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Engine temperature
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Miken



Joined: 24 Dec 2012
Posts: 544

PostPosted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:08 am    Post subject: Engine temperature Reply with quote

I have recently rebuilt the engine on my A40 Devon pick-up truck. It has very basic instrumentation and lacks an engine temperature gauge. Out of interest i bought a digital universal gauge and sender from ebay and fitted it to a tapping on the thermostat housing in the cylinder head.
I have also fitted a new higher efficiency radiator with an extra (3 instead of 2) row of tubes.
Just been for a 10 mile run and it showed 71-74 ish degrees. On a long straight uphill incline it got up to 76 deg.
Does this sound a bit cool?
Anyone else with a similar OHV iron engine (A or B series ) got similar results?
It is fitted with the 74 degree summer thermostat so that appears spot on.
I was expecting the temperature to rise a bit more after the thermostat opened and maybe run at 80-85, but am not knowledgeable on these things.
Haven't tried it on a hot afternoon yet.
Thanks
Mike
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emmerson



Joined: 30 Sep 2008
Posts: 1268
Location: South East Wales

PostPosted: Tue Aug 18, 2020 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miken, I would fit a higher temp thermostat, as the car will only run at the temperature of the 'stat. I, too would think that 80-90 would be better.
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Keith D



Joined: 16 Oct 2008
Posts: 1127
Location: Upper Swan, Western Australia

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miken,

My A40 tourer has a 1620 series B engine. It has a standard A40 radiator. It has an electronic temp sensor and gauge that never goes above 80 degrees, even in an Australian summer. My sensor is fitted into the radiator not the head. I’ve had no problems regarding temperature.

Keith
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Miken



Joined: 24 Dec 2012
Posts: 544

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the replies.
I've tried it with the sensor in the top of the radiator and of course it shows an even lower temperature (66-70).
With that in mind i have ordered an 82 degree winter thermostat.
A knowledgeable person in the owners club says that I should not do this as it risks the head gasket.
I am using an old stock original gasket made from copper / as#%!*tos so hopefully it will be OK.
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badhuis



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Use one of these cheap infra-red handheld temp sensors to see / compare temperatures. Very useful.
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Miken



Joined: 24 Dec 2012
Posts: 544

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 2:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It seems unusual to be concerning myself with under heating. Usually I associate old cars with overheating.
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MVPeters



Joined: 28 Aug 2008
Posts: 822
Location: Northern MA, USA

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Miken wrote:
It seems unusual to be concerning myself with under heating. Usually, I associate old cars with overheating.


The US has not widely adopted metric measurements, so the common thermostats in any auto parts store are:
175F = summer
185F = most cars
195F = winter
So your 82C = 189F which is probably a good choice.
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alanb



Joined: 10 Sep 2012
Posts: 516
Location: Berkshire.

PostPosted: Wed Aug 19, 2020 8:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It sounds like your high efficiency radiator is too efficient, you could always fit an electric fan that’s thermostat controlled and disconnect the engine driven one.
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 3:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

badhuis wrote:
Use one of these cheap infra-red handheld temp sensors to see / compare temperatures. Very useful.


I daresay they're useful but they're not that cheap. I got a glass thermometer from a homebrew supplier via fleabay and popped it in the top tank of the rad. Cost under a fiver, that's my idea of cheap! With no batteries or electronics to go wrong, it now lives in the fridge door (where I keep seeing it, so can't lose it) in case I ever need it again.
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mikeC



Joined: 31 Jul 2009
Posts: 1771
Location: Market Warsop, Nottinghamshire

PostPosted: Thu Aug 20, 2020 8:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try blanking off part of the radiator with a bit of cardboard; that's what I do every winter with my Austin Seven


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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

A trick which also works on much more modern vehicles. We were keen on Triumph Acclaims; lost count of how many Dad had aside the one I owned for a spell. Now an Acclaim's cooling system is often marginal, but accumulated knowledge led us to a solution that worked well in the summer but led to overcooling in colder weather. Solution, a sheet metal blanking plate that could be clipped to the front of the rad (actually there were two sizes, one for winter and a smaller spring/autumn version) and, importantly, whipped out quickly if conditions warranted it. At least one of them still kicking around although the last Acclaim went to a new owner several years ago. If the parts situation were better I'd still like to have one but it's no longer a practical proposition.
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badhuis



Joined: 20 Aug 2008
Posts: 1390
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bitumen Boy wrote:
If the parts situation were better I'd still like to have one but it's no longer a practical proposition.


Surprised by that. Is it that bad for a car "just gone out of production"? At least that is in my mind when I think of the Acclaim. Of course that is not true - it would be around 35 years ago. But knowing spares usually are not a problem for old Brit cars I am surprised. So hard to get normal parts for?

I have been using an old Jaguar 420 (1967) as a daily runner for 10+ years now and never had trouble finding spares for it. OK the local motor factor may not have anything but there are so many specialists around that it never was a problem.
Is it so different for the Acclaim?
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Bitumen Boy



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 1733
Location: Above the snow line in old Monmouthshire

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

badhuis wrote:
Bitumen Boy wrote:
If the parts situation were better I'd still like to have one but it's no longer a practical proposition.


Surprised by that. Is it that bad for a car "just gone out of production"? At least that is in my mind when I think of the Acclaim. Of course that is not true - it would be around 35 years ago. But knowing spares usually are not a problem for old Brit cars I am surprised. So hard to get normal parts for?

I have been using an old Jaguar 420 (1967) as a daily runner for 10+ years now and never had trouble finding spares for it. OK the local motor factor may not have anything but there are so many specialists around that it never was a problem.
Is it so different for the Acclaim?


I think the problem is it's not really an "old Brit car" - it was actually a rebadged Honda Ballade, mildly tweaked for the UK market. Many see it as not being a "proper" Triumph which doesn't help. Values are low which doesn't encourage firms to get involved. Only one of the Triumph specialists that I know of would admit to having any parts for them and those only a small and random selection of unlikely-to-fail bits they probably had to take as part of a job lot. Some service parts are still common to the small Hondas of today but Acclaim-specific parts are mostly in the hen's teeth category, or at least they were a few years ago when the last one of ours was moved on.
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lowdrag



Joined: 10 Apr 2009
Posts: 1585
Location: Le Mans

PostPosted: Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

In the case of an Acclaim I would expect that the engine parts are readily available, but the body panels would be extremely hard to find since so few exist - 27 HL models for instance according to howmanyleft.co.uk. It just isn't worth anybody's time and money to make them. And we all know that the cost of parts rises according to the make and the rarity. A Cossie piston is £30 and for a DB4 is £200 for instance. Panels for Rover cars like the 75 were getting to be hen's teeth years ago.
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