getting my R4 ready for winter

[oren]

hi,
in my R4 1108cc i have a large radiator with 2 fans taken from a citroen C15. it is working very well in the summer, but im affraid it would work too well now when it gets cold, mostly since i have no thermostat installed.

i have a thermometer which measures the cooling-fluid's temprature. usually it takes about 10 minutes of driving until it stablizes around 60-65 degrees (celsius). is that hot enough? could it damage the motor?

my second question is what kind of thermostat should i be looking for? i've been told that a narrow 79 degrees one should be suitable.

thanks for your help, i find this forum very usfull

 

[reidalpine]

Shalom Oren! why do you want to run your 4 as cool as 60-65 C.??
the cooling-system is pressurized only because the coolant (actually the water-part of it) boils at 100C. and put under pressure it will go 10-15C. higher before boiling...
-First of all you have to put a thermostat in there (goes into the top radiator-hose where it meets the water-pump) My guess you will be good with a thermostat in the 83-88C.region. 79C seems much too low.......
the reason why you want higher temp than what you now have is so damp and water-residue inside the block/sump will be vapourized by the hot oil-but the oil will have to be at about 90C and higher Or water will accumulate and you will have a rust and sludge-problem inside the motor....
Your el.fans are ok for when the outside temp is real high or lots of load or going up long steep hills. I would connect the fans to the termo-contact sitting at lower R.hand side of the radiator.NO need to run them or even one of them All the time..Actually your motor is All too cool and gets more rapidly worn out as oil doesn't have correct working-temp BY FAR!
There are others on here that can tell you much more of the tech.side of this,get a thermostat,put it in,connect fans via thermo-contact and keep on motoring! -R.

 

[oren]

hey reidalpine, thanks for the detailed reply.
i really don't want my motor to be running so cool, this is just the way i baught it a few weeks ago. in fact, there is a constant smell of burned-fuel when i drive it, even though i renovated the carburator, fixed the exahust pipe and set the ignition. any chance it could be because of the low temp?

actually my fans don't work all the time, just under pressure as you said, but i'm still worried that the motor oil can't reach its optimal temp.
as to the kind of thermostat i should install - keep in mind that the climate in israel is much hotter than the one in norway. i have a new 82C thremostat on the shelf given me by the former car's owner, but he suggested to buy a 79C one. i didnt ask why...
i guess the bottom line is - what's the optimal temprature for the fluid in the R4 (GTL if it matters)?

 

[reidalpine]

oren. Try the 82C.thermostat you already have-It's Much better than none!
I'd go for a 86 or even an 88C to get the oil up to best working-temp..
Not sure if the gasoline you smell has something to do with low temp.
Can't see the connection there.
Best check all fuel-lines plus pump and carb-fittings..
You sure it doesn't run all to rich or even flooding?
Optimal temp (in my opinion) would be in the region of 92-96 C. as this is the temp the oil is designed for and water and moist trapped in water starts to evaporate which is what you want...
Outside temp doesn't matter That much..having a higher-temp thermostat means motor comes up to working temp faster and stays there.Also higher-temp termostad gives you lots of nice heat for those early freezy mornings.and helps keeping her tootsies warm late at night when you're up at Observatorty Point with That girl c",) -R.

 

[oren]

thanks again man, i'll put an update. probably gonna take some time though (my 82c thermostat is too big in size)