Radiator shroud recommendations

[Rays]

Moss has these on sale now for 15% off. Has anyone put one of these on? Do they work?

The coolant in my 1967 MGB can get over 200 degrees in the summer here in southern California, especially in traffic.

 

[Stewart]

Works great and it will fit later cars as well with no mods. I have one on my 75 and 73 and it really helps keep the car cool in traffic even on 100f days. I haven't seen the needle move much beyond a needle width to the right of N since installing it. I on the other had tends to be really hating life at that point.

 

[PAUL161]

I don't know how well they work on a "B", but they do work. Anything to keep the fan from pulling static air from the back side of the outer edges of the blades, means it's pulling more air through the radiator and that's want you want. Some guys just add an axillary fan in front. They both work, but how well on a "B", I'm not sure.

 

[tony barnhill]

THe ones for an MGB are designed to be used on a car that has AC & the fan on the front of the engine....if you don't have AC & are having cooling problems, all they are is a bandaid! There are other things you need to do first to solve your coolingh problem.

 

[Rays]

THe ones for an MGB are designed to be used on a car that has AC & the fan on the front of the engine....if you don't have AC & are having cooling problems, all they are is a bandaid! There are other things you need to do first to solve your coolingh problem.

I have heard to check the water pump as the clearance on some modern replacements was incorrect, such that they do not perform properly. That seems like a lot of trouble, though (especially since I would have no idea how to check the clearance).

My temp gauge says 160-190 when normal driving but can easily get over 200 (once 235) when in stop and go traffic on a hot (90 degrees +) day.

 

[tony barnhill]

Have you backflushed your engine?

Are your hoses good (i.e., not flattening inside)?

Has your radiator been boiled & pressurized lately?

Is your water pump working properly?

Is that engine fan installed properly?

How's your thermostat? Correct for the conditions?

Are all the proper pieces there to keep air from flowing over or under your radiator?

Lots of things to correct/think about before adding bandaids......

 

[WA1KWA]

Once again, Tony's right.

I've owned my 1974 B for 25 years, I make sure the cooling system is working correctly (see Tony's list). Has never overheated or come even close to it; even in dead stop expressway traffic in the middle of a summer afternoon. I've done absoultely zero modifications to it, replaiced components when needed with the correct replacements. It's bone stock.

Colin

 

[MGZT260]

THe ones for an MGB are designed to be used on a car that has AC & the fan on the front of the engine....if you don't have AC & are having cooling problems, all they are is a bandaid! There are other things you need to do first to solve your coolingh problem.

I have heard to check the water pump as the clearance on some modern replacements was incorrect, such that they do not perform properly. That seems like a lot of trouble, though (especially since I would have no idea how to check the clearance).

My temp gauge says 160-190 when normal driving but can easily get over 200 (once 235) when in stop and go traffic on a hot (90 degrees +) day.

Modern replacement water pumps have an impeller stamped and bent from sheet steel. Originals were cast iron finned works of art in comparison. I have an Israeli-manufactured pump on a B. Does not mean it won't work as it should but jsut isn't the same.

B fans can get out of balance and the rubber isolators are important to be renewed. One of teh first things I learned (the hard way) to check on an overheating engine is the existence of teh non-collapse spring in teh suction (bottom) hose from radiator to engine. I have seen these actually collapse shut upon revving an engine.

You could try replacing the fan with a multiblade flexible, rather than teh simple 4 blade fro more efficiency. Also a rad flush and pressure test can help. Back two cylinders of the 1800 engine are also prone to crud buildup more so than front two.

Before doing anything else take off radiator cap when cool, drive to a major auto parts store, like NAPA or Pep Boys and have them pressure test your cap. I've also seen weak caps cause problems without pouring coolant on ground.

