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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Cooling fan

What size cooling fan do I need for this set up and any ideas if an electric fan in front of the radiator is a good idea


R Deans

I concluded that the electric booster fan caused more problems than it solved. It does Block some air flow and puts a heavy draw on the electrical system. I removed it.
Glenn Mallory

I've used an electric fan on the radiator front for nearly 20 years, I have not used the engine driven fan for all that time. Yes it does block some flow when not running, and when climbing a hill in very slow traffic on a hot day it will often come on. I'm not very bothered about this, as long as the engine doesn't overheat, which it doesn't. It does draw about 10 amps, causing the alternator to kick in and slow the idle. So I just keep the idle at about 1100 to compensate.

On a historical note, my first car was an Austin A35 and I took the fan off that altogether. It never overheated, even in summer traffic.
Les Rose

Hi Russell

Welcome to the BBS! I have found an old thread in the archive that might help and reactivated it, see: ‘ Radiator cowl. 1500vs1275. What's the difference?’

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

Hi Russell,

In the other thread, Mike suggested you might be looking for a second-hand rad and shroud.

I removed a rad and shroud from a 1275cc midget some years ago. The rad worked fine when removed but, given that it has sat for many years, you would probably want to have it checked before using it in the car.

I have been meaning to advertise these as part of my decluttering project, so I am open to offers (I don't want lots of money, I'd rather have the space!). Together, the rad and shroud will be heavy and therefore not cheap to ship. Email me on jonsantispam@gmail.com if you are interested or would like photos.

Jon
Jonathan Severn

Thanks for all the help, I went the route of electric fan and it seems to be working ok, not been on the road yet.
R Deans

"Radiator cowl. 1500vs1275. What's the difference?"

I just looked up that thread. Interesting.

The shroud/cowl on the crossflow rad is different to the vertical flow, in that it is in front of the rad', whereas the vertical flow has the cowl behind the rad' in the engine bay.

I wonder if the vertical flow cowl is more efficient?
anamnesis

I have a Kenlowe electric “pusher” fan on my Sprite. It has a thermostatic switch. I also installed a manual override switch on the dashboard (which I have never had to use) I have removed the standard mechanical fan.
Last year I toured some of Europe in 30 plus degrees and the fan coped well even when climbing the Stelvio pass on a very hot day.
b higginson

I have been driving the 1971 with the newly rebuilt engine and just the plastic fan that came on the car (I removed the electric pusher that I had added). As I am the original owner, I recall how the temperature behaved when the car was new. The engine temperature profile is identical when outside temperatures are the same but in recent weeks, they have been about 10 - 15° F hotter in the southwestern part of the U.S.

Coming off the highway and stopping at a light, engine temperature will rise to 200°F and idle drops about 300 RPM and is a bit lumpy. It drops to about 190°F once traffic starts moving. This is in 105° - 110° F ambient temperatures. But the car does not overheat and, except for the intense heat in the cockpit, is totally drivable.

Climate change? Go figure! Definitely noticeable in the lifetime of this 52 year old MG.
Glenn Mallory

I have been driving the 1971 with the newly rebuilt engine and just the plastic fan that came on the car (I removed the electric pusher that I had added). As I am the original owner, I recall how the temperature behaved when the car was new. It is identical when outside temperatures are the same but in recent weeks, they have been about 10 - 15° F hotter in the southwestern part of the U.S.

Coming off the highway and stopping at a light, temperature will rise to 200°F and idle drops about 300 RPM and is a bit lumpy. This is in 105 - 110° F ambient temperatures. But the car does not overheat and, except for the intense heat in the cockpit, is totally drivable.
Glenn Mallory

Interesting observations Glenn.

I've reached the same conclusions.

When I drove my '66 Sprite to Spain back in the 1970's, and hit Madrid rush hour in mid summer, my 1275 boiled and complained when in stop start traffic. I put on a pusher electric fan for subsequent trips.

Then I converted to a larger core crossflow radiator, and it ran too cool. I put in a hotter stat' and took off the electric fan, assuming I wouldn't need it again, even if I went to Spain.

Last year when the UK pushed towards 100f in Kent, my Sprite was complaining a bit when pushed up hill. I've put back a lower temp 'stat, but still, with these hotter ambient temp's, the gauge is climbing to plus 190 in traffic. Driveable with ease, but better at around 180f.

As you say,

"Climate change? Go figure!"

"Definitely noticeable in the lifetime of this" -- 57 year old AH. 😉

anamnesis

You might get a laugh out of this--Here 3-4 years back when i started using the elan again after having him tucked away at rest I noticed the needle on the temp gauge was probably about 3mm off the stop when the engine hadn't been running, better fix that,so pulled the gauge and sender bulb/tube out and got it recoed--refitted it to the car and hadn't really looked at it but bugger still the same, rang the guy for a moan and he asked me to test the temp on the gauge against the coolant temp-
Red faces--It was 35c ambient the coolant was 35 and guess what the gauge starts at 30 but in my defence when the needle is right back it covers the 30 on the dial----so now the procedure is look at the gauge before starting up and decide --yep it's going to be warm outside today
Raised another weird point about the gauge it's a dual op/temp gauge but imperial pressure and metric temp--
You'd think it'd be one or the other-
William Revit

Yep, I've never thought about that either, psi and centigrade. Is it because bar would be more difficult to read/understand?

20psi is 1.3789514586 bar.
anamnesis

Age old topic, but most in the UK of 60 plus years will switch between imperial and metric with hardly thinking about it. It depends on accuracy required, circumstance and convenience. Ask for an 8' X 4' plywood and load the 2400 X 1200 sheet. Then, largely because of BBC weather forecasts people are gradually abandoning Fahrenheit scales, though 60 degrees sounds like a pleasant early summer's day rather than a Death Valley global warming record. And then there are the non approved measures that are accepted by all because no one has yet grasped kilometers per litre though might boast their new SUV weighs 2.6 (decimal metric tonnes) but couldn't even imagine how many cwt and fractions that was!
GuyW

It's funny how even after all these years sheet materials and things like fence posts and panels are still sold in the equivalent imperial sizes. As for non approved measures it always amazed me how the rag trade and schools got away with using centimetres when we went metric.

Trev
T Mason

This thread was discussed between 27/05/2023 and 23/07/2023

MG Midget and Sprite Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG Midget and Sprite Technical BBS is active now.