Howdy all,
On the way back from the Belmont Shore British Car Event on Wednesday, I heard a ''noise '' and felt a vibration. I was doing 60 MPH at 8:00PM on the 710. I slowed down and pulled on the shoulder , crawled under the TD looking for a hole with oil dripping out. I got under the hood with my pen light and with the engine running saw nothing ( no fluids flying anyway ) just felt '' rough ". killed the engine and then I saw it, Some how the fan blade had broken and part was missing. On the Santa Monica Mtn run I had talked to a guy with a green TC, He told me this ''might " happen. He ran his TC with out a fan, he said other than sitting in traffic it never got "hot". I'm thinking about driving it from the South Bay ( Torrance ) to Irvine { for Coffee & Cars ) this Saturday Morning. Question for the Forum is : untill I decide to buy from Moss a new blade set or from E-Bay - Can I run it with one blade for now ( to keep in balance ) , Or should I run with no blade like the guy with the TC. OR should I keep her in the barn untill I get the Parts installed ?
Thanks in advance,
Rod
Broken Fan Blade
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RodFru2U
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- Joined: Tue May 08, 2007 7:50 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Broken Fan Blade
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- '51 MG TD Missing Fan Blade
- Broken Fan Blade and Shell Driver side.JPG (63.13 KiB) Viewed 4209 times
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- '51 MG TD Broken fan blade.
- Hair line break in fan blade.JPG (96.44 KiB) Viewed 4209 times
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- '51 MG TD Radiator Fan Blade missing one blade
- Broken MG TD Fan Blade 1.JPG (68.04 KiB) Viewed 4209 times
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Steve Simmons
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1958 MGA Roadster
1959 Morris Minor 1000
1965 MGB
1967 MGB GT (UK-Spec)
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1969 MGC GTS - Location: Co-Nay-Ho Valley
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Hi Rod, sorry to hear of your misfortune. I suffered the same problem in my MGA once while on the 101. It sounded like the engine split in two, followed by heavy vibration. The entire blade had separated where it was riveted to the hub. I drove it home but MGAs are not known to shed heat very well and it got pretty darn hot. I was extremely lucky that the blade didn't pierce the bonnet. In fact, the only damage from it flying off at nearly 5,000 RPM was a scratch on the steering rack. The blade was actually sitting right there when I got off the highway a mile down the road!
The guy you spoke with was "olson" from this forum. He drives the green '47 MG TC. Most T-Types don't have cooling problems because of the relatively small displacement and the huge radiator. With the weather being cool I would bet your car will be fine to drive to C&C and back. Of course I make no guarantees! If it's cool on the way there, it should be ok on the way home. Maybe get it out tonight, drive it around and then let it idle for a while and see what happens. You only need a fan if the car can't cool itself.
As for running two blades, I would imagine that any imbalance in the fan itself would be far more pronounced in a 2-blade fan than in a 4-blade fan. That doesn't mean yours isn't balanced so you could always remove the one set of blades and give it a shot. I would be more inclined to run without the fan at all if the cooling system can cope with it.
Good luck!
The guy you spoke with was "olson" from this forum. He drives the green '47 MG TC. Most T-Types don't have cooling problems because of the relatively small displacement and the huge radiator. With the weather being cool I would bet your car will be fine to drive to C&C and back. Of course I make no guarantees! If it's cool on the way there, it should be ok on the way home. Maybe get it out tonight, drive it around and then let it idle for a while and see what happens. You only need a fan if the car can't cool itself.
As for running two blades, I would imagine that any imbalance in the fan itself would be far more pronounced in a 2-blade fan than in a 4-blade fan. That doesn't mean yours isn't balanced so you could always remove the one set of blades and give it a shot. I would be more inclined to run without the fan at all if the cooling system can cope with it.
Good luck!
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RodFru2U
- Active Member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2007 7:50 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Broken Fan Blade
Steve, Thanks for the reply on the fan. I think I'm going to make the run and see how she feels. When I pulled the broken blade off she settled right down. I'll keep her under 60 for the trip and an ear for any noise that I don't reconize. Thanks again for a great website, Glad I found it.
Take it easy, Safety Fast
Rod
Take it easy, Safety Fast
Rod
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RodFru2U
- Active Member
- Posts: 53
- Joined: Tue May 08, 2007 7:50 pm
- Location: Los Angeles, CA
Steve and All,
Well, the TD made it to Irvine and back. We left the south bay at 6:00 am and I took and held the lead all the way there. No problems, Once there I opened the hood and didn't feel anymore heat than before. The engine felt in balance and never did I feel in danger of doing any dammage to the engine. I will repair/replace the fan and see what fun thing happens next. Thanks again for all the help and advice. Hope to see you on the road and in the hills.
Take Care,
Rod
Well, the TD made it to Irvine and back. We left the south bay at 6:00 am and I took and held the lead all the way there. No problems, Once there I opened the hood and didn't feel anymore heat than before. The engine felt in balance and never did I feel in danger of doing any dammage to the engine. I will repair/replace the fan and see what fun thing happens next. Thanks again for all the help and advice. Hope to see you on the road and in the hills.
Take Care,
Rod