albertramsbottom said:
1.Why would my cabin heater blowing hot air have anything to do with the thermostat? as I thought that the heater just chanelling hot aire from the engine.
2. I was going to wire in an aux fan as there is room on the right-hand side of the radiator, but why would I wire it with a relay?. Is this just so it wont come on unless the engine is running?
3. You mention that it is best to wire them manually in hot climes, why is this as it would be difficult for me to know how hot the engine is getting. I only have a temp warning light, rather than a guage.
All in all thought thats some great information
Many thanks indeed:lol:
1) Because when thermostats fail they usually fail in the wide open position, so your coolant is circulating right from the word go and takes forever to heat up, if at all. Remember, it was you that asked how to test the thermostat, no me recommending it.
In your case, if the coolant isn't getting hot then the fans may well not activate. or the sensors could be Donald. Or the relays could be dead. Or the woring could be decaying. Or the fans themselves could be deceased. Or all of the above.
2) On a 'rally' on an old car I'd advise against the complication of fitting a fan activated by a thermoswitch - if it packs up halfway across the desert to West Bumferk then you've got no chance of fixing it. Run it off a switch in the cabin, but wire it to a relay so you're not taking high amperage current into the cabin. If this packs up you can usually improvise shorting past a switch or across a relay, but substituting a dufunct thermo switch can be trickier.
You want a decent coolant temp meter, and digital set ups can be had cheaply. In sub-saharan temperatures I'd be running the fan continuously below 30mph or so.
Dare I risk saying it, but you might want to think carefully about risking your life in what can be a dangerous climate, and an area where bandits and rogue militia roam unchecked, in an elderly car if your mechanical skills aren't A1+. These are fairly simple mechanical/electrical problems and we won't be there to help when it goes pop.
Then there's all the other life saving prep, such as taping spare throttle/clutch cables alongside the originals so they can be swapped in moments, flushing the cooling system and refilling with neat water when you hit the African continent so if all else fails you could drink it in an emergency, FAST AID 1st aid skills levels etc. Having done Africa several times on motorbikes, including one complete length of the continent, I can't stress how quickly the uninitiated can wake up dead. These jollies in old clunkers are all a lark in Europe, but down through Morocco is raising the ante and a lack of knowledge and prep will FUBAR you.
