Fuel And Cooling

[Guest lansledj]

Hi,

got my 2B with a 2ltr Efi delivered today and took it for my 1st drive and have notice a few teething probs and would appreciate some advice.

 

1) car gets very hot quickly in traffic even with the viscous fan and a 2nd fan in front of the rad, is this normal.

 

2) on cornering (doesn't have to be quickly) when warm the car missfires for a few seconds when you come out of the bend. do I need to put baffels in the tank ?

 

3) is it easy to retro fit a fuel tank sender as it appears that one was never fitted?

 

4) Ive been given some wipers and the motor etc and wondered if its easy to fit them ?

 

Thanks

 

David

[enforcer]

Hiya mate. In answer to your q's..

 

1. Too many variables - you need to let us know what your cooling system is (particularly which radiator). I have never had any overheating problems (apart from installing the thermostat the wrong way round) - schoolboy error. But I do use the Coolman twin core radiator and have a heater plumbed in. I have an electric fan to complement the standard viscous, but have never had to use it, even when stuck in traffic on a hot day.

 

2. I don't have this problem and don't have baffles in the tank. In any case if the problem is happening as you are cornering, and the vehicle's weight is being transfered even if the tank ran dry you've still got about 8' worth of fuel tube full of petrol which you're not going to get through during the bend. Not sure about this one; could be a pump problem, or a loose HT lead / coil etc which is breaking contact with something under the force exerted by the cornering? Mine's a carb but I think you are supposed to have an 'injection' tank?

 

3. Again, depends on what you've got. The builder may have buried the fuel tank under an elaborate boot and it may be difficult to access. If there is an appropriate sender hole in the tank (blanked off) it is relatively simple job to fit a sierra unit. Can be a bit of a pain to properly seal it though.

 

4. Depends again on what you have got. The mini set up allows a great deal of flexibility (literally) and the motors have been mounted in all sorts of different ways!

 

Rich

[Guest robinj66]

Hi Bentley

As regards the hot running, a friend of mine has the same problem. If your rad is positioned within the engine bay then there are a lot of components to block/disrupt the airflow.

 

Things to check are (1) flush the block & rad; (2) use a 15 psi rad cap; (3) open up the holes in the metalwork surrounding the front suspension as much as you can; (4) create ducting within the nose all the way to the rad (as far as that is possible)

[Guest Bazwaz]

Try running the car with a full tank. If this cures the misfire then you may need to fit a swirl pot.

Rich

you wont get this problem with a carb as it's low pressure and has a sufficient supply in the bowl, with injection (high pressure) it can draw air through and cause a misfire when cornering as the fuel is thrown to one side.

 

Barry

 

David

Fill in your location, there may be other members close by who can help.

[Guest lansledj]

Try running the car with a full tank. If this cures the misfire then you may need to fit a swirl pot.

Rich

you wont get this problem with a carb as it's low pressure and has a sufficient supply in the bowl, with injection (high pressure) it can draw air through and cause a misfire when cornering as the fuel is thrown to one side.

 

Barry

 

David

Fill in your location, there may be other members close by who can help.

 

Guys many thanks for the replies.

 

not sure what rad it is will try to find out from robin hood.

 

i will check again when the tank is full but i only noticed it after about 40- 50 miles

 

looked at the tank and can't see a blanking plate (maybe i'm just dumb) can't see the back or sides clearly but when i ran my hands over it i didn't notice anything.

 

And i'm based in Brentwood ESSEX.

 

P.S I've got a set of 5 ford 4 stud alloys (sierra pepperpot) with good tyres if anyone wants them.

[Guest salty_monk]

Sender would be on the top right if it's a RH stainless tank. Sounds like you need a swirl pot fitted. Noticing after 50 miles isn't impossible, it's a small tank, that could be half empty!

 

No chance in finding out what rad it is from RH! Post a picture of it up here. If it has a plastic top then chances are it's the single core cortina. If metal it's likely to be the 2 core coolman.

 

Does it have an expansion tank fitted? It shouldn't need two fans. I would bin the viscous & get a decent electric one in there & a thermostatic sender.

Biggest difference you'll notice will be to make a cowl from the front to push all the air through the rad.

 

Take a look at these pics....

 

 

Single core cortina rad

 

 

2 core Coolman rad

[Guest chris brown]

1/ Its all very well to have both the viscous and electric one but if they aren’t ducted so ALL the air that goes through the fan goes through the rad. The problem is with the 2B wishbone (not so bad with the sub K or sliding pillock) is that with the rad at something like 45 degrees the air entering the nosecone would rather go round the rad than through it

 

2/ Normal problem when using a standard tank with EFI. I have a small swirl pot built in but with less than 1/4 tank of fuel still run out on roundabouts the problem is the supply rate for a fuel injection system is so great with something like 90% of it being returned to the tank and as soon as the pump draws air the engine stops. The only real solution is to fit a bigger swirl pot; Daren F has one about 5 litre.

