MX5 Cooling & Rad

[Dave F]

I'm looking at buying a Radiator over the next week or so and was looking at the options. My initial plan is to use an 190e (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122141245444?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT) I believe it gives better cooling than the polo Rad. Looking at it though it has a top and bottom pipe but no small top pipe. I plan to use a polo header tank that will be T'ed into the back of the engine where the heater matrix would normally be but where would the top 'overflow', if that is actually what it is, go? I hope this all makes sense and I always open to any other options

[Ianr]

I used the polo header tank T'd into the heter matrix loop at the rear of the engine and a golf radiator which does not have a small pipe similar to the merc one. I put in a straight 32mm? from memory which has an 8mm take off which I connected the small pipe to. I actually used 8mm copper from the header tank with very short 8mm flexi rubber pipes to connect each end

[Dave F]

I used the polo header tank T'd into the heter matrix loop at the rear of the engine and a golf radiator which does not have a small pipe similar to the merc one. I put in a straight 32mm? from memory which has an 8mm take off which I connected the small pipe to. I actually used 8mm copper from the header tank with very short 8mm flexi rubber pipes to connect each end

So is it T'ed into the top rad pipe, that's what I was thinking but not sure if the system would function as it should.

[Cropper]

Dave
If you check out this photo it shows how I did mine with the 190e rad & polo header, works fine.
https://flic.kr/p/znQChn

[Dave F]

Dave
If you check out this photo it shows how I did mine with the 190e rad & polo header, works fine.
https://flic.kr/p/znQChn

By the looks of it, your Rad has the top pipe, all that I have seen don't, or am I missing something?

[Cropper]

Sorry I should have said, it is just a pipe connector that I dust tapped & epoxied into place. The plastic end caps are soft enough for the connector to make its own thread if you just drill the hole undersized & work it in slowly. Mine actually tightened ok but I put it in finally with some epoxy glue for safe measure. Hope this helps

[Dave F]

Sorry I should have said, it is just a pipe connector that I dust tapped & epoxied into place. The plastic end caps are soft enough for the connector to make its own thread if you just drill the hole undersized & work it in slowly. Mine actually tightened ok but I put it in finally with some epoxy glue for safe measure. Hope this helps

So basically you made your own pipe, sounds good to me tap and JB Weld found be the way forward.

[Talonmotorsport]

The Polo rad is more than up to the job you just have to make sure your using all of the available cooling core. Some thing that often gets over looked with the rad hidden in the nose is that not all the air entering the nose passes through the cooling fins making it less efficient, the air will find the path of least resistance and go between the gap between it and the inside of the nose.

[Cropper]

I have put deflectors in the nose to help the air decide that it should go through the radiator rather than round it!

[Cropper]

If you check out the last 3 pictures you can see the radiator air deflectors in place. The left & right bolt onto the side of the radiator nicely. I also managed to use the MX5 fab on the merc rad, again this bolted on nicely, my donor had a/c so don't know if the fan is the same as the rest. Hope this helps your decision.

[Cropper]

https://www.flickr.com/gp/136904711@N05/g214a2

[Dave F]

If you check out the last 3 pictures you can see the radiator air deflectors in place. The left & right bolt onto the side of the radiator nicely. I also managed to use the MX5 fab on the merc rad, again this bolted on nicely, my donor had a/c so don't know if the fan is the same as the rest. Hope this helps your decision.

Thoses deflectors look good, I'd planned to make them out of plastic but I'm liking the look of the alloy. I'm still leading towards the Merc as I often find myself in traffic for no reason so for the small extra cost it will give me a little bit of peice of mind.

[Ianr]

So is it T'ed into the top rad pipe, that's what I was thinking but not sure if the system would function as it should.


Yes that's correct - and it seems to work fine with the fan cutting in after being stationary for what seems ages and then cutting out shortly after (standard MX5 fan)

[Ianr]

I have put deflectors in the nose to help the air decide that it should go through the radiator rather than round it!


I like your Renault Scenic center rear seats - I used the outer pair from the same car - very comfortable indeed :)

[Cropper]

Thanks, the seats work well & were a bargain, one cost £10 the other was an extortionate £30, runners were off a smart car, eBay special!!

When I took the car for it's Iva, there was lots of idling time but very little fan cutting in, it had to be encouraged to get hot to prove the fan worked!