On Wed, 31 Jul 1996, Mark J Bradakis wrote:
>
> TR-3s have a crank-start capability (a favorite feature for showing off).
> The crank passes thru a hole in the lower part of the radiator.
> My car, like many 4-cylinder, TRs tends to run hot and I was wondering
> whether the hole reduces the effectiveness of the radiator.
>
> BTW, this is not a serious problem. I don't think the engine would ever
> cook, but after running on the highway on a 85F day, some coolant will
> burp out when I come to a stop. Is this a common, er, feature?
>
> Also, the cooling system is in good shape. It has an original
> sleeve-type thermostat, the fan belt is fine, there's no sludge in the
> system, and there are no combustion products in the coolant.
Chris I'd be inclined to blame that anemics TR3 fan... As the
owner of an early TR4 I too have the holed radiator. My cooling
problems drove me nuts until I replaced the fan with one from a
later TR4. This fan draws much more air through the core. I've had
no probs since... In fact on average my `4 tends to run cool. BTW
you might also want to try a product called "Water Wetter" (from
Red Line). It's supposed to break down the surface tension of the
coolant an allows it to to absorb heat better from your engine's
casting (at least I think that's how it works)...
Tally-Ho!
Greg Petrolati
gpetrola@prairienet.org 1962 TR4 (CT4852L)
"That's not a leak... My car is just marking its territory!"
Greg Petrolati, Champaign, Illinois
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