Hot climate and mountain motoring

[jimscott]

Hello - I am planning a trip to the South of France, Andorra and Spain in my Minor 1000 convertible in May/June this year (2015) and would be very grateful for any advice about preparing the car for hotter temperatures and then long steep climbs in the Pyrenees through Andorra and into Spain. Do I need to consider any additional engine cooling or oil cooling and are there any other electrical components that should be changed such as coil or condenser? We have done some long trips in the car before but have not had any experience of driving it in hotter climates. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Jim Scott

[mike.perry]

Fit some fabric seat covers, burnt legs are painful

[bmcecosse]

Fit a lower rated thermostat - 74 should be ok. and I would double up on the fan blades - and of course check that the cooling system/hoses are all in good order - and the radiator is not failing/fins falling out - that sort of thing. Also check the valve gaps and set exhausts at 15 thou - maybe even 18 which is what I use... Of course change all fluids and filters - and a compression check on the engine will tell you if it's fit! I think I would also fit a complete new electronic 45D dizzy from Accuspark/Powerspark to eliminate all worries in that department - and carry a spare 'known good' fuel pump as a spare.

[beero]

Fit a temp gauge to give you a warning. You can always pull over and allow it to cool a bit if you have a warning.

[mowogg]

I have used mine in the Alps and Pyrenees. Mine is standard except an electric fan. The fan only run 2-3 times in these trips in auto. I have a manual switch which i use if required, but again this was not needed.

[mogbob]

Jim
If the brake fluid has not been changed in a while ( ? ) I'd make sure that this was included in Roy's suggestion of
change all fluids.
Bob

[MarkyB]

The fan only run 2-3 times in these trips

Under what circumstances did it run?

Be aware that when you stop the engine it will get hotter before it cools down as the cooling system stops circulating.

[mowogg]

The fan only run when i was being slowed down by other traffic. I have had a fan on now for over 15000 miles and it rarely cuts in. I recall driving in 34C in the south of France in towns and it did not run here.

I think it shows how overcooled the standard engine/radiator set up is

[jimscott]

Thank you all very much for your excellent advice - very much appreciated and I'll get busy. Just had the seats re-covered in leather though! Jim

[mike.perry]

My seats are leather, that is why I suggested covers!

[moggiethouable]

I notice mention of mountains too, should any consideration be given to mixture at altitude?

[mowogg]

I did wonder this, but mine run fine up to 2400 meters and i made no alterations. The power reduces a little as you go up.....

[Declan_Burns]

Jim,
I rebush the 7 Blade MGB plastic fans (Part no 12H4744) for use on the MG TD to give improved cooling and for safety reasons in case the original metal fan decides to break up and exit through the bonnet. I compared the original TD fan blades with the original Moggy fan blades and the holes appear to line up. My mate has a similar if not identical fan on his Moggy and will send me a photo later.
I intend to test fit the one in the photo on my Moggy at the weekend.
It might just be an option for you.

Regards
Declan[frame][/frame]

[chesney]

I attempted to fit a Marina plastic fan to my Minor (which looks near identical to the above) and found it would not fit due to the amount of clearance with the radiator. If you are using a non standard radiator it may not matter so much.
I know of one that was modified to fit a Midget engined Minor, but it ended up wrecking the radiator (and fan) when the engine shifted forward under braking.

[Declan_Burns]

Chesney-comment much appreciated-that's why I want to check it out thoroughly first. It certainly looks like it will fit but I would like to actually measure the clearance.

Regards
Declan.

[Declan_Burns]

My mate checked the fan and it is an 11 blade fan but we don't know from which car as it was on the car when he bought it. Clearance to rad approx. 1.5cm. Engine restraint properly set and no problems in the last 7 years with engine going forward.
Regards
Declan[frame][/frame]

[chesney]

Fair enough, the Marina one I had (or at least it was attached to a Marina engine) stood so proud that I couldn't fit the front panel/radiator. Didn't know there was much difference between plastic fans.

[panky]

Looks like a Mini fan.
I think it is and the pitch on the blades is the wrong way round

[chesney]

That would make some sense, the Mini one is squashed right up against the radiator on the r/g side, the Marina is quite spacious in comparison.

[panky]

Yes but that fan is pushing the air back through the radiator, as it's designed to do on a Mini with it's side mounted rad, but on the Minor the flow through the rad will stall when the car is moving. Declan said it's been fine for years, it just goes to show how over engineered the cooling system is.