Cooling System Control?

[S2Jay]

I just saw this item featured on one of the hot rod / muscle car sites. No idea if or how it would work in an Elan application.



Curious if anyone else has seen this or tired it yet [my car will continue to be non-op for an indeterminate time yet]. The company appears to be Aussie based, and seems to have local distribution via dealers.
http://daviescraig.com.au/
http://www.3pconnect.com/home.html

No personal connection & I have not tired this yet. While each of the components can be had separately, it is apparent that they are intended to all work together as a unified system. Pricing for the whole kit seems to be between 400 - 500 in USD or Aussie D.

This is an electric water pump & fan combination that each can be controlled via an adjustable controller. This pump set up seems to be intended to work in continuous road car operation, as opposed to the limited use drag race units that have been around for years.

Advantages are that the water pump can provide full circulation at idle, as when in heavy traffic on a hot day. As vehicle speed increases and the air flow provides cooling through the radiator, the fan and pump operating time can be reduced to whatever intermittent time is needed. This is monitored by the temp sensor and controlled via the individual and adjustable controllers.

This is just the opposite of what happens with an engine driven pump that is tied to engine rpm, and which then tries to pump more as the car goes faster. Max draw is 10 amps, but it is said that it will usually be working at 7 to 8 amps when is use, as it will seldom be at max load.

You can also remove the existing thermostat, and also remove the original water pump, if that is feasible in a given application. Amount of cooling flow is controlled by the electric pump running time. Alternatives are to bypass the water pump or remove the impeller if it needs to be left in place due to common brackets or belt routing. The idea here is to reduce or eliminate some restrictions to flow in the cooling system.

The electric pump can be run continuously, but it is reported that it normally only needs to be run intermittently as needed by cooling system.

It is also said that the pump unit can be mounted in the lower hose and requires no additional bracketry. At about 2-1/2 lbs, it seems a bit heavy to leave dangling from the hose.

Jay

[msd1107]

The standard cooling system is sub-optimal on many levels. The water pump is over sized for most needs, but still does not provide enough flow at idle and sometimes cavitates at high RPM. The radiator is much over sized to provide come cooling capacity at idle and low speed. The stock radiator fan is inadequate and/or add on fans are oversized for most needs.

The Davies Craig unit has been around for years and is well proved.

Several Elan owners have installed this unit with good results. Look in the archives.

With a maximum current draw of 10 amps, this a maximum power consumption of a fraction of a horsepower and only when maximum cooling is needed. The standard water pump consumes power at an increasing rate as the RPMs increase, whether or not cooling is necessary (and it generally is not at high RPMs.)

In addition, you do not have to worry about the water pump failing.

All in all, a good change except for those who demand complete historical authenticity.

I got one years ago.

David
1968 36/7988

[bulfin]

Hi,

I have a Davis-Craig pump and controller on my 69 DHC. Finding a place to put the pump was not easy. Also, sizing a new belt took some tries. It works great - the only trouble is getting it hot enough! Quite a difference from the original. I hope to track it weekend after next, so we will see how it goes.

Bob
69 Elan DHC
71 Europa S2 (in boxes)
Auburn, AL USA