]

Antifreeze will raise the boiling point.

[Purdy Swoft]

You can get thermo siphon like the model T with no water pump but with no air moving through the fins of the radiator the engine will run hot enough to seize up tight. A rebuilt engine will be tighter and get hot easier. As long as you are moving 30 mph there will be enough air flow to cool without a fan if everything is in reasonable order.

[eagle]

"Of course the upper limit in temperature for an open unpressurized system is 212F. It CANT get any hotter than that"

The coolant temp may top out at 212 degrees, the engine temp can go a LOT higher than that in a hurry, then bad things happen!

[billwill]

Its a dumn though

[Joe K]

Originally Posted by eagle

"Of course the upper limit in temperature for an open unpressurized system is 212F. It CANT get any hotter than that"

The coolant temp may top out at 212 degrees, the engine temp can go a LOT higher than that in a hurry, then bad things happen!

Agreed, but think WHY.

As the water boils off, in a very short time one has gotten to a point where
1. the water pump is no longer functional
2. Coolant circulation no longer occurs
3. The entire head is devoid of coolant losing a third or more of cooling for cylinder combustion
4. Head warpage will occur under these circumstances.

Answer to all of these by adding water, then there is not problem.

Sort of like the dockside derrick power unit I saw as a kid which embodied a 55 gallon drum hitched to a Model A engine. The entire drum could operate with steam coming off the top and the drum effectively at 212F - and everything would be hunky-dory.

Heh. I would pay good money for that used engine - operated infrequently, constantly in the salt air and weather, but operated at possibly optimal cylinder conditions. It was an engine that looked HORRIBLE - but possibly the best used engine one could buy?

The operator complained he was having trouble finding points for the distributor.

I bet it's still there...

Joe K