The Girl's Ke70

[kickn5k]

Next job is an alloy rad from Ebay, I've finally decided to bite the bullet and buy one. The stock one has worked well, but a hot day trip to the coast and back showed it really battled to drop the temperature around town in traffic.

 

Be careful with what you buy, ive recently had to freshen up two mates engines that have cooked using the cheaper ebay rads. In saying that some are actually reasonable quality and work well. I'll quiz my mate tonight on the brand he bought, for his wifes FC station wagon, it's a daily drive lpg powered red 186 and never gets hot! I'll let you know in the next day or so.

 

 

[ke70dave]

How did the radiators fail?

[kickn5k]

How did the radiators fail?

 

One had a core failure the other had a slight leak from a tank weld from day one, then split about an inch long. These were purchases from the days of cheap s%=t Chinese ebay rads though. They have come a long way lately.

All I was really trying to say was don't buy the cheapest and you should be fine.

Edited December 23, 2016 by kickn5k

[kickn5k]

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/252339685384

 

This while looks to be the cheapest for a ke70 though my ebay, altezzaclub is the brand my mate has in his FC.

[altezzaclub]

Thanks for that- I saw the GPI ones on there. Something to watch out for.

 

I'm going to weigh a few different ones, then fill them and weigh them again. Should be interesting.

 

I've got the Worley one, for simplicity with the 4AGE. Both outlets on the same side.

 

I haven't checked what we have for the rally car, its probably the same. They're both in cardboard boxes on the top shelf in the Woolshed.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Aluminum-alloy-radiator-for-Toyota-Corolla-AE71-AE72-/180952023204?hash=item2a2194c0a4:g:4RkAAOxydlFSsV-b&vxp=mtr

[ke70dave]

One had a core failure the other had a slight leak from a tank weld from day one, then split about an inch long. These were purchases from the days of cheap s%=t Chinese ebay rads though. They have come a long way lately.

All I was really trying to say was don't buy the cheapest and you should be fine.

 

yah i agree.

 

I'm not sure id go an alloy radiator unless i really had to. Alluminium is soft afterall and doesnt take much to puncture it. I suppose your modern radiators are 90% alloy now with plastic ends, but i still like the old full copper/brass/wahtever radiators from the 80s, chunky as and last for ever.

 

Ive had a clutch fan rub up against a copper radiator and it survived, not sure an aluminium one would.

[altezzaclub]

Still haven't fitted the alloy rad, it copes OK with the stock one but takes longer to drop excess heat after a run up hills or sitting in traffic.

 

As an exercise I looked up a manufacturuer of electric rad fans and calculated that their cfm rate worked out to about 20-25kph. So up to that speed your electric fan is pulling air through the rad, and above that it just gets in the way of the airflow.

 

We checked the volume of water that the 3-row and the 2-row alloy rads held and there was bugger-all difference! They hold about 1.75L I think it was, most of a 2L water bottle. We'll weigh them next time I'm up at the Woolshed.

[altezzaclub]

Well, 6months later, its all the same.  Now its winter I can see the temp runs just below the "T", where a 4K runs, and the thermostat won't let it go below that. The usual temp of running under the "E" is showing the stock rad can't quite keep it down in summer.

I was going to historic rego one of them, but we're driving both as dailys until the wife finds a T31 X-Trail. So it was back up to the Woolshed in the blue Beast a fortnight back.

First up was tree trimming so it didn't get the roof scratched heading for my parking spot on the verandah!  Well, one tree got trimmed down to ground level & maybe the other will grow properly now.

Then it was onto caravan work!  Steve bought a 'van as he is determined to move out of living with his Dad, he'd rather be up at the Woolshed. That idea lasted 5minutes until he started demolishing it inside because it was too small..  I'll stick that story in the rally car thread!

..and we had a Woolshed rallying bacon & egg pie to get started!

After a week and a half up there I headed back to Orange, running a neat 6.8L/100km at 110kph.  Just like the KE70 they should have released in 1980 !!

