Cooling advice.
Turbo Mini Forums

Struggling to keep the minus cool when going for it on track above about 17 degree outside.

Currently I've got a single core dual pass alloy rad in the front. It's pretty tight and not much else will squeeze in I could maybe go dual core. It keeps it cool enough in the summer in traffic and driving around.

Rad is sealed to the front, small 4 inch and a 7 inch fan on the back with no shroud. Using a Davies Craig pump and its flat out and putting the fans on whilst driving. Only seen it hit 100 on the gauge once but it's enough to worry. This temps taken of the stat housing.

I'm thinking that maybe I need a better flow of air through the bay as the original rad side is pretty much blocked completely with the intercooler. I've got a small vent in the back of the bonnet.

I'm thinking move some of the crud on the drivers inner wing and go at it with a hole saw. Everything is tight in the bay and there isn't much escape room, although the bonnet does lift up nicely at speed.

I'm not to sure how much that would help really, but I'm looking for suggestions?

I know it's a gf shell, but to increase surface area that slam panel stiffening rib could be swapped for something smaller like an aluminium U section rivet and bonded on.

Do you have an oil temp sensor? - what temps are you seeing?

Can you fit a larger single fan in place of the 7" & 4" twin set up (I'm thinking probably not due to starter/oil system clearance?

The bonnet vent will be acting as an inlet, not an outlet. The scuttle is a high pressure area, so that will be lifting the bonnet

Finally what core thickness is the rad?

Edited by adcyork on 4th Apr, 2017.

Not a bad idea. I've already removed one rib so could remove that and have two bits of alloy at each side along with a bit more filing around the edges.

I do now, I fitted one yesterday, I'm thinking it's probably getting pretty warm. I've got a small oil cooler and a sandwich stat on the way.

No unfortunately not. I think it might even just be a 6 inch and a 4. Squeezing them in is hard enough. I could maybe cut out the bottom panel and tilt the bottom of the rad forward and fit a bigger fan. But really the car should cool at speed without a need for the fan to kick in.

The vent was more for letting the air out at standstill above the turbo/carb. It's on the back of a bulge wasn't to sure it would do much at speed!

It's 32mm.

double check the gauge isnt lying,

tbh that setup looks pretty good, they opnly thing I can suggest is maybe your getting air locks int the thermostat as I cant see a bleed pipe.

I'll get a probe on it and see.

No, I blanked it off. I bleed it out the sensor. It should also bleed itself through the swirl pot off no.4 (this then goes through turbo to top of rad), at least that's how I planned it would work lol.

I don't think it has air in as the coolant is very clean. I could stick a bolt in the top of the stat to make sure there is not any stuck in there.

Edited by jonny f on 4th Apr, 2017.

Are the fans on the back more of a blockage for air passing through than a help? Is the grille on on the track day? Size wise n exposure wise ud think that was the best setup you could have..

Oil temp wise mines the opposite my coolants always perfect n the oil gets up to 110

I would think so dave. Not sure what speed they become a hinderance, I hit 100 plus down three straights. The long straight (at bedford) I'm at 110-115 half way along it.

Going by your oil temp, mines probably up there.

I was going to give it a run without the grill on track. It got warmer throughout the day so was right at the end of the day.

Ended up here though on my second lap round so wasn't a good enough test!

Edited by jonny f on 4th Apr, 2017.

Haha bad enough feeling to do that to then open snapchat and know others have seen it

I think pretty much everyone there saw it.
That's the pit straight. Anyone coming in as some numpty caused a red flag right at the end of the day would to

A mate that came with me was the artist.

not sure if this is relevant but are the fans suckers or blowers?

your set up is similar to mine so i hope i dont have similar problems!!

Hmm, I'll take the small one out and see if it can take it. Might help the bigger one anyway.

Think it will be worth making some holes/a vented panel for the inner wing?

Thanks for all the ideas/help so far.

I was having the same issue with cooling on the track at 16+ psi.
I have ordered a bespoke made front rad from radtec which is 50mm thick and they say rated enough to cool upto 240hp. But I have a clubman which has a bit more room but I am still going to have to cut into my front panel to fit the rad and fan down low enough below my intercooler. I was also planning on lifting the back of the bonnet to help the air flow through the engine bay better.

Of course you can only get x amount of heat out of the head, how much boost /power you running?

I'd look at putting some ribbons / tassels under the bonnet l, and using a GoPro to see what the air is doing in there at speed. Perhaps it's simply a lack of air movement. And are you sure you've got enough water movement; not just that your pump is on high so it must be right... perhaps a piece of clear plastic hose may suffice for a short term check- again with the bonnet closed and GoPro....

Actually, surely you want your swirl pot connected to your top hose, not the end of your head?

Could try some vent holes in the inner wings (an a panels too if you want) may improve flow through the cramped engine bay.

What stat are you running?

I run a supercharger and I don't care the TB is on the wrong side.
VEMS + 12 PSI + Liquid Intercooler = Small Bore FUN!

http://www.ebay.com/bhp/electric-inline-water-pump

You need one of those beasts !!! Got one on mine and a similar size rad to yours ! Highest ive got on track is 74 degres lol im only running 10psi though

This is what I think. All the air entering the grill goes through a rad (either water or IC). This means that the engine block (the bit you're trying to cool) is getting all the hot air removed from it blown straight back over it.

Ultimately, doing this is going to result in a maximum heat rejection.

All the air entering through the rad is exiting under the car, so no cool air is getting to the engine.

Now i know the block is not going to be efficient at absorbing the hot air but it will still have an effect. think of the original mini layout, the engine gets loads of cold air on it. And all the hot air goes out of the side, not back on the engine.

Modern cars with a front rad still allow cold air into the engine bay.

So maybe some holes in the front of the bonnet might help?

Edited by wil_h on 4th Apr, 2017.

Fastest 998 mini in the world? 13.05 1/4 mile 106mph

Are you running a thermostat or a sleave and using pump to controll the temperature?

Dazed and Confused....

Gosh I have a lot to respond to! Cheers lads.

Joe, it's 140bhp and 10psi of boost.

Dave, that's a great idea with the go pro. I'm fairly positive the waters flowing around very well. You can hear it with the pump running on its cool down with engine off. It's not a swirl pot as such like that with all the water going through it, it only has a 10mm angled feed and then exits at the bottom to the turbo.

Slater that's what I'm thinking.

Graham/yo-Han it's just a sleeve and it has a controller which follows a set procedure depending on the temperature.

Rick, that translates to roughly the same flow as mine. Using the EWP 80 so around 20 gallons per minute at full chat. You have no inner wings though, hmmmmm.

Adcyork, right, well that sounds reasonable. I think some holes are needed.

Wil_h, thanks for the input, that's a good thought it makes sense really. Although I thought that was one of the problems with the original layout. Hot air going through the rad.
I really don't want to put more holes in the bonnet if I can avoid it. I have one for the air filter already though.

I was hoping someone might just go 'do this' and my problem would be solved hahaha.
How wrong. Seems like a combination of things.

I took it for a short run earlier and the oil was at 90deg, possibly more though as I have the sensor in the sump plug, the temp drops a fair bit with it being in the airflow.

Edited by jonny f on 4th Apr, 2017.