 

3/ As Enforcer says

 

4/ Unless they are Mini ones I would throw them away and take a trip to your local scrap yard and don’t forget to get the plug and a bit of the loom as well.

[Bob Tucker]

The water pipes on the Coolman come straight out of the rad,

on the Cortina rad, the top one is L shaped

 

Also check ignition timing. If wrong it could cause the overheating & misfire

[Guest elwe]

Once you get air into the fuel line its only way out is through the fuel pump, the fuel rail and then either the pressure regulator or the injectors. Having a larger fuel rail with the pressure regulator at the highest point can help.

 

The fix is to fit a swirl pot. The easiest way to add a swirl pot is to use an external one with a low pressure pump to feed it from the main tank. I have a 2.something litre one under the bonnet. It's about 60mm diameter and as high as the side panel so there is no chance of the fuel surging to one side and allowing air into the injection pump.

[Guest lansledj]

Once you get air into the fuel line its only way out is through the fuel pump, the fuel rail and then either the pressure regulator or the injectors. Having a larger fuel rail with the pressure regulator at the highest point can help.

 

The fix is to fit a swirl pot. The easiest way to add a swirl pot is to use an external one with a low pressure pump to feed it from the main tank. I have a 2.something litre one under the bonnet. It's about 60mm diameter and as high as the side panel so there is no chance of the fuel surging to one side and allowing air into the injection pump.

 

guys thanks I will do some reading on the swirl pot and where i can get that and a low pressure pump, also had asuggestion that I get some foam for the tank (demon tweeks do some for around £50) to stop it sloshing around.

 

the wipers are from a mini I think, but I haven't got the loom.

 

the rad is a coolman I think (can't see the pictures for some reason)and it has an expansion tank, when i'm moving the temp is fine but in town it quickly creeps up towards the very top of normal, maybe i'm being fussy ?

 

Thanks again

[Longboarder]

Getting hot in traffic, don't trust the gauge, may not be accurate. Carry a couple of litres of water and only believe it's overheating if it boils. Temperature pickup/sender must be correctly matched to the instruments you are using, not the engine to give a valid reading. Ford dealer will help out with new one. Air locks in the system is another common cause of overheating.

 

If your car is a 3A as it says in your signature the fuel tank should have the sender, pick-up feeding the pump and return pipe from the rail all in a 100mm diameter circular plate in the top left/nearside of the tank. Should be visible in a cut-out in the boot floor. Most builders use this combined unit from the donor sierra. If your fuel gauge doesn't work it may just be a wiring fault. The sender may already be fitted!

 

Fitting mini wipers is pretty simple after you have chosen where to mount the motor and which side to have them park. Any missing bits you can get from minispares.

 

Baffling the tank or putting in foam at this stage is not practical. I agree a swirl pot is the way to go.

 

Nigel

[Guest lansledj]

Getting hot in traffic, don't trust the gauge, may not be accurate. Carry a couple of litres of water and only believe it's overheating if it boils. Temperature pickup/sender must be correctly matched to the instruments you are using, not the engine to give a valid reading. Ford dealer will help out with new one. Air locks in the system is another common cause of overheating.

 

If your car is a 3A as it says in your signature the fuel tank should have the sender, pick-up feeding the pump and return pipe from the rail all in a 100mm diameter circular plate in the top left/nearside of the tank. Should be visible in a cut-out in the boot floor. Most builders use this combined unit from the donor sierra. If your fuel gauge doesn't work it may just be a wiring fault. The sender may already be fitted!

 

Fitting mini wipers is pretty simple after you have chosen where to mount the motor and which side to have them park. Any missing bits you can get from minispares.

 

Baffling the tank or putting in foam at this stage is not practical. I agree a swirl pot is the way to go.

 

Nigel

 

Nigel,

thanks for the info, updated my profile to show 2B.

Definately can't see a sender ??

 

I think the temp gauge works ok because it appears to be all standard sierra gear, and temp is fine when i'm on the move.

 

I will look into a swirl pot

 

Thanks

David

[Guest Bazwaz]

Nigel,

 

 

I will look into a swirl pot

 

Thanks

David

 

Take a torch. It's dark in there. :D

 

Barry

[Guest lansledj]

Take a torch. It's dark in there. :D

 

Barry

 

LOL

[Guest lansledj]

LOL

 

Finaly got round to removing Viscous fan and fitted Electric fan with thermostat fron kit car builders and it seems to have cured the problem. just need to fix the others.