How to keep an M30'd car fairly cool?

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

My M30'd cabby cooling system has to work quite hard for it's living. It takes very little slow movement, or nice weather to trigger the cooling fan.

New radiator, thermostat, coolant, everything well bled. Electric Volvo fan in front of the rad.

I assume that this normal behaviour for an M30'd car as there is not a lot of room for air to circulate under the bonnet. Anyone got any good suggestions for helping the cooling system out?

Cheers,

Martin.

[leeparkes]

My fan has been on a lot but nothing to flap about,im also using an M20 rad.

What rad are you using?

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

What rad are you using?

E32 735i rad, so a fairly sizeable effort.

Martin.

[leeparkes]

What rad are you using?

E32 735i rad, so a fairly sizeable effort.

Martin.

Is it blocked though,i had an e34 rad and it was blocked about 5inches up from the bottom

Take the rad off block the bottom hose then fill with boiling water then feel around,if you have cold spots thats where its blocked.

The M20 rad actually held more water than the E34 rad too

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

Radiator is brand new, so I very much doubt it is blocked.

I am hoping that my new BTB manifold will be more efficient at taking exhaust gas heat away than the standard BMW log manifold.

Compared to my standard E32 735i which remains lovely and cool, the main differences seem to be lack of air space behind the rad, and an electric fan in front of the rad blocking air flow. I guess we are asking a lot of the smaller E30 engine bay.

Martin.

[oakey]

^ Six branches tend to create more heat I'm afraid.

[Ant]

easiest way to loose under bonnet heat is remove the rubber strip around the base of the scuttle.

heated screen FTW come winter time too bonus

wrap the 6 branch and the issue will improve, leave it bare and as Oakey has stated, its going to be hotter still than with the OEM log

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

Thanks for the tips guys, I shall try removing the scuttle rubber as an easy first fix.

wrap the 6 branch and the issue will improve, leave it bare and as Oakey has stated, its going to be hotter still than with the OEM log

I asked Joe at BTB if he recommended wrapping the fanimold. He was quite strongly against the idea, worrying about the oxidisation it triggers, and said that ceramic coating would be his recommendation. Too much extra £££ for me to consider however.

Martin.

[zaust]

I have moved the coolant bottle on mine to the battery tray. It gives a couple of ltr's more water and will eliminate any pressure problem's caused by height issue to the thermostat. Get your hand's on a e28 m535 rad too and e32 ac fan.

[Ziggy]

E28 M535i rad, and no bulkhead seal here.... It still struggled with the puny fan I initially fitted, but my volvo one doesn't come on any more than I'd expect it to, as well as doing a good job of cooling it back down when it is on.

[e301988325i]

Compared to my standard E32 735i which remains lovely and cool, the main differences seem to be lack of air space behind the rad, and an electric fan in front of the rad blocking air flow. I guess we are asking a lot of the smaller E30 engine bay.

Martin.

Your standard E32's viscous fan will work subtly behind the scenes with the thermostat keeping the temp constant. Any electric fan cooled car works in an on/off fashion. Unless you're having high readings on the temp gauge you've nothing to worry about.

Ps) A fan in front of a radiator is more effective then one behind. sucking air through is less efficient than pushing.

[raj1980]

i need to do this with mine. which volvo should i be looking to get the fan out off?

my car will run at half but any bit of traffic it will go upto 3/4, thats usually were i start worrying and switch on the heater on full heat.

i am recolating the battery to the boot so will be interested in seeing out some of you have moved the coolant bottle to the battery tray. i also have a come filter which i need to loose as it sucks in hot air which dont help at all.

[zaust]

Raj I put my cone on, and removed it the same day. Think it will be hard to find something replace the standered and get gain's.

[Rav335uk]

No gains to be had from any cone filter, even a good heatshield doesn't do any good.
I think it was on here , that a standard M30 airbox is the best you can get, as it is also heatshielded.
I have problems with mine to, but it keeps blowing 30amp fuses on a regular basis.
New fan me thinks.

[johnl320]

Have you removed the blanked off areas from the front grill? It may improve air flow.

john

[Ziggy]

i need to do this with mine. which volvo should i be looking to get the fan out off?

IIRC mine was from an s70 v5. Doesn't really make much difference though - you're just after something that's powerful, available & cheap!

[raj1980]

my engine came with the cone filter, i just found a replacement (e32 airbox). will be sweet once its in. time to look for a bigger and powerful fan.

ziggy where can i find pics of your car? i done a search but i didnt anything. i want to see how the chrome looks against the kit. (i want to tech 1 mine and keep all the chrome. )

[Ziggy]

There's a link in my sig!

[MJJ_ZX6RR]

Have you removed the blanked off areas from the front grill? It may improve air flow.

john

John,

Could you expand on this please? I have had the grilles and lower valance off countless times, and have not noticed any areas that look like they could be removed to aid airflow.

Martin.

[leeparkes]

I think he means like this VVV I removed them to get more air to the air filter

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