Sealed a radiator leak, will it help?
07-11-2013, 12:36 AM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Sealed a radiator leak, will it help?
Just wondering if this fix will reduce temps at all? My WCC Hurricane intake's radiator shroud has never fit as good as stock, so today I decided to fix that.
Before
After
Before
After
07-11-2013, 09:11 AM
#2
Safety Car
Member Since: Nov 2000
Location: Shenandoah Valley Virginia
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Anything that you can do to force more air through the radiator will help. Have you also thought about the need to remove the air from the engine compartment via extra hood vents ? The more air volume that you move through and out the better off you will be.
07-11-2013, 10:31 AM
#3
Melting Slicks
Not so you could tell...
It probably will help some, but you didn't have a huge leakage around it in the first place. If you had some large holes or other ways that the air could sneak around the radiator then it would make more of a difference.
In aircraft it is very important to seal all the gaps like this to reduce what is called "cooling drag". That is, the leakage becomes important because of it contributes to the overall drag and that is a big deal. Small amounts of leakage like you had around that radiator aren't going to push a lot more air through the radiator since they don't effect the pressure drop very much and therefore the radiator flow doesn't change much.
It's good practice and you should do it, but don't expect a lot from it.
It probably will help some, but you didn't have a huge leakage around it in the first place. If you had some large holes or other ways that the air could sneak around the radiator then it would make more of a difference.
In aircraft it is very important to seal all the gaps like this to reduce what is called "cooling drag". That is, the leakage becomes important because of it contributes to the overall drag and that is a big deal. Small amounts of leakage like you had around that radiator aren't going to push a lot more air through the radiator since they don't effect the pressure drop very much and therefore the radiator flow doesn't change much.
It's good practice and you should do it, but don't expect a lot from it.
07-11-2013, 11:27 AM
#4
Drifting
Member Since: Dec 2005
Location: Dayton, OH
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Not so you could tell...
It probably will help some, but you didn't have a huge leakage around it in the first place. If you had some large holes or other ways that the air could sneak around the radiator then it would make more of a difference.
In aircraft it is very important to seal all the gaps like this to reduce what is called "cooling drag". That is, the leakage becomes important because of it contributes to the overall drag and that is a big deal. Small amounts of leakage like you had around that radiator aren't going to push a lot more air through the radiator since they don't effect the pressure drop very much and therefore the radiator flow doesn't change much.
It's good practice and you should do it, but don't expect a lot from it.
It probably will help some, but you didn't have a huge leakage around it in the first place. If you had some large holes or other ways that the air could sneak around the radiator then it would make more of a difference.
In aircraft it is very important to seal all the gaps like this to reduce what is called "cooling drag". That is, the leakage becomes important because of it contributes to the overall drag and that is a big deal. Small amounts of leakage like you had around that radiator aren't going to push a lot more air through the radiator since they don't effect the pressure drop very much and therefore the radiator flow doesn't change much.
It's good practice and you should do it, but don't expect a lot from it.
07-11-2013, 07:26 PM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
So 1-2 degrees like I thought before. I have thought about venting the hood, but that's $$$. I won't do it to the CE hood for obvious reasons, so then I'd need to add weight with another hood and somehow make it match the car. Haven't dreamed up an acceptable solution to that, so for now I'll press on with better sealing the lip to the radiator as there's leakage between the lip and AC and between the AC and radiator. Probably another 1-2 degree mod, but I'll know I've done all I can on the cheap. After this weekend's event, I'll start rounding up the bits to install a new factory plug on my Spal and get it mounted. I'm hoping that produces tangible results.
07-12-2013, 01:46 PM
#6
Race Director
If that is a stock radiator (I can't tell) I'd install a real one before I'd spend much more time/$$ trying to get the stock one to work.
A Davis or DeWitts with a (stock) fan setting adjustment & 160 stat is all most need.
A Davis or DeWitts with a (stock) fan setting adjustment & 160 stat is all most need.
07-12-2013, 02:48 PM
#7
Safety Car
Thread Starter
well the spal will go on the aftermarket radiator anyway and these sealing mods will help maximize any radiator I install. In this moment, I can afford to either drive or mod, but not both. I choose driving.
07-12-2013, 02:55 PM
#8
Race Director
I built a screen (see videos below) for off track easy driving & it comes off for track.
Last edited by froggy47; 07-13-2013 at 03:21 PM.
07-14-2013, 11:56 PM
#9
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Radiator cleaning was my first "mod" after my first track day, made quite the difference. I can't tell if this helped or not because our sessions were 20 minutes this time and not 30 like last month, but I don't think coolant got past 220s this weekend and Saturday was in the 90s.
