COOLING BY KENLOWE

[BOBCAM]

Doing quite a lot of work on my mk2 at the moment and amonst other things front grill is out and i am going to fit a kenlowe .The most obvious place to fit this is between the rad and the front grill i have measured and can get a 16inch fan in quite easy but i see since the last one i fitted to a tr6 kenlowe now make a 2 speed version controlled by a non invasive electronic control unit has anyone fitted one of these fans only problem is they only come in 14inch or 17inch which is to big so 14 2 speed electronic control or 16 single speed mechanical control .Also has anyone removed the original fan when fitting a kenlowe
Thanks Bob

[piman]

Hello Bob,

I would guess that the 16 inch would be better, but it is worth comparing the air flow figures of the two or else speak to Kenlowe technical people for their advice.
As long as the cooling system in general is in good condition, I wouldn't expect the fan to cut in very often, certainly my Triumph, which only has an electric fan, only cuts in when in slow traffic, otherwise forward motion does the cooling. On that basis, I would go for the simple single speed?

Alec

[BOBCAM]

Hello Bob,

I would guess that the 16 inch would be better, but it is worth comparing the air flow figures of the two or else speak to Kenlowe technical people for their advice.
As long as the cooling system in general is in good condition, I wouldn't expect the fan to cut in very often, certainly my Triumph, which only has an electric fan, only cuts in when in slow traffic, otherwise forward motion does the cooling. On that basis, I would go for the simple single speed?

Alec

Thanks Alec i am certainly thinking like you but just curious about these new ones (to me anyway) Kenlowe have some quite good deals at the moment (single speed)must addmit i do like knobs to twist rather than box of tricks call me old fashion
Bob

[Martec]

The MkII is well known for not encouraging air to flow through the front grill, so when building mine some time ago I asked my local radiator guy to fit a 4 row uprated core to the old tanks. I also fitted the biggest electric fan I could find ahead of the radiator and used a proper plastic fan from a BMW 2.5 ltr( excuse my swearing) that had the same blade area as the old tin fan.

Recently the thermostatic controller has failed and flattened the battery a few times which had to be replaced. Talking to Ken Jenkins about it he was insistant that the mechanical fan must remain and the electric fan was causing a restriction to flow and that without it and a good clean cooling system then it would all remain cool.

I've removed the thermostatic controller but left the fan for now until the radiator has to come out at some point. The correct pressure cap is vital.

Brian

[BOBCAM]

The MkII is well known for not encouraging air to flow through the front grill, so when building mine some time ago I asked my local radiator guy to fit a 4 row uprated core to the old tanks. I also fitted the biggest electric fan I could find ahead of the radiator and used a proper plastic fan from a BMW 2.5 ltr( excuse my swearing) that had the same blade area as the old tin fan.

Recently the thermostatic controller has failed and flattened the battery a few times which had to be replaced. Talking to Ken Jenkins about it he was insistant that the mechanical fan must remain and the electric fan was causing a restriction to flow and that without it and a good clean cooling system then it would all remain cool.

I've removed the thermostatic controller but left the fan for now until the radiator has to come out at some point. The correct pressure cap is vital.

Brian

Thanks for your reply Brian what would you say is the correct pressure cap my car is an early 65 and what temp thermostat do you have in yours
Bob

[Martec]

Hi Bob,

Mine is a Jan 1961 with a long reach pressure cap of 4lb

From David Manners website ther are 3 caps
C18460 4lb 3/4" deep filler neck
C10289 4lb 1" deep filler neck
C18484 7lb 240 & 340

You need to measure from the sealing face (slightly rounded) inside the radiator filler neck to the top space, it will be either a little short of 1" or 3/4" and so decide which cap you need as you never know what radiator has been fitted to your car in the past.

My thermostat is an original (sliding sleeve) that the old water manifold requires, as it is now 12 years old I have tried to get another but the only options I could find was SNG Barratt's version which is a little slack in the hole (the sleeve needs to cover a slot in the manifold to redirect water) and Watjag's which is specially made and is a better fit, but requires some slight machining to the cover. The ordinary flat topped stat will cook the rear cylinders of my engine so I'll be going to the Watjag item in the future. The system seems to run at about 70 degrees.

Again from talking to Ken a lot of wear can occur if run below 70, he also said another member had run tests and found that over 50% antifreeze strength the cooling was reduced, so I've diluted my Bluecol to 45%.

A recent supposed warm running incident resulted in my fitting another voltage regulator for the engine temperature and fuel tank level, I have now made a 10v solid state regulator and all is stable (they can be bought off the internet).

Hope any of that helps.

Brian

[BOBCAM]

Hi Bob,

Mine is a Jan 1961 with a long reach pressure cap of 4lb

From David Manners website ther are 3 caps
C18460 4lb 3/4" deep filler neck
C10289 4lb 1" deep filler neck
C18484 7lb 240 & 340

You need to measure from the sealing face (slightly rounded) inside the radiator filler neck to the top space, it will be either a little short of 1" or 3/4" and so decide which cap you need as you never know what radiator has been fitted to your car in the past.

My thermostat is an original (sliding sleeve) that the old water manifold requires, as it is now 12 years old I have tried to get another but the only options I could find was SNG Barratt's version which is a little slack in the hole (the sleeve needs to cover a slot in the manifold to redirect water) and Watjag's which is specially made and is a better fit, but requires some slight machining to the cover. The ordinary flat topped stat will cook the rear cylinders of my engine so I'll be going to the Watjag item in the future. The system seems to run at about 70 degrees.