 

[davester]

Well, Tony and WA1KWA, you seem pretty certain, but I wonder if you've sat stationary for an hour on an LA freeway in 110+ heat with the red hot asphalt radiating heat up into the engine bay (and the cockpit floor!). When I lived in LA, some of those summer days were absolutely brutal and the car would overheat under those conditions, despite replacing and optimizing all sorts of cooling parts. The local MG mechanic (<span style="font-weight: bold">M</span>ike <span style="font-weight: bold">G</span>oodman's Sports Car Service was excellent and a fanatical MG man who did all sorts of restoration, competition prep, etc(heck, they had an octagon-shaped showroom with floor tiles in the MG logo). His prescription for those who chose to drive under those conditions was an auxiliary electric fan since there's no way that crude unshrouded 4-bladed engine fan was not going to pull enough air through the radiator. I just don't believe that the stock cooling system is up to those kinds of conditions and it's pretty clear to me that shrouding the fan would increase the radiator throughput.

 

[V6MGB]

Dave,
We suffer from similar conditions here in Summer and I agree with your comments about the cooling system being less than able to handle the conditions you mention even if it is up to the factory specs.

Personally an electric fan to replace the belt driven one and a correct for the car shroud are probably about the two best investments you can make.

You might have a look at the front of the radiator and make sure ALL the air is going through it and not around as it sometimes can.

As a minor aside most European car makers (SAAB , Volvo , Opel etc)send their imports here fitted with "hot climate" packages or whatever they term them which suggests to me the original system is struggling with 110 F.

Just my thoughts ,

Pete.

 

[tony barnhill]

Nope, never in LA...but in San Antonio, TX, in Oklahoma, in muggy & hot Alabama, to name a few......at the same temperatures.

Certainly, when the folks at Abingdon designed and tested the MGB, they didn't have today's LA traffic; but, there are other MG's sitting on the same LA freeways - &, apparently, they don't all have the same problems.

All I'm saying is that, before you start putting bandaids on your car, you should make certain beyond a doubt that the cooling system is performing up to design standards.

From clogged water ports (which I'll guarantee you have if you've not power back flushed your engine several times in the last few years - & even then, the head could still have clogged ports, as could the block itself) to a weak water pump or bad hoses or a radiator that's not flowing properly, to a fan that's getting a little 'long in the tooth'.....there are many, many possible culprits.

How long has your water pump been on that engine? Just because its not leaking doesn't mean its operating up to par.

Do you have the correct insulation on your hood? Is that funny little piece of foam in place between your radiator & its surround? Neither of those alone - in fact, none of anything I've mentioned alone is your culprit.....but, I'd bet there's a combination working together against you.

JMO FWIW.

& I agree with Pete - hot air going around or under your radiator negates your cooling system's ability to do its job...but, a shroud won't fix that.

 

[WA1KWA]

No, but I have sat in 98 degree traffic several times, stopped, on the old Southeast expressway here. The same place/conditions where my SAAB 9000 did indeed, overheat due to component failure.

Since mine's a 1074 it has the yellow multiple blade plastic fan, not your 4 blade metal fan, so there is a difference there, sorry I didn't catch that at first.

To Tony's point: there are many points of failure in an automotive cooling system.

Colin

 

[Stewart]

Since mine's a 1074

I didn't know that they used fans to keep the horses cool way back when

I look at it this way both cooling systems on my cars are in excellent shape and they both run cool. The addition of the shroud lets the fan do its job in the most efficient manner and adds in an additional margin when the outside temps are very hot.

 

[Rays]

Thank you all for your responses. The car was totally restored by Mike Goodman in 2001-2 and has had less than 2000 miles since. The radiator was re-cored, new thermostat and water pump as well as hoses installed during the restoration. I don't know if the block was flushed but the motor was rebuilt so I assume so.

Here is a picture of the engine bay:

I don't have that piece of foam Tony refers to.

By the way, if anyone is interested, the car was featured in Classic Motorsport magazine:
https://classicmotorsports.net/articles/mgb/

 

[tony barnhill]

The car was totally restored by Mike Goodman in 2001-2 and has had less than 2000 miles since.[/qyuote]
I'm not knocking your car, Ray (by the way - great looking car), but that statement could well be part of the problem. As nice as the car looks, I'd agree with you that the engine was probably flushed with the restoration.

