Fitting an electric fan

[1049Participant]

Hi, I’ve had my 1956 TA 11BL since 1984; just back from a most enjoyable trip to northern France, only to overheat in stopped traffic on the M25. Had to leave it to cool for ~20 minutes before I could restart the engine. Under normal driving the engine maintains a fairly constant 50-70 °C, but when stationary in traffic it quickly rises beyond 80 °C and at that point the engine starts to run fairly rough & won’t restart until it has cooled down.

1. I’d like to install an electric fan to help with cooling, but keen to continue to use a 6V system.  The gap between the radiator and the mechanical fan is only ~27mm, so it looks like I’ll have to put a “blower” fan in front. Something like this Limora fan should fit, but I wondered if anyone had a better idea? https://www.scparts.co.uk/en/limora-electric-fan-6-volt/493149/
2. Revotec do several Fan Controllers (/thermostats) https://revotec.com/product-category/electronic-fan-controllers/; hose fitting, self sealing fitting and thread fitting. The former only come for tube diameters of 35 or 38 or 45mm. The _external_ diameter of the metal radiator inlet is ~40-41mm, so I’m not sure which tube size to go for. They also say that they work with 12v & 24v – so not sure if it’ll work for me.
3. Does it make any difference whether the controller / thermostat goes within the top or bottom hose? I currently have an independent temp guage sensor fitted in to the top hose which I would _prefer_ not to loose, and that means fitting the new controller on the lower hose might be easier.
4. Any suggestions or comments about the best way to physically attach such a fan to the radiator?

Sorry for so many questions, but I’ve never added an electronic cooling fan to a car before!

Many thanks,

Julian, West Sussex UK

[1049Participant]

Revotec have just confirmed that they do NOT make any 6V controllers ;-(

Julian

[BernieParticipant]

Julian,

Having owned Tractions for over 50 years – and driven them in all possible ambient temperatures – I am not an advocate of electric fans.

I see them as not only unnecessary, but also something else to go wrong.  If the cooling system is already compromised, I think blocking off more of the radiator by fitting an electric fan is only going to hide the problem – and possibly exacerbate it.

In my experience the only reason for a well-tuned engine to overheat is poor coolant circulation, almost always due to a build up of debris in the radiator or block … or both.

Flushing a radiator is usually enough to clear it, otherwise it should be recored or replaced.  Clearing the block can be more of a problem because the silt tends to set like concrete and, in time, drastically reduces the capacity of the water jacket. Once that happens no amount of flushing is likely to clear it.  Ofen, the only solution is to strip the engine and chisel the stuff out.

I appreciate not everybody shares my opinion on electric fans and I hope others will respond with their answers to the questions you have posed.

A final thought.  In extremely high temperatures, fuel vaporisation can happen even with the best maintained engines, but that is not the problem I understand you to be experiencing.

B….

[1049Participant]

Hi Bernie,

Many thanks for all of that, and I do appreciate that I am at risk of solving a symptom rather than the cause. I did notice that the amount of coolant I put back in the other day was well less than what the haandbook says is the capacity, but I put that down to air pockets etc & that it would “settle”. But after ~400 miles it hadn’t. The thought of clearing out the block is horrible, but a new core on the radiator could at least help. (The engine is original).

Are there any obvious outfits that can re-core / replace my radiator? (1956 11B, Paris built)?

 

Many thanks,

Julian

[BernieParticipant]

Julian,

The TOC passed several reconditioned rads to Citroën Classics when we handed over that area of the spares businees .  I therefore suggest you contact them – details in FP.

Otherwise, an internet search will reveal several companies offering a re-coring service within a resonable distance of you.

B….

 

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