Again from talking to Ken a lot of wear can occur if run below 70, he also said another member had run tests and found that over 50% antifreeze strength the cooling was reduced, so I've diluted my Bluecol to 45%.

A recent supposed warm running incident resulted in my fitting another voltage regulator for the engine temperature and fuel tank level, I have now made a 10v solid state regulator and all is stable (they can be bought off the internet).

Hope any of that helps.

Brian

Thanks Brian lots of really usefull info there thanks for your time
Bob

[piman]

Hello all,

in this month's Jaguar Enthusiast magazine Peter Bell comments on the fitting of an electric fan to a MK 2 (Page 33). In it he says that fitting it in front of the radiator is not ideal as it impedes the airflow. Assuming the mechanical fan is retained then I would agree but if the mechanical fan is removed and an electric fan is fitted behind the radiator (I don't know if there is room on a MK2 but most are pretty slim) it still will impede the airflow by the same amount,

I still intend to go with removing the mechanical fan and fitting a good sized Kenlowe in front of the radiator.

Alec

[ecosselynx]

Hi

The statement is correct in that anything in front of the radiator is going to impede airflow. However in my own experience its only when you get stuck in traffic on a hot day with no airflow that the kenlowe kicks-in and keeps things on an even keel.
Once you get on the move and the kenlowe switches off, I find the normal fan works fine and the temp is still on the "mark" even after hours of driving.
As Brian said make sure you have the correct cap, thermostate, good hoses and a clean system.

my tuppence worth

[piman]

Hello John,

I have used the Kenlowe fan only on my Triumph for 10 plus years and it is a good set up. As you say, it rarely cuts in so must give some efficiency over running a mechanical fan.
I would add to your comment, however, anything behind the radiator impedes the airflow also, so a correctly fitted electric fan (i.e. close to the core), impedes just as much as if it were in front.

Alec

[oldtimer]

Hi Martec and All,
Thought I would throw this bit of info in:-
I used to visit a Thermostat Manufacturer. What a fascinating process.
Where do I start to keep it simple. The thermostats in question are wax stats and would you believe it, cos they are operated by the wax expanding in a cylinder and pushing a piston connected to a door. The door of course is the round valve which controls the flow of coolant.

The Wax is the really clever bit. It is delivered in about 5 gallon drums (about 25 litres) don't argue the toss Martec When opening the lid it appears like somebody has stood for hours chipping off tiny bits of wax off a candle. Several of these drums where lined up each marked with various start to open temperatures. The wax is absolutely stable until the start to open temperature is reached, that being the crucial bit. If one examines the end of the copper cylinder a start to open temperature can be seen stamped on it. Like 70 75 82 etc.

The wax is mixed with copper dust to improve conductivity, this is loaded into something resembling a grease gun, the cylinders are mounted into a machine like a bottle filling machine and receive a squirt of Wax as they pass by. This is all automated, next time you look at a thermostat look for the crimping marks on the cylinder. They are part of the calibrating process at the end of the line and if a wax fill is missed the crimping machine squeezes it flat and rejects it.

As for testing, the manual suggests placing in a pan of water and slowly raise the temperature checking with a thermometer. What a load of old tosh, who ever wrote that has never done the job. To do it correctly one needs an expensive temperature controlled bath filled with silicon oil(higher boiling point and no steam) with a built in DTI (dial test indicator). Without a DTI I defy anybody to tell when the valve cracks open and to measure the full range of movement. With all the steam you can't see anything anyway.

So, what do we do at home to test. We know what the start to open temp is, it's stamped on the cylinder. All that is needed is a sauce pan with BOILING water and another with cold water. Tie a piece of string onto the Thermostat and dunk it into the BOILING water. Lift out after 3 to 4 minutes and the door should be fully open. Normally 10mm lift . Now dunk it into cold water to close door. Repeat operation as required. Note. Ensure that door is fully closed when cold. This visual inspection needs some care. Hold up to the light to ensure the door is fully closed. It is possible for the centre spindle to cause the door to fail to close completely.

Should a low temperature reading be identified and doubt exists as to whether it is the temp gauge or thermostat the above check is quick and simple.

There you go another bit of useless information

Oldtimer

[oldtimer]

PS to above, I have never been carried away with the idea of the Kenlow Fan. One has to ask what is the rate of air flow of the electric fan and at what road speed does the air flow over take the fan speed ? I would suggest around 20/30 mph.

Cooling systems fur up like a kettle, so a good clean system helps - easier said than done.
I had a new five vertical tube core fitted which worked wonders as Martec has also done.
Just as a by the way, the most thermal efficient radiators are brass tubes and copper gills,
aluminium is cheaper

[ecosselynx]

Hi

Everyone is welcome to their opinion. That's fine by me, as I also have my opinion.
What I do know is the Kenlowe fan does it job on my Mk2 when there's no air flow and the regular fan does the job when traveling. That's all I need to get me from A to B without the need to keep looking at the gauge when you get into a traffic jam in hot weather.

[piman]

Hello Oldtimer,

from my observation the speed is less than you guess, bearing in mind that the engine is not working hard at all at that speed so cooling requirements are low. (As long as you are not towing a caravan up a 1 in 3 hill )
In most instances a cooling fan is not required, it is only when the car is static for some time. This assumes the cooling system in general is fully serviceable, the idea that an extra fan assists with a car troubled by poor cooling is wrong.

Alec

[ecosselynx]

Hi

Well said Alec. I've attached a photo showing my alloy radiator and its full of nice soft Scottish water, never fur-up with that in it.
I'm going to try and keep away from this topic.