Radiator at the back

[metropoj]

I don't know if pulling hot air and blowing it directly on the motor ( exhaust side ) is a good thing for the motor ..... Kinda like robbing Peter to pay Paul ..... It looks like a nice clean set up though .....

i thought perhaps that exhaust air from the rad should be steered ( ducted ( away from the motor ) which would then give access problems perhaps ..... ??

[Guest]

well... most watercooled motors have the rad right in front and the heat exhausts directly into the engine compartment.
I haven't seen many attempts to seperate the radiator exhaust from the engine compartment so I'll go out on a limb and guess that the net effect is minimal

[metropoj]

You kinda answered your own question Guest .... "Watercooled Motor".

Also, the air flow is directly into the rad, not indirect in a somewhat sealed rear end of an aircooled bus.

If VW felt it was a great idea, I'm sure they would have placed the rad in the rear as well right ? The mexi busses didn't go that route or i definately would have used that setup ....

This doesn't mean it won't work, it MAY mean it doesn't work well ....

[GfunkBus76]

Yea i'll be using that design(as pictured above) for rad layout in my bus. Except in mine, rad is goin where the battery used to, was rotted out anyway! And I'll be cutting out the spare tire well to enclose an intercooler at the drivers side air intake.

The problems are going to come from the fact that air is gonna be doing some pretty freaky things back there.. I can't even imagine what way it'll flow easiest. So I'ma gonna give her a try and see what happens .

I was even thinking of ventilating the back engine hatch to provide more escape for air... but then is the backdraft merely sucking air in through the hatch? Does that do the same thing? and my mind spirials into chaos ;P

[regis101]

All good thoughts. You may consider a shroud to enclose the cooler and the rad and have them duct down below the body. the fans could be on the inside of the air vent , toward the outside of the body. At least the fans won't be IN the engine compartment, With the incoming air from the upper vents and you having the duct to guide it out and below the body, perhaps a draft will be present. venting the rear hatch may help expell the air instead of the ducting. I also don't know what goes on tight up against the rear body. I can only imagine some still air flow or maybe some swirling about.

[regis101]

I went to the boneyard last wekend for some "research". The rabbit, jetta and Sirocco (?) rads were all 13" high and varied in length from 24" to 32" long. These radiators had the inlet and outlet on the same side of the tank. But they were aluminum and heavily finned. The 13" high part is a bonus because they would sit inside the engine bay on both sides. maybe if one ws good for a jetta then two would be good for a rear mounting inside a bus engine bay. A volvo 4cyl was 18 high and 23 wide. Audi 5cyl was 15 high and 25 wide. A benz 190 was 15 high and 27 long with two electric fans. To go large, maybe in place of the rear hatch, a GM 3800 V6 was 20 high and 37 wide. The width is perfect for the rear hatch but the rear valance would have to be cut out. The early bays had the removable valance.

[GfunkBus76]

i've got one from a fox i think... has one outlet on the top, one on bottom. opposite sides though! kinda annoying but I'll get something of similar dimensions made up to fit. It is a more Vertical shape to the fox style, i have it placed nicely in the battery tray too, angled and all - should work. I'll let ya know later down the road. cheers,

[regis101]

Can ya post any pictures? I'm sure that the rabbit, Sirrocco and jetta stly could have aluminum side tanks intsalled in place of the plastic if custom hose outlets are needed.

[metropoj]

Just a word of suggestion, go to a rad shop, not the pretty ones, the hardcore core guys with the dirty shops, greasy looking floors / owners.

You know, the guys who REALLY know what they're talking about ..

My guy went through a book and I told him my dimensions for the front rad and we spent 20 minutes talking about the types of rads, air flow, etc and why this or that wouldn't work, how to plumb them up, etc. They can pretty well make anything, BUT more importantly, they can cross ref to a vehicle that already may contain the rad style you're looking for .....

[panel]

Hmmm, Mini coopers have the rad on the side with no probs. I know its at the front of the car but it's not facing the conventional way.

[ttriebler]

Please take a look at the Orange Bay Kombi on my website www.subarugears.com
It will end all your speculation about what works and what doesn't.

This Kombi is fitted with the EZ30 6 cylinder Subaru engine and 5 speed, making over 200hp.
The owner fitted a Honda Civic radiator in each corner of the bus, fed fresh air by the side scoops. He very carefully ensured that no fresh air could get around those radiators and was forced through them by sealing them against the body with foam etc.

He also fitted the standard Subaru Legacy fan shrouds and Subaru electric fans on the engine side, ensuring they were well sealed to the radiators. These are run by the Subaru ECU which only turns them on as necessary.

Careful sealing and installation of the radiators and fan shrouds ensures that fresh air is forced through the radiators when moving and fresh air can be sucked through the radiators when not moving.

He has absolutely no problems keeping this 3.0L 6 cylinder motor cooled with this setup and the engine bay has no problems expelling the hot air out of the engine compartment - he has not added any holes, ducts or louvres to the rear of the bus.

This bus has been operating with this setup for almost 12 months now, through Summer & Winter, towing trailers of firewood etc. I have driven in it myself, crawled over and under it and can vouch for it's cooling effectiveness. Attention to detail has made this cooling setup work.

[RonW]

the suby ecu is awesome for controlling each of my 2 fans. i set the on threshold for fan one and fan 2 will kick on if it meets different criteria, i.e. reaches 2nd temp threshold, moving greater than a certain speed as sensed by the vss or the ac is turned on (no ac yet.) pretty slick poop.

panel, just jump in and figure it out as you go

[panel]

panel, just jump in and figure it out as you go

Just have to drive the bus till then end of summer and try to sell the 2276T after that if I decide to go through with it. If it doesn't sell then I have 0 budget $.

[RonW]

I fell you. I did the exact same thing w my 2270, drove it all summer, up for sale in August, yanked it September. Ironically, the shipper shows up to pick up motor and was the same dude that day dropping off the suby.

[RICKY-R69]

I am fitting a Toyota 2T engine in the back of my bay. Fitted the radiator on the r/h side. Opened the battery box at the bottom and opened up the wheel well with a few 32mm holes. Boxed the l/h side and removed the sparewheel well, to enable air to flow over the tank to the other side. Made a ducting on the engine side of the radiator routing the hot air that passes through the radiator to the bottom of the bus. Got 2 10"fans either side of the radiator. One pulling air through and one blowing through. Used a 1600 golf radiator. Even with temps of of 38 deg. celcius I have no issues. BTW the motor puts out close to 200bhp.