Man, you want to put my car together? You work faster than I can think! 
Man, you want to put my car together? You work faster than I can think!
The engine has been running a little warmer than I would like, even with the addition of an oil cooler and dual pass radiator. A Jaguar technician named Norman Lutz figured out that that coolant inside the V12's was not evenly distributed. He found a way of altering the flow using restrictors in the external coolant manifolds. I made made the mods last night and now the temperature, at least when the car is idling, seems to stay under control. I can't say for sure if the mods are what did it because I also found an airlock in the cooling system and was able to add more coolant. Here are the manifolds without and with the restrictors:
loosecannon wrote: .<img
When I had my GT-6+, I just carried rebuild kits with me (young Punk rock fan plus living in Mississippi equals lots of long road trips 
). I think I've rebuilt a Stromberg in about 5 different states..
Sorry to hear about the ignition pieces. Were they Chinese? I tried some off-brand stuff on my Golf last time, and they were just trash. I actually got the car to run better by taking some old Bosch parts out of a junkyard. Eventually found a supplier that could get the real thing. "Penny wise, Pound foolish", I guess.
bravenrace wrote: Man, you want to put my car together? You work faster than I can think!
yea, how does he do that?
friedgreencorrado wrote:loosecannon wrote: .When I had my GT-6+, I just carried rebuild kits with me (young Punk rock fan plus living in Mississippi equals lots of long road trips
I'm already building a supply of spare parts-I have extra thermostats, carbs parts, intake gaskets, oil filters and ignition parts already. I think the e-bay cap and rotor were knock-offs (probably from China) and were really low quality. My britich car guy was showing me some off brand rotors that were so poorly made, the plastic was molded over top of the part of the rotor that is supposed to conduct electricity to the rotor-the car wouldn't even start. And to those people wondering how I do this all so fast, I don't have a good answer for you except that growing up I was not allowed in my dads shop and had a very short time between when I got off the school bus to when my dad got home. I had little time to work on my stuff, clean up the tools and get out before he came home.
friedgreencorrado wrote:loosecannon wrote: .When I had my GT-6+, I just carried rebuild kits with me (young Punk rock fan plus living in Mississippi equals lots of long road trips
Not to hijack an awesome thread, but I've got a couple stromberg 175 CDs to rebuild - any recommendation on what the good kit is?
I got mine from Moss Motors
what did you use to make the restrictors?
WilberM3 wrote: what did you use to make the restrictors?
Aluminum sheet. I found it easiest to drill the hole then cut out the piece and hand file it until it was the right size. A lathe would have made them easier.
I have bad news: I have done everything I can to cure the power and overheating problem with this V12. I have done all the recommended things to keep it cool and have tested or replaced all the things I can afford to do to make the power I need it to make. But after testing today, I realized that I have failed at both things. It still does not have the acceleration that 290 hp in a 2300 lb car should have and it reached 220 degrees on a cold morning and wouldn't cool off even with water sprayed on the rad. If it was powerful, I would invest in an oversized custom radiator and hopefully cure the problem. If it ran cool, I might invest in new cams/valve springs to get more power out of it. But as it is, throwing money at one problem to still have the other is more than I am willing do right now. So, I know there are thousands of people that follow the progress of this car, and many of you really want to see the Pink Panther at Nationals. To do this, I am going to need help. If anybody has a suitable replacement engine that they are willing to donate, lend or sell at a rock bottom price, I am willing to save a co-drive at the 2011 Solo Nationals in exchange. A suitable engine would be another V12 (carbs or EFI), GM or Ford V8 that is known to be healthy and strong. I don't want to fabricate new mounts and exhaust, purchase a bellhousing, clutch and pressure plate just to find that an engine can barely wheeze out 200 hp at the wheels. A generous fan of the car has already offered a mildly modified Ford 5.0 for no cost, but I have my doubts that it will make the power I need. Nobody is more disappointed than I am that I can't run this engine in the car. I have been wanting to do something great with it for the last 26 years but that is just not going to happen. If you are willing to help me get to Nationals, e-mail me marksawatsky at gmail dot com
Geez Man!
You've made great progress! Give yourself several days or a week to hash out the problems, then take a fresh look at it.
We are all pulling for this car to be a success!
Rog
In reply to loosecannon:
Whats your location? It would help people who might decide to contribute motors to the cause.
Didja think about slowing down the water pump?
Helped my car reduce/eliminate overheating.
Rog
MrJoshua wrote: In reply to loosecannon: Whats your location? It would help people who might decide to contribute motors to the cause.
I am smack in the middle of Canada, just north of the Dakotas. I am willing to pay for shipping or pick up a suitable engine almost anywhere in the US or Canada.
emodspitfire wrote: Didja think about slowing down the water pump? Helped my car reduce/eliminate overheating. Rog
No, but I have followed every other suggestion put forward by experienced Jag people and water pump speed was never mentioned. Slowing it down would be a shot in the dark and wouldn't be cheap.
Car-part.com and craigslist will get you started on the LSx variants for cheap money and easily making the power you want, but why? Old Jags can be had for $1k any day of the week so an engine donor isn't the problem. If the engine isn't the problem try running an extra radiator in series bolted to the bumper for a test run to see if that is the problem. Try running without the hood to see if lack of airflow out the back of the radiator is the problem. There are only so many things that could be wrong and you have an intimate knowledge of all of the systems on that car that could cause them. At the rate you work you could accomplish spectacular things if you dedicate a solid month of getting it right with the jag engine before you give up.
