Help Me Cool Down

Jimacuda said

Again, what? I made no mention of power... or magic for that matter...

Anyways...

I've had a shroud solve an over heat at idle issue.
The shroud did not cause any problems at highway speed, or well above.
Fan was placed/spaced properly in both instances. Same blade, different spacer.
Could a different pump or pulley have solved the problem as well? Maybe. A larger rad may have too.
Didnt have any of those at hand. Did have a shroud though. Didnt overheat at idle again.

Fan in shroud is more efficient at moving air. Creates a more uniform air flow.
Also it has the fan effectively drawing air thru the entire core...not just the much smaller swept area of the fan blades.

Click to expand...

I agree with all of this. All of it. As long as we are talking idle and low speed driving. Once you get the road speed up, the fan and shroud actually become a hindrance. I can run without a fan if I want to. But I have to get rid of the thermostat. When I do that, I can't get enough temp in the engine. Without a fan, or a shroud and no thermostat and the engine won't overheat. I also can't get heat in the engine.

As for HP, someone mentioned cooling a 700 HP engine. I was pointing out that I don't know of an engine making 700 HP at idle, or even at a cruise, unless it's burning nitromethane.

One last thing. Some of these shrouds being sold today with radiators that have electric fans are horrible. They are so boxed in there is limited airflow, especially at road speed. So, you can't just bolt on a shroud and expect it to work.