| Author |
Message |
Marty
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 5:44 am: | |
Has anyone successfully installed such on an MCI? If so did it payoff? I'd like to get an explanation of How it was accomplished. THX Marty |
Doug Wotring
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 9:01 am: | |
what model MCI......MCI with squirrel cage fans should have damper doors which in effect do the samne thing as a fan clutch.
A squireel cage that isn't pushing air isn't using HP. |
Gary Stadler (Boogiethecat)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 9:20 am: | |
Not on an MCI but I did install an eddy current clutch on my Crown. So from the Eddy-current standpoint I can tell you a few...
(1) It was definitely worth the trouble, but it was a lot of work. For starters the clutch I bought (at the time the only one available) was a Horton unit that was for a Case skid steer. IT had a 7-groove serpentine pully, and my Crown has a giant V belt.
So I opted to machine the serpentine pully off and make a V-pully that I put back on with an interference-fit (pully under a torch and clutch part in the freezer, etc)
That would not have been too bad a job with the exception that I accidentally started with an 8" diameter blank of tool steel. Ugh... took a solid 6 hours of lathe work to get that turned!!! Owie!
Once I had it installed, the other hassle was the sensor. The Horton kit comes with two sensors, both too high in temperature. One is set at 200 and the other is set at 210- I wanted 180. So instead of spending $250 on another Horton sensor, I carefully took the 210 one apart on my lathe to see how it was constructed, and once I figured it out I took the 200 one apart in a way I could get it back together. Being that the sensor is electronic, I lucked out in that there is a resistor that wasn't potted that set the temperature threshold... with a lot of fussing around I got it reset to 180 and reassembled it. 20,000 miles later its still happy as can be.
Bottom line, I LOVE it. It keeps the fan going slowly 90% of the time. As I hit a grade it's very responsive and goes to "hi" immediately. The system works like a dream and to my thinking is the best of all worlds... worth the machining hassles for sure.
If you can't find one,
The Case "ECI" kit is availiable as option on skid steers...
Case P/N is: 336 635A1 $560.77
"Fan mount with Clutch" (NOT an AG part, so don't go to a Case dealer that sells ag tractors, they won't be able to get it) |
Marty
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 8:09 pm: | |
Doug I have an MC8. The damper doors are intact with the air system, but I have never seen them work. THX Marty |
David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 12, 2006 - 8:34 pm: | |
Unless you are in arctic weather conditions you don't need the dampers generally. The idea is that the cooling systems of the MCI buses with the two radiators is so marginally poor anyway that anything that makes them hotter is not a good thing.
If you have oversize radiators which I doubt just leave the cooling system alone. Putting anything in to reduce the air flow may not be a good idea.
Never saw an MCI that ran cold. With antifreeze set for -34 degrees and good thermostats even the dampers are not generally needed. If it gets that cold you won't be on the road anyway as conditions would probably be hazardous to drive in.
Always keep a roll of duct tape handy. you can tape off the air intake if its that cold. Like Nascar racers do. |
Greg Peterson
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 12:12 am: | |
My MCI 102A3 has the air dampers. Normally they are open but when the air comes up and the engine is cold they close. There is a sensor that measure the engine water temperature and turns the air off to them when the engine gets hot. The loss of air causes them to open.
There is an air shut off valve that shuts the air off to them so the dampers always remain open. I run it this way since I am a fair weather camper and do not intend on running the bus on ice and snow.
I also have been scared by the numerous stories of overheating problems with MCI buses.
I think you could modify this system with a proportional air control valve system that would allow you to partially close the shutters when full cooling is not required.
As someone else has said the power to drive the fan is proportional to the airflow thru it.
I have definitely proven this with variable speed blowers for the HVAC industry but that is another topic.
If you already have the air dampers I would think this would be easier to modify than adding the clutch. I personally do not like clutches because they seem to always slip when I do not want them to … like on that hot day climbing the big grade. |
truthhunter@shaw.ca
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, June 13, 2006 - 2:07 pm: | |
My 75 MC 8 had those fixed air scoops added to the radiators at some point,(I suspect the automatic transmission was not factory as it had grease nipple lines for clutch linkages). Most of the cold air flapper/diverter system was missing by the time I got it. I have had thoughts about putting on a simple inexpensive on-or-off fan clutch (can be had for $300 not including the mounting and controls) on the blower to deal with the cold weather conditions in conjunction with with the existing aftermarket air scoops. The 2 speed and three speed fan clutches seem to be more like $2000 not including control parts or making them fit.
I also had thoughts of making a larger temperature retractable/adjustable air scoops that could be trimmed or adjusted according to the cooling needs and rely more on ram air instead of converting directly from the "engine powered blower" combine with that cheaper simple on/off blower clutch and adding rear louvers.
Yes, I know there are no free power lunches in creating/converting motion, but there is room for making efficient use of what is being wasted already. Adding louvered vents in the rear engine doors to increase radiator air flow while reducing the low pressure area you are spending power to create, also creates "free of additional engine power" cooling improvements when combined with my existing "drag increasing" air scoops which I assume the coach needed to supplement it's current cooing system. Adding Rear louvers could even slightly reduce the total drag created by these air scoops if the radiator air flows into that pre-existing low pressure area by reducing the anchor effect of that low pressure area. What say you MB and others that are more experienced with aerodynamics;could these modification reduce total drag if properly designed??? Is this not what was done on the rear louvered C models? Is my logic valid in theory???
Even just with the fixed air scoops as they are, I wounder how often the factory blower fan is actually needed on those less than warm weather days at highway speeds .
Eventually I will do something to upgrade the system and make it more efficient. Done in stages with test each modification, I should get some real answers to these questions.
I assume as it is, with just the thermostats regulating the coolant temperature the bus is fine to drive but a little extra thirsty. Although it did not like to hit 160 F the one time I had to drive it in very cold weather.
When it comes to power efficiency done correctly there should be a point where the work pays for itself and saves money. Whether my "engineering modifications" guesses come close to that spot is whole different matter. |
David Hartley (Drdave)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 14, 2006 - 7:46 pm: | |
The other point is that due to the design of sqirrel cage blowers you can restrict the air intake and they will draw less horsepower.
Kind of like a shop vac, restrict the air intake and they spin up faster which means using less of the available shaft horsepower.
The louver designs would have a similar effect if they are working correctly.
That catch-22 is that when you need more power you also need more cooling. |