MrJoshua wrote: Car-part.com and craigslist will get you started on the LSx variants for cheap money and easily making the power you want, but why? Old Jags can be had for $1k any day of the week so an engine donor isn't the problem. If the engine isn't the problem try running an extra radiator in series bolted to the bumper for a test run to see if that is the problem. Try running without the hood to see if lack of airflow out the back of the radiator is the problem. There are only so many things that could be wrong and you have an intimate knowledge of all of the systems on that car that could cause them. At the rate you work you could accomplish spectacular things if you dedicate a solid month of getting it right with the jag engine before you give up.
I was strongly considering an LS2 I found locally but then found out that to fit it to my car required a special bellhousing, pressure plate, flywheel and wiring harness-all up about $3000, not including the cost of the engine. Old Jags are available fairly cheap but how do I know that after spending $1000 buying the engine, another $750 on shipping/duties/taxes that I will have an engine more powerful than the one I have? I can't explain it but my engine makes 290 hp on the dyno but in real life it's acceleration feels more like 190 hp. I am selling my sport quad to finance a new engine, I really don't want to throw good money after bad with this engine.
There was an epic thread on the Miata Engine Swap site where the poster had similar issues with cooling.
Turned out to be the aluminum radiator was defective. The coolant was shunting straigh thrugh from top to bottom without going across the rad. Near drove the poor guy nuts and how he figured it out I do not know.
Easy check would be to get some random rad out of a yard and cobble it to the front of the engine and see if it overheats at idle.
I also seem to recall your rad getting smashed, could there be an isssue from that?
Could it be your lightweight car doesn't put enough load on the engine for the vacuum actuated portion of your carbs to open enough?
NOHOME wrote: There was an epic thread on the Miata Engine Swap site where the poster had similar issues with cooling. Turned out to be the aluminum radiator was defective. The coolant was shunting straigh thrugh from top to bottom without going across the rad. Near drove the poor guy nuts and how he figured it out I do not know. Easy check would be to get some random rad out of a yard and cobble it to the front of the engine and see if it overheats at idle. I also seem to recall your rad getting smashed, could there be an isssue from that?
It's not so simple to attach a rad to the V12-it has two top hoses and a bottom hose and the rad has to be modified internally for proper flow. I guess there is a slim chance this is the problem but getting another rad that is designed for the V12 is at least $1000.
MrJoshua wrote: Could it be your lightweight car doesn't put enough load on the engine for the vacuum actuated portion of your carbs to open enough?
The car isn't THAT lightweight, it's still 2350 lbs and the pistons in the carbs will open up anytime I crack the throttle, even when not in gear.
Have you done a compression and/or leakdown test?
Can you get a Y or T fitting bring the coolant hoses together and then put a single hose out to a junkyard rad with a flex o lite fan attached sitting out front on the bumper for a test. If this keeps the motor cool then you know the rad you have is the issue. I have never dealt with the V12 could the coolant be cross floating back to the other head (circulating with in the motor and not actually going through the rad? ) Are there check valves that could be put in the twin coolant lines out of the motor? How about two smaller radiators stacked or side by side each cooling half the motor? Ya probably not doable but again with $100 of junkyard parts you could at least test things.
Another thought would be to put a temp sensor on each return hose to the rad (My multimeter has one) See if things are flowing evenly
I also second a leak down test and or pressurizing the coolant system with the plugs out and see if the head gasket is an issue. The lack of power and overheating has me thinking. (probably what Javelin is thinking.)
In Reply to Javelin.
If a motor is losing what feels to be 1/3rd it's power, something has changed. The cooling issue may or may not be related, but i think i is. Your temps don't sound THAT crazy to me, but then again, i'm used to seeing the temp gauge of a 22 year old turbo car.
Have you tested your coolant for combustion gases?
If you must put another motor in it, i really want to see another V12 in there. 
BMW this time?
A BIG part of why you have so many followers is the V12. Please try to make it work. Pretty please? 
dean1484 wrote: Can you get a Y or T fitting bring the coolant hoses together and then put a single hose out to a junkyard rad with a flex o lite fan attached sitting out front on the bumper for a test. If this keeps the motor cool then you know the rad you have is the issue. I have never dealt with the V12 could the coolant be cross floating back to the other head (circulating with in the motor and not actually going through the rad? ) Are there check valves that could be put in the twin coolant lines out of the motor? How about two smaller radiators stacked or side by side each cooling half the motor? Ya probably not doable but again with $100 of junkyard parts you could at least test things. Another thought would be to put a temp sensor on each return hose to the rad (My multimeter has one) See if things are flowing evenly I also second a leak down test and or pressurizing the coolant system with the plugs out and see if the head gasket is an issue. The lack of power and overheating has me thinking. (probably what Javelin is thinking.)
More in line with what I was thinking. Hell, throw all three hoses into a kiddies swimming pool and see if it still overheats! If it does, then it is internal too the engine putting out too much heat; combustion gasses are going to inject heat into the water and boil the whole pool eventually.
Put a garden hose in the inlet and let the outlets drain onto the ground.(after draining all coolant out of course) If 70 degree tap water won't keep it cool then its not the radiator.
You'll need to log in to post.
