To the list experts,
I have followed the thread on push or pull fan options with some interest.
As I am on the digest mode, this dead horse may be well and fully whipped by
now, but I am curious as to one aspect of this question that I did not see
addressed. As I understand it, the primary cooling of the engine is clearly
from
the radiator, but oil and air flow around the engine seem to also be important
in cooling the engine. Does the placement of the fan to the front or the rear
of the radiator have any impact on these lesser items. Specifically, I am
thinking of my TR 6, which has a shroud to direct airflow to the radiator. If
this is partially blocked by a cooling fan, would a portion of the air not be
prevented from entering the radiator and may bypass the engine compartment
altogether? If the air penetrates the radiator, even though there is a partial
dam created by the pull location of the fan, it seems that there would be more
air around the engine and oil pan to carry off excess heat. I think that this
is probably more of an academic exercise than a practical one, because as has
been noted a fan in either position probably represents a significant
improvement in cooling at idle. I was just curious for your thoughts.
Best regards,
David Gill
1976 TR6
1965 Piper Cherokee (air and oil cooled)
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