Cool running Elan

[JerryBoone]

I've always been concerned about how my S4 Elan DHC would do in hit weather. I've had experience with British cars not designed for the types of temperatures we can see in the US.

Today I attended the All British Field Meet at Portland (Oregon) International Raceway

When I left the track it was 94 degrees. In the 20+ mile trip home the car never registered more than 170 degrees (assuming the gauge is accurate).

I'm pleased.

The car has a 160 degree thermostat, new aluminum radiator and a fan that looks about the size of a helicopter rotor. The other thing I did was, when I repainted the car a year ago, to fill in the holes in the wheel wells where oversize tires (before my time) had created about 8-inch-long slits that allowed some of the air coming into the nose to escape and not go through the radiator.

I turn on the fan as soon as I start out vs waiting for the engine to get up to temp, in my firm belief that it is better to keep the engine from getting hot rather than trying to dissipate heat as it approaches tea time.

I realize there is nothing especially revealing in my post. I'm simply happy it all worked and figured this group would be pleased to hear it.

[Fred Talmadge]

Yea a big radiator, like on the early cars with an electric fan does the trick. The only British car that overheated on me was a Healey 3000 when stuck in freeway traffic. It needed an electric fan, but I wasn't smart enough to figure it out then.

[sng]

I assume that your car is equipped with Stromberg carbs which run hotter than Webers. The combination of Stromberg's, the smaller radiator and modern traffic are a total nightmare. A few decades ago I had a girlfriend who lived in South London and I lived in the north of London, being the only car I owned at the time my Stromberg equipped S4 Elan was often on the north circular road stuck in summer traffic with the heater full on trying to stop the engine from overheating. I always smile when people talk of experiencing the Elan as it was originally designed. My car like yours now has a wide aluminium radiator with a modern fan and over heating is a thing of the past.

[ajwheels]

Yea a big radiator, like on the early cars with an electric fan does the trick. The only British car that overheated on me was a Healey 3000 when stuck in freeway traffic. It needed an electric fan, but I wasn't smart enough to figure it out then.

My Healey 3000 did the same thing....I just tried to avoid traffic....as for my Elan, big aluminum radiator and electric fan really does the job.....cool as can be....