[altezzaclub]

More trips up and back, running like a dream.  I found a worn tie-rod end on one side & replaced that, and one day I'll fit that alloy radiator. Certainly not needed in winter!

Been looking at stuff, cheap and simple mods...  See how it goes..

[altezzaclub]

Another trip up and back without a hitch.  We ran up at 7.2l/100km, and back at 6.7!  The difference being the shape of the hills, my wife reckons, but also going up was United's 95octane with 10% ethanol, which lowers the energy content, and coming back was on Caltex 98.  Different route too, going up was over the flat inland country through Wellington & Coola, back was the mountains of Bylong Valley.

The trip back had 660km on, I ran it around Walcha a bit before I left, and it took under 45L. If I ran the extra 5L out they'll do over 700Km on a tank. Having fun at over 100kph, it can't get any better!

This time I put the alloy radiator in the boot, I'll get started on that before the weather gets too hot and see what differences it makes.

All the lucky numbers came up too!

 

[altezzaclub]

Overall, it went well!  I bought the Daihatsu Move ventilated discs then had the spacers made, and the whole $230 conversion is here-

I've got the radiator out, but did nothing else due to this brake distraction. Now back to this rad project...

[altezzaclub]

Well, that was interesting..  A stock rad weighs 4.1kg, and the alloy one is lighter at 3.3kg.  But while the stock one only takes 1.6kg water, the alloy takes 2.4.

So they both weigh 5.7kg when full, but you can see how the alloy can disperse more heat, especially as its larger, 20mm wider and deeper in the core.

I bolted the driver's side onto the stock mounts, the lower one needs a new hole and a spacer. The passenger's side needed a plate, a strip of 1mm galv about 70mm wide, to bolt the wider frame on.

The same fan is on, although using the given holes on the other side, and I need to make another brace for the floating edge.

The temp gauge runs in the same place, so a stock radiator can handle a 4AGE generally, but it doesn't have anyhing left in reserve for hot work. I put a thermometer in the top of the rad and let it idle up to warm.

 

Well, vented discs & rad done, but I'm sure there are still things on my project list...

[LittleRedSpirit]

I guess its always going to sit in much the same spot if the thermostat is working well and open, and like you say, if it gets above that threshold you simply dont have the headroom in the system to work the engine harder.  Pretty good move coming into summer.

[altezzaclub]

Yep, all works well, although sometime I'll move the fan relay power onto permanent 12V if I can, that will keep it running until its cooled down when the motor is turned off.

I took it to Melbourne about Dec 23rd, and seeing it was already hot coming back from Walcha the week before The Girl & I bought $30 of Repco's window tint and did a terrible job of fitting that.  Not to worry, it was noticeably cooler going to Melbourne, the difference with the sun at 45deg coming in the screen and not getting in the window was surprising.

That was 800+Km, then it was off to Adelaide for the New Year, another 800Km odd, and a week later it was back to Orange, about 1200Km.

 

Just LOVING it!  New front shocks due this week, Monroes off Ebay, just to see how it feels.

[kickn5k]

On 04/02/2018 at 2:54 PM, altezzaclub said:

Yep, all works well, although sometime I'll move the fan relay power onto permanent 12V if I can, that will keep it running until its cooled down when the motor is turned off.

I took it to Melbourne about Dec 23rd, and seeing it was already hot coming back from Walcha the week before The Girl & I bought $30 of Repco's window tint and did a terrible job of fitting that.  Not to worry, it was noticeably cooler going to Melbourne, the difference with the sun at 45deg coming in the screen and not getting in the window was surprising.

That was 800+Km, then it was off to Adelaide for the New Year, another 800Km odd, and a week later it was back to Orange, about 1200Km.

 

Just LOVING it!  New front shocks due this week, Monroes off Ebay, just to see how it feels.

That would have been a good test for the new rad. Melb was stinking hot round that time.

I've just put a new set of Munroe shocks in the 11, can't give any impressions yet as I'm waiting for a wheel alignment. Are they still the 25-3810 part number for the ke70 ones?