[TR] TR3 Cooling & Cooking

[Jerry]

Nobody has mentioned that running the fuel mix too lean causes the engine to
run hotter.  Some folks make adjustments to their fuel mix for emissions or
power improvement reasons but are not aware of or forget that this has an
impact on the engine temperatures.   The trouble is that there is no simple
gauge to tell us how close the mixture is to what we desire.  The test for
this is relatively simple.  First, take a test drive paying attention to the
temp gauge and performance and get the temperature up to the point that you
think is too hot and then return to your starting point (garage).  Second,
is to make your fuel mix more rich by adjusting each jet by 2 or 3 flats.
Third, take another test drive over the same route at the same speeds.  If
the engine runs just as hot on the second pass then reset the mixture to
where you had it before and work on your cooling system following the
suggestions given earlier.  If the engine ran cooler then you have at least
solved a part of the problem.
 
On the electric fan issue, I have always had an electric fan (tens years)
and I like it.  With experience, I found the best control setup to be
automatically controlled with a thermostat and a dash mounted "on" switch.
I do not have an "off" switch position that prevents the thermostat from
operating the fan, because I know that one day I would forget to enable the
fan and end up cooking the engine.  I  also no longer have the fan wired so
that it runs after the car is parked.  There is no need as the latent heat
will dissipate evenly and at a safe rate.
 
Cheers, Jerry 
TR3A