Fan Shroud On MCI

[luvrbus]

I think before we add a 3rd radiator I'll pull his aftercooler and add a air to air charger then add a external cooler with a electric fan for the Allison.
His does fine in 96 degrees but running from Vegas to southern Ca when the temps are 115 on the long pulls he heats up.Still going to test the shrouds though it maybe a waste of time or maybe not 

[lvmci]

Hi All, Clifford ran my radiators through the cleaning process, which I  would highly recommend, the bus came from Oregon, then Wahington for a few years, it really did help alot with the cooling, also used cooling system restore from freightliner,  also did a lot to clean out the insides of the radiators. It's  running cool right now, but it's  alot cooler out too, I  guess I'll  have too wait for summer, or drive down to Mexico, I  know, lets make a convoy down to Baja California! Lvmci...

[kyle4501]

The blowers will move more air if they can pull from both sides of the wheel. If you block off one side, blower performance will be reduced. All any fan or blower does is try to move as much air as required develop the fan's designed pressure differential for the given speed & horsepower.

Taking the charge air and transmission heat load away from the engine coolant will help.

I do believe ducting will help, but I think the 'ducting' needs to be in a different place than where you are looking at.

If you reduce the pressure at the blower outlet, the blower will move more air. A full width flap just behind the rear axle and side skirts from there to the rear will definitely improve blower performance. This flap & skirting will be a very different 'ducting' than you were thinking, but will provide much better results. The biggest difficulty will be constructing it in a way so that it withstands the rigors of making contact with the road . . . .

I wish you success in this.

[luvrbus]

MCI radiators are up so high a flap has no affect on it you can run one on the bumper on a MCI and cannot tell any difference I tried it both ways on my MCI 8 ended up just leaving it on the bumper

[kyle4501]

If done properly, A flap behind the rear axle will create a low pressure area in the engine compartment - which is where the MCI blowers exhaust the air they pull thru the radiators.

As always, the trick is to do it right. GM put the flap almost touching the ground.

Ain't nothing easy . . .

[kyle4501]

Also, if the bulkhead isn't sealed around the driveshaft, air will get thru there - which defeats the purpose of the flap.

[Scott & Heather]

The flap really is somewhat a moot point in most scenarios with an 8v92 coach set up for any decent horsepower. Coach has to be moving at enough speed to create the low pressure zone and any other turbulence from passing semi truck, strong crosswind, etc add variables to that concept that are immeasurable. If a flap made that much difference, you'd see MCI putting them on all their coaches. Not to mention vented engine doors. Anyway, I think Tom and cliff are headed down an interesting road. I am curious as to their results. As for me, I'm getting my adrenaline rush using the Delo 400 I bought today in my 6v92


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[kyle4501]

My rear facing radiator seems to work very well, no ducting or flap required. 

GM has already proved a properly installed flap works.

If the radiators & doors are properly sealed, additional ducting from the rad to fan won't make any improvement.

RE the non vented engine doors - lots of functional compromises have been made in the name of cosmetics. Who knows why they do all that they do. If MCI wanted to improve cooling - better radiator placement would have been a higher priority.

But they didn't & here we are. . . . Having to fabricate improvements. 

[lvmci]

Yes a lot of variables,  no one even mentioned city traffic and stop lights, or worse LOS ANGELES! My bus runs cool in city traffic, it was up long hills, like Baker Grade and Cajon Pass of course. But leaving LV in every direction is mountains, and that is what I want to handle the most. Adding cores, was going to be my starting point until Clifford literally showed me the light. He put a flashlight on the other side of the radiator and I  couldn't see the light! It was clogged up, externally! I cleaned it out internally too, but I  like Cliffords shroud idea, do you remember when cars didn't have radiator shrouds in the pre 60s? Now you can't find an engine without a radiator shroud.  I will keep you posted, lvmci...

[jackhanow]

misting system? friend of mine was always heating up with his mc8, pulling a heavy trailer in the mountains and made a mister with some stuff from the hardware store, think he spent $150 bucks and i gave him a 10 gallon plastic barrel. last i talked to him he said it worked great.

[lvmci]

Yes indeed, got the mister makings in the bay, but I've  decided to just use my water from the house manifold, forgoing distilled water I've  used in the 5A.

[luvrbus]

 

GM has already proved a properly installed flap works.

Only thing GM proved was it helped with their system with a side mounted radiator and a left turning fan and a totally different engine compartment with a sideways and tilt mounted engine,not a T drive setup.

We don't know if will work or not till we try but I do know flaps don't make much difference on a T drive. I tried it on my Eagle made it ran hotter with a flap across the rear at the drive axle.The flap and brackets I took off are still in my shop.

Boomer proved everyone wrong with his electric fan and shroud he been running it for 10 years now saving the 50 hp needed to drive a conventional fan

[Oonrahnjay]

... Boomer proved everyone wrong with his electric fan and shroud he been running it for 10 years now saving the 50 hp needed to drive a conventional fan   

    That 50 Hp is big.  And here's the problem:  I am putting an 8.3 Cummins in my bus, with a thermostatic controlled hydraulic fan.  When I'm climbing a hill and the engine begins to see extra heat, the fan will come on and start sucking Hp, just when I'd like to have it climbing the hill. Of course, an electric fan will start drawing Hp from the alternator too but at least you'd have the battery as a buffer.

[luvrbus]

Boomer had a drawing of his electric fan setup on BNO I can't find now,I know it works he lives in the Northwest and comes here to desert

[Jim Eh.]

do you remember when cars didn't have radiator shrouds in the pre 60s? Now you can't find an engine without a radiator shroud.  I will keep you posted, lvmci...

The shroud is there because they don't have a negative pressure chamber engine compartment. Basically the shroud IS the negative pressure chamber only smaller.