Hey guys

what mods do you do for extra cooling on cylinder 4?

I matt(miniman) does something tricky with his i forget what now.

i see alot put the heater tap back into the top hose?

any photo's would love to check it out.

I run a MiniMatic fresh air heater, it's in the engine bay. It is permanently connected from the head to the bottom hose and acts as an aux radiator, without heating the cabin up in summer.
And it keeps my tootsies warm in winter, too.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I've recently learned of a modification called dry decking.
It involves routing coolant from the block to head externally. A secondary, optional change is to remove the passage of coolant from the head gasket area entirely by plugging the coolant ports in the block.
Something like that anyway.

Here's a link to MED's dry deck parts:
http://www.med-engineering.co.uk/catalo ... t-complete

Probably overkill for any road car, wouldn't the experts say?

Matt

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'68 Deluxe w/Metro engine

i think you can run water a T piece from the heater tap back around into the top hose that way you have water circulating..

It's funny, the A-series runs a fairly common arrangement where the water goes in and out of the front of the engine. Getting even temperature distribution relies on the water not short circuiting past #1 and straight back out the thermostat. It seems to work ok, probably because the flow is quite fast and the holes up to the head from the block are too small to allow all the water to short circuit. I have never measured the temps with an IR thermometer. Perhaps Doc will do it with his??

When I had my MX5 there there was a lot of discussion about a coolant re-route. This is possible because in the 5 the set-up is like an A-series but when that same BP engine is used in a FWD car, the thermostat is at the other end of the head. They have two cast-in locations for it. People find that all the knocking happens at #4 so they run the thermostat at the rear and run a radiator hose along the engine back to the front. Of course #4 remains hotter than #1 because the water heats up past #1, 2 and 3 before it gets to #4. Checking the engine with an IR thermometer shows that #4 does in fact run quite a lot hotter on a BP motor without the re-route and just a bit hotter with the re-route.

Since and A series doesn't have a second thermostat housing cast into the head, there isn't too much of an option to do the above. You can run a heater core off the heater take-off. You could even connect the heater take off to the radiator top hose just to balance the flow.

Some people dry deck. You see it heaps in the UK engines. They stop the flow up from block to head and put a U shaped pipe on the back of the engine (above the flywheel, not the exhaust 'side' of the engine) that connects the block to the head. I think this is primarily done for head gasket issues rather than cooling. Actually I'm a bit fuzzy on the logic. The result is that the water goes #1 bore to #4 bore then #4 head to #1 head. So #1 has a cool bore but hot head and #4 has the same temp all round. Is that better?? I dunno.

M

On my daughters ministox (998 Short oval racer) I opened out the hole for the thermostat to match the hole in the old style simple exit rather than tap heater connection on the head, so it would flow more water, then route to top hose where I used a bottom hose cut down using the heater return as the link to the heater tap end of the head.

She never had a head gasket let go, whilst others are changing them weekly..

Paul

would running a hose from the heater outlet on the head to a t piece in the lower or top radiator hose, and blocking the bypass pipe between the block and head be of any benifit?

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1969 Blue Mini K, 1330cc, Weber 45, polished aluminum roll cage, Race seats, 4 point harness, full rewire incorporating 8 fuses, 6 relays and new headlights just needs tyres front shocks and a windscreen til re-register

They have only been making the A series since about 1951, so millions have been made, and most survived their lifetime without cooling problems. I think it's a bit late to be redesigning the cooling system, as it ain't broke.

Dry decking is a race mod, it's just done so you don't get coolant in the bores if/when you blow a head gasket.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Most ran little cams and low compression.. start modifying and or racing them and temperature becomes a big issue, pulling hot coolant out of heater tap and putting it back into the top hose does work.

My solution here and in OZ is/was to put a front facing aux radiator off the heater output tap and back into the lower hose.

First used it on a warmed up 998 that wanted to overheat/see oil pressure drop with a load and engine under load climbing in the mountains in summer weather on long road trips, e.g. to California and across Canada.

Continued to use (even with a custom uprated rad) on the 1380 since it was pulling a trailer and getting into the very hot southwestern US in summer.

Brought a new GM pickup truck heater core to OZ and plumbed into the Mini Van. Facing the air flow and plumbed from heater take-off to lower rad hose. No overheating issues on the One Lap around Australia.

Debate rages here in NA from time to time with some declaring loudly that nothing extra is needed for a Mini in good tune. The point of distinction is my Minis need to be prepared for long road trips and needing to meet harsh conditions...a city driven Mini does not typically face the same operating environment. My view is that a few dollars on an extra rad and hoses is a whole lot cheaper than a head gasket replacement or worse cracked block and/or head. And, the extra rad is easily blocked off in whole or in part if ambient temps drop.

A close friend lost a sleeved block that cracked between #3 & #4 and head cracked between #3 & #4 and between intake/exhaust in #4 crossing the Mojave Desert. Driving away from the heat of Arizona at night we got 2,900 km home without further difficulty, just a new head gasket on the cracked bits and the aux rad out front (in addition to car heater, so a bit more coolant volume as well).

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Select a gear, bring up the revs and release the clutch...off you go!

Have the block cleaned in a hot tank or molasses bath to remove all the crud plus have your radiator cleaned out.

You shouldn't have any further problems after that.

Run a larger radiator a morris 1100 radiator fits nicely with a few small snips..
I can sit in traffic on a hot 38c day and it wont go over 100c..
It's a 1360 with a heater tap joining to the bottom hose and no bypass.

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http://www.flickr.com/by_dan
Current: 1970 Mini K 2014 Focus ST
Past: 93 Rover, 64 850, 97 Rover, 66 Deluxe, 66 Moke
81 Austin Estate, 2006 R53MCS, 66 Deluxe, 1978 Clubbie
2014 Land Rover Defender 90

I'd keep the stock radiator, if clean it'll be fine.
If you want more cooling just add a Clubby [or other] heater core behind the grille, pipe it in from back of the head to the bottom hose.
As BMC did with the Mini.Matic [using under bonnet freshair heater].

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.