[Tigers] Coolant queston
Cars
cars at wt-inc.com
Wed Sep 9 16:29:09 MDT 2026
That is exactly how I run it.
545 hp
Air conditioning
Has never overheated or got close. Even in 105 degree stop and go.
Electric fan and full shroud behind the radiator.
The stock water pump may make this too tight.
Three thoughts:
1.
No puke, no worry (I know that is a scary thought though and doesn’t allow for calm driving in hot weather)
2.
calibrate your temp sending unit to your gauge. This is tell you if you truly have a hot running car. Gauge repair people can do this. When reinstalling it make sure it is covered in water when screwing it back in. Often times with all the adapters to make it fit the intake manifold, the sending unit is in the air and not fluid. I bleed the air out of the system here.
3. Full radiator shroud is a must with blocked off horn holes. The stock radiator shroud is wide open in the bottom. Making a shroud is tough but can be done.
Lynn
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________________________________
From: Tigers <tigers-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Mark L via Tigers <tigers at autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, 09 September 2026 15:35:17
To: winbladgary at gmail.com <winbladgary at gmail.com>
Cc: tigers at autox.team.net <tigers at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Tigers] Coolant queston
I remember talking with a tech representative at an electric fan company. He told me that putting the fan behind the radiator would make it almost twice as effective. I always wondered if any Tiger owner tried running with only an electric behind the radiator.
In a message dated 9/9/2026 4:34:46 PM Eastern Daylight Time, winbladgary at gmail.com writes:
Mark,
Yeah, my experience is it helps but only a little. The only place to put an electric fan is on the front, and then that blocks some
of the core. Running it all the time is fine but seems like a real waste to me.
Somebody commented that all Tigers overheat in traffic and that is sort of true. The temp will go up high, but if it doesn't start
puking fluid it isn't really overheating.. It took me years to figure that out. I put my 260 2bbl back to stock cooling.. little 4 blade
fan, stock size radiator (though a more modern late 1980's core) and drive it in traffic is Sacramento, CA heat.. it has been fine.
My recovery system keeps the coolant full. The overheating driver is more of a concern, LOL.
Gary Winblad
On Wed, Sep 9, 2026 at 1:21 PM Mark L <coolvt at aol.com<mailto:coolvt at aol.com>> wrote:
My experience has been that the electric fan in addition to the mechanical fan does a good job in keeping the temp in check. But, if the engine does overheat, turning on the electric fan doesn't do much in getting the temp back down.
In a message dated 9/9/2026 3:35:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jbbrown1980 at gmail.com<mailto:jbbrown1980 at gmail.com> writes:
When I first got the car running I didn't know how much coolant to have in the expansion tank so I started out with it filled up. It boiled over pretty quickly so I kept experimenting with it until I found a level that didn't puke; maybe about a quarter full. I added the overflow tank later just in case. I suppose I could fill the expansion tank back but I haven't bothered.
I tried using a 13psi cap but it blew a radiator hose off, so I went back to a 9psi cap. I also read that the higher pressure could be hard on the heater core. I also installed an electric fan that comes on at 190 degrees and I haven't had any other issues.
Thanks,
Joe
On Wed, Sep 9, 2026, 12:35 PM Gary Winblad <winbladgary at gmail.com<mailto:winbladgary at gmail.com>> wrote:
Yes, I think it is a recovery type!
How high is the coolant in the TIger tank? If it is full, you are good
Gary Winblad
On Wed, Sep 9, 2026 at 9:13 AM Joe Brown <jbbrown1980 at gmail.com<mailto:jbbrown1980 at gmail.com>> wrote:
I went back and looked at my cap. Everything I've read says that the recovery style caps have two seals; one at the top of the cap and one on the spring loaded part. Here is a photo of my cap. Can I assume that I have a recovery style cap?
[PXL_20260909_160805998.jpg]
Thanks,
Joe
On Wed, Sep 9, 2026 at 7:00 AM michael king <michael.s.king at gmail.com<mailto:michael.s.king at gmail.com>> wrote:
Joe.
You describe how the system works..but without a specific recovery cap the water cant get back into the header tank once its out.. it just becomes a catch overflow
Regards
Michael King
On Wed, 9 Sept 2026, 19:57 Joe Brown, <jbbrown1980 at gmail.com<mailto:jbbrown1980 at gmail.com>> wrote:
I've got the regular pressure cap on the original expansion tank and my understanding was that it would open up if the coolant was boiling over and the excess coolant would then flow into the catch can. And then as the coolant cooled down it would be sucked back into the expansion tank. Do I need some other kind of radiator cap?
Thanks,
Joe
On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 5:50 PM Gary Winblad <winbladgary at gmail.com<mailto:winbladgary at gmail.com>> wrote:
Joe,
Hopefully you also added the double seal cap? You need that to make it a recovery system, not just a catch can
With recovery, the overflow is pulled back in during cool down. That is what makes the radiator always full to the top,
for a few more tubes of cooling.
Gary Winblad
On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 3:21 PM Joe Brown <jbbrown1980 at gmail.com<mailto:jbbrown1980 at gmail.com>> wrote:
Hey,
I added an overflow tank several years ago and I went with one I found on Amazon. It's called an 800ml aluminum expansion tank from BDFHYK and it's around $25.
[image.png]
I wasn't using the remote oil filter, so I mounted this tank in the filter bracket. This tank is slimmer than an oil filter so I had to fabricate a new clamp to secure it. Here is a photo.
[PXL_20260908_220938306.jpg]
Have Fun,
Joe Brown
On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 4:51 PM Mark L via Tigers <tigers at autox.team.net<mailto:tigers at autox.team.net>> wrote:
So, the plastic kit you mentioned will stand up to the heat of the engine compartment okay?
In a message dated 9/8/2026 5:18:10 PM Eastern Daylight Time, winbladgary at gmail.com<mailto:winbladgary at gmail.com> writes:
Mark,
IT is worth adding. Cost and trouble are minimal. You can buy a kit at the auto parts store (plastic tank, dual seal cap, tygon hose) for cheap.
Hard to say exactly how much cooling capacity it really adds.. it DOES keep the radiator full to the top, the extra quart doesn't matter.
I put the tank in the wheel well behind the headlight, out of sight, out of the way.
A very important reason to add is that it stops the leak of antifreeze, which is toxic to small animals. When we were in Big Sky for SUNI, we stopped
into a small museum. I will never forget the huge stuffed Condor on display. The placard said he died from driniking anitfreeze from an
overheated car... so sad, he was beautiful rare bird. Please install the system..
Gary Winblad
On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 7:56 AM Mark L via Tigers <tigers at autox.team.net<mailto:tigers at autox.team.net>> wrote:
I know some have added an overflow to the expansion tank. This seemingly allow the expansion tank to be filled to the top rather than only 1/2 full. Is the addition of an overflow worth installing? It appears this would add an additional 1 quart to the system. How much difference would this make on cooling?
Thanks,
Mark L
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