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MG MG Y Type - Thermo fans

I am interested in replacing the original cooling fan with a Davies Craig thermo electrical fan. I have just spoken to the rep here in a Melbourne and there are obvious advantages in doing this, better cooling ( more cfm air , more HP maybe 1-2, , better city driving , cooler motor, etc . I am also considering placing another bonnet sans side pieces for the trip north to a warmer Queensland. I had a spare bonnet with sides missing , but will not be a permanent change.
I will be adding a temp gauge as well , with a simple on/off switch for the fan.
Has anyone done the elec fan mod to the trusty Y, seeking viewpoints on this modernist improvement.
Regards all Y ers
I
CR Dickinson

CR, I drive on the motorway in my YT (admittedly at only 85-90kph) and have no problem with heat or boiling here in southern QLD. I have driven it from the Gold Coast to Gympie and back, no problem.

I will not be at Tony's Gympie MGY 75th function, as my wife and I have decided to go up to Townsville and do a bit of caravaning in outback QLD in early/mid June.

I am towing the YT to Newcastle for the Nat MG Meet over Easter. The YT would make the drive, but my wife is reluctant to travel in it.

cheers
Stuart
Stuart Duncan

My 20 cents worth--
Modernized improvement---?
beware -of snake oil salesmen-
You get nothing for nothing--No horsepower gain as the generator has to drive the electric fan-
How are you going to get better city driving and a cooler motor--fan going flat out all the time-?
Then there's the pending issue of driver error if you're going to rely on a manually operated switch
-----engine getting warm, oops forgot to turn the fan on.
If it's overheating you need to find out the cause of that, but if it's just a precaution,do yourself a favor and put a late MGB 7 blade plastic fan on it and enjoy it without all the hassle of switches,wires gauges etc

willy
William Revit

Hello
two years ago I put two computer fans 120mm with high airflow on my TA
always power through a small electrical device
when it's more than 50 degrees under the hood they run.
the sensor sits near the ignition coil
also once had the modern wing from a modern MG under the hood but switched back to the original wing,
never had a problem with overheating

was a cheap solution, easy to make
and you could take it away in some minutes

FT Franz

Well thanks for your responses as I consider the two opinions- it seems it could be an opening of a can of snakes.
A question to Willy - what is the effect of the 7 blade yellow plastic cf the the old 4 blade - does it increase air flow therefore improve cooling or what .?.
A general point , it seems all modern cars have elec fans against their radiators , is there something for the case with this evidence.
Also , there is so much discussion re keeping the fuel lines cool , heat shields for the carbburettors, cool er manifolds or ceramic coated headers, etc
I still believe a temp gauge gives excellent and critical info on motor running
Always keen to learn from the Y experts and old stagers.
I regards Clive
CR Dickinson

Hi all,

For what it's worth, I've operated my YT for over 12 years with no mechanical fan, instead I have a low profile Davies Craig thermatic fan on the engine side of the radiator. Works fine, better than the original setup.

My experience includes two long road trips to QLD in hot conditions, no problems, and other interstate trips. We'll be doing that QLD trip again in June for the Gimpie rally. The car is also driven weekly in city traffic most of the year. I wouldn't consider putting the mechanical fan back, but have it packed away with other original equipment.

I've had no need to remove the bonnet sides.

I disagree with the horsepower comment above. You get back the 2hp wasted on having a mechanical fan always turning. Remember, no fan does any good above 35mph, and the thermatic fan is normally off not on. If the thermatic fan comes on when you're at highway speed, something is wrong with the cooling system and it's not the fan. In any event, the electric thermatic fan is much more efficient than the old mechanical fan when it does switch on.

I strongly recommend going electric thermatic and have done so for all 3 of my MGs. In each case an improvement. My other recommendation is to have an override switch for the controller so you can manually start the fan when you feel you'll need it. I habitually turn on the fan if I'm in heavy traffic, or if there's a long climb at slower speed in front of me; it's good to give the cooling system a head-start rather than wait for the thermatic switch to kick in.

Anyone at the Gympie Y rally is welcome to inspect my setup. We're taking our ZA Magnette to the National Rally at Easter and it has a similar set-up that can also be inspected. Our Magnette carries a supercharger so cooling is important with the extra horsepower.

