Morris Minor Owners Club

So there are mumblings that the winter is going to get quite cold this year and especially for me (what with moving to the east coast) that the coldness "may" cause problems with our beloved moggies working at optimum temperature.

Anyone here have any plans for a baffle? I'd quite like to have a go at making a baffle I can put over/inside the grille to help the engine heat up and not stay too cold if the weather gets really bitter. I know there were aftermarket "posh" baffles made but I'd quite like to have a go at making my own. The only thing is that I don't really want to have a piece of cardboard taped to the front of the car. (Cause I think the saftey inspectors in VA may not like that!)

So erm.. yes... ideas? Plans? Any other ways of keeping the engine happy? We're often plagued by fuel evaporation and problems in extreme heat but what about the cold???

Nikki

The only thing is that I don't really want to have a piece of cardboard taped to the front of the car. (Cause I think the saftey inspectors in VA may not like that!)

Then use tin-foil; 's what i used last year *grins*.

tbh, I don't see what they'd have against it, and you wouldn't *actually* have to have it on for the inspection.... Of course, some might argue against it on the basis of appearance.....

Pyoor_Kate wrote:

The only thing is that I don't really want to have a piece of cardboard taped to the front of the car. (Cause I think the saftey inspectors in VA may not like that!)

Then use tin-foil; 's what i used last year *grins*.

tbh, I don't see what they'd have against it, and you wouldn't *actually* have to have it on for the inspection.... Of course, some might argue against it on the basis of appearance.....

Hehe... I mean, what's wrong with the tin foil eh?

Well, actually, maybe...

Where's the best place then to put it??? And about what temperature should I be doing it?

Oh, and is it normal to adjust the carb or idle speed for the winter???

I would advise you to start with cardboard at first because
you will have to experiment with how much of the radiator you
blank off and,preferably incorporate some means of varying
the area too. I use a cardboard baffle slipped down between the
rad and the grill.......TIE A PIECE OF WIRE TO THE BAFFLE SO
THAT YOU CAN PULL THE BAFFLE OUT AGAIN! If you dont want
it to show through the grill then spray it matt black.

Willie,

thanks!!!

You could of course buy a radiator muff (£40 plus), but I think Willie's DIY suggestion will do the same job for a fraction of the price. I've been experimenting with something of a very similar nature, i.e. a piece of hardboard tied at the top to the rad cap and slipped between the radiator & grille.

i had two bits of cardboard hanging over the rad from the water fill.
did'nt realise that its a winter warmer. They fell of durring the summer. Don't understand. Surely the engine is warm when running and how would a bit of card keep it warm at night when parked, surely a blanket over the whole engine would be better?
sb

Hi sb,

In the winter, the problem is not keeping the car warm at night when it's switched off, but keeping the engine warm while the car is running.

the radiator is so effective that the operating temperature of the car is compromised when the outside temperature is so cold!



Nikki

A moggie's cooling system is somewhat larger than necessary. Blanking off part of the radiator reduces heat loss from the cooling system, allowing the engine to heat up more quickly & run warmer. However once its switched off, the engine's heat will soon radiate away and the best solution to retain heat is a blanket of some kind for the engine. Using engine oil with a 15W or 10W rating might also be advisable, as would be using a very light oil in the dashpot. A high concentrate of Glycol (40% plus) in the water would also be a good idea.

I've got a 'winter' radiator for when it gets cold!

well i have a winter moggie and a summer moggie!!!!!!!!!!!

cheers, looks like i'll have to remove that cornflake box from the roof of my car and adapt it! (see tips thread on gearbox crossmember/nut casings)

sb

I use a cardboard baffle slipped down between the
rad and the grill

A simple solution once again Willie I like Kate have used the tin foil on the grill before but this seems simpler and easy to remove.

Another 'invisible' option would be a piece of perspex drilled in the corners and tie-wrapped to the front of the grill. Another advantage to this is that for the winter months the grill is protected from stonechips and salt deposits.

Another thing I do is to move the air filter nearer to the exhaust manifold, therefore increasing the temperature of the air coming in. I did that last night and it made a big difference to the temperature of the car's heater!

Just for the record....... I used to use tin-foil wrapped over the front of the grille for all to see! I really needed to do it too as a blast down the motorway at 'making progress' speeds in freezing weather caused the temp gauge to drop from normal into cold!! When I pulled up after the sliproad the engine needed choke!! I had never seen that happen before and probably would not have believed it if I had not experienced it myself! Just shows that the Moggy is 'overcooled' by the big radiator and the tinfoil/cardboard/perspex is a really good idea in winter.

Another thing I do is to move the air filter nearer to the exhaust manifold,

Unfortunatly you can`t do that on all engines without changing breather pipe lenghts.

There you go - a nice muff for your Morry

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 16096&rd=1

I saw that... a bit of cardboard would be a lot cheaper though... However they do retail at around £40ish.

I'd be a bit worried about using one of those, since by the time I'm halfway to work (although I don't know what it'd be like in the really cold weather) the heater's chugging round giving a nice hot draught from the vents.