However, here's what's happened since then: the car sat & the antifreeze in the system sat & sat......that's 8 years that the antifreeze has been in that radiator/block....here's a quote from within the anti-freeze industry: <span style="font-style: italic">"For "ordinary" antifreeze, the vehicle manufacturers generally recommend coolant changes every two to three years or 30,000 miles. Others say it's not a bad idea to change the coolant every year for maximum corrosion protection..."</span>

As the corrosion inhibiting chemicals in antifreeze are used up over time, electrolytic corrosion starts to eat away at the metal inside the engine and radiator....while your engine hasn't been run enough to cause that to start, just sitting causes it (same with oil - if you're running the oil that was put in it when it was rebuilt, you're running a chance of damaging your engine...over time, oil changes to a vinegary substance that'll ruin an engine)....you could check your antifreeze by using an antifreeze test strip if you wanted (the strip reacts to the pH (alkalinity) of the coolant and changes color.....if it indicates a marginal or bad condition, your coolant should be changed).....but, believe me, change your antifreeze over the weekend because its so old.

....& backflush your block at the same time & refill with a 50/50 mixture of water and antifreeze. Depending on the mixture when the car was built in 2001-02, there could actually be deposits and scale that are interfering with good heat transfer.

Oh, your water pump (if it was replaced in 2001-02) is now just an old water pump that may need replacing - especially if its an aftermarket aluminum one....& the thermostat that's been been sitting for all those years probably also needs replacing.


And that piece of foam keeps hot air from going over the radiator into the engine compartment....you need it.....any dense foam can be cut to size & stuffed in place.

Then, take it out in the same conditions to see if its better.

 

[Rays]

I replaced all the fluids last summer, including the coolant. I think I'll give the shroud a try as it is much easier to install (something I can do myself) than the water pump and thermostat. If that doesn't work, I'll take it to a local mechanic and let them check the water pump.
I know the radiator is OK as I got a pinhole leak from overheating last summer and I took the the radiator to a shop for repair.

 

[tony barnhill]

K - now we're learning some things that could change the dynamics! Sometimes getting through these things is like pulling teeth.

 

[WA1KWA]

Yes, 1074!

It is a little known fact that William the Conqueror started MG to find a way to get around newly conquered England.

There is also a rumor that there is a faint image of an MG octagon on the Bayeux Tapestry, a la the Shroud of Turin. But it's just a rumor.

OK, I'll leave quietly now.

Colin

 

[Nunyas]

I can't speak on the shroud, but for driving a B daily in LA traffic I for one highly recommend an electric fan. Before I lost my '76 B, I did ~everything~ I could to make sure the cooling system was ok. Flushed the cooling system twice, followed up with reverse flushing 4 times, replaced the radiator, replaced the cap, replaced the thermostat with a 160F unit, replaced all of the radiator surrounding foam and hood seals, and all of that stuff helped my car out a lot, but ONLY if the car was ~moving~. Puttering along at 35 - 40MPH the car was cool as a cucumber. If I ended up in stalled traffic for more than 20 minutes, the temp would start climbing. Then there was the inevitable "heat soak" after I shut the engine off; the engine temp would sky rocket post shut down for about 15 minutes before it would start dropping again.

Once I installed an electric fan on the front of the radiator, and configured it to run even if the ignition was off, the temps were ~much~ more stable, post shut down "heat soak" disappeared because the electric fan would cycle on and off until the coolant temps were below 160. Of course, I did a little work to my electrical system to make sure the fan wouldn't kill my battery. I had a battery so big it literally had to be wiggled into the battery compartment, and did the Bosche alternator upgrade on my car as well.

"Original" my car wasn't, but it was as reliable as any modern car and would start up ~much~ faster than any modern car before I lost it.