Regards,
Rob
R Ades

Clive
Yes, the plastic fan actually moves lots more air compared to the std. fan. and blows around keeping the engine bay cooler---whereas an electric fan only comes on when the temp rises above normal ---ideally you don't want the temp to rise above normal and that's where a normal belt driven fan does the best job of keeping the radiator cool like it's supposed to be

Found this for you-

http://www.mg-cars.net/mgtd-mgtf1500-bbs/7-blade-fan-advice-needed-2008081413532213816.htm

On you comment of modern cars having electric fans, that's because most are front wheel drive with E/W engines so electric is easy---then there's 4wd vehicles and trucks that usually run viscous fans which are basically a belt drive fan which are controlled by radiator air temperature--probably the best setup of all but getting room to fit a viscous hub on a Y would be a struggle, not impossible but--

7 blade MGB----keep it simple

willy
William Revit

Clive,

MOSS recently added the spacer and bolts needed for the MGB 7 blade fan conversion:

the spacer/bolt kit is 434-071;
the complete kit - fan/spacer/bolts - is 434-338

The fan is also alvailable from all the other usual suspects.

I have no personal or financial interest with any suppler.

Rocky
YB0952
Rodney C "Rocky" von Dullen

I have considered all the response from my learned MGY colleagues and impressed with the results of installing a Thermo Fan. I have taken the leap of faith and today set a out a practice set up on the front side (push side) of a spare radiator to fit in Y 4146. It seems there was much available space to accommodate the the thin thermo fan of about 52 mm and I placed it at the lowest point,was recently encouraged to see the winning Y type at recent Melbourne concours had a thermo fan on the leading side , entirely unseen but obviously a space exists on the inner side with the old 4 blader removed, perhaps room to place another on the pull side , but that might be going to far!
Two bars flat 1 inch bars were cold beaten to fit across the back of the core and fan attached to these, simple really , not original but we live in the real world.
The fan draws about 8 amps, but may now need to change to an alternator for night driving unless it is a hot Aussie night. Oh the joys, comments welcome.Still to fit the temp gauge ,but have changed to neg earth.
The next task to remove the radiator surround, headlights, support bar, etc
and fix in the fan .





CR Dickinson

Hi Clive,

Per my previous post, I'm a supporter of the thermo fan. Just as FYI, I started out with a "pusher" fan on the front as you have. It worked well, but it worked better when I moved it to the engine side. This removed any "clouding" of the radiator by the fan when at highway speed. With the mechanical fan removed, there's enough space in front of the engine. Also the fan inside the engine bay circulates more air.

Regarding your generator, the Lucas C45 on my YT had no trouble driving the fan. I have a digital voltmeter under the dash and turning on the fan caused a negligible voltage drop at revs above 1000rpm and ~0.5v at idle. The power relay driving the fan connects directly to the battery circuit so the modern battery easy takes up the initial load. Whether your original generator will cope depends more on what else it's running. All my lights are converted to LED so there's never much competing load.

Half the fun is experimenting with your improvements.
Regards,
Robert
R Ades

When you've finished pulling your car apart to fit the fan and then doing it again cause it didn't work and all the electrical issues etc. you'll end up with a mixture of odd bits and pieces from everywhere that might or might not work-any better than the original that has been doing the job for the last 70 years
MGB plastic fans are readily available and hassle free
willy
William Revit

Willy - x2 to what you said. I live in tropical North Queensland. As an example, today it's 35 degrees centigrade - all day. Since 1984 I've had a TD and a YA, both original spec.,used as daily drivers in Melbourne (40 in summer sometimes), Brisbane ( much cooler, only 30 in summer) and since 1993 up here in the hot tropics. Also use a BGT as a daily up here - 5 speed gearbox, but no alterations to original cooling system.
I have never, ever, had an overheating problem in any of those cars in the tropical climate. Tha YA has been a painfully slow resto on and off for 20 years - but it will be back on the road soon, and I MAY try the MGB plastic fan idea. I'd be interested in Tony Slattery's opinion about that.
When we're "out and about" in our funny old cars, I happily look at what modifications others have done to their vehicles; I admire the ingenuity and the engineering skill in some cases. "Each to their own", as long as it keeps another MG (Triumph, Rover, Jag, etc) on the road. But I, and mercifully my wife Jo, settle for the original style, sound, smells, performance (not!), weaknesses and idiosyncrasies of our ageing but much-loved MGs. We look after them, we service and maintain, flush out cooling systems and generally keep them up to roadgoing standard - warts and all.
John.
J P Hall

This thread was discussed between 18/02/2022 and 08/03/2022

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