keeping the engine cool

[Duke]

i have a honda 200E air cooled engine and i have a problem with overheating on warm days i havent put a fan in yet and i was just wondering if it would be enough to have a small electric fan circulating air over the engine in the tub (fresh air in one side and the heated air out the other)

[LarryW]

That may be a tough question because most people dont have a motor like that.

I would say the fan wouldnt hurt, unless you run into charging problems. Maybe some sort of header pipe wrap may also help keep it cool.

Is the motor covered up?

[Duke]

ya its kinda unique. i dont think it would have a charging problem if i ran a fan and the heat wrap would be a good idea because the engine sits in the bottom of the tub right under my legs and the exhaust gets pretty warm and i only have a cover over the head to keep me and passengers from getting burnt. i think i will try some exhaust heat wrap to keep it a little cooler in there because that seems to be a big contributor of heat and mabe a small fan for added protection.

[Amphiman1]

over heating.

Joe M had the same sort of problems at ashtabula, i think....

[AussieMax]

If you can make up some kind of duct so the air going to the flywheel fan comes in directly from outside the tub, this would stop it circulating hot air. Like a Max II duct.

[Duke]

that could work to put a duct in mabe i could make a cover over the jug of the engine and have a inlet hooked to an air scoop on the top of the tub at the front and an outlet out the back for the air and have a fan in the inlet to force fresh air through and over the fins and out the outlet outside the back cover of the vehicle the engine is almost center mounted in the vehicle but sits more toward the front under my legs(if that makes any sense )

[Duke]

here is a pic from inside the between the drivers and passengers seat facing forward you can see engine in the middle

[AussieMax]

After seeing your pic I realised it was a bike engine! Duct and small fan would work. Air cooled quad bikes have a fan blowing air onto the head and cylinder, and that seems to work ok.

[brushcutter]

Does this engine have an oil pump/pressurized oil system? If so you might also consider an oil cooler in tandem with the fan(s).

[Duke]

the engine is off a 1983 honda big red 200E and it distributes oil using the splash technique and the timing chain to bring oil to the head. i was going to build a two stroke like a 440 but i was low on money and got this engine for free from a relative i have since then rebuilt the top end and put a new carb on it everything was wrecked on the other carb the three wheeler was used everyday since it was new with alot of miles but runs strong now (ecept when it overheats )

[Duke]

well i heat wraped the exhaust today and it turned out well plus i ran it for a while today with it on and it works really well i could touch the exhaust after about 15 minutes of running while it was running! i pointed my infared thermomiter to it and it was only about 400 degrees farenhight if you put youre hand down there you can barely feel any heat radiating off the exhaust. next is a duct and a fan to get some cool fresh air moving across the fins on the jug.

[philipatmaxfour]

Exhaust heat wrap

well i heat wraped the exhaust today and it turned out well plus i ran it for a while today with it on and it works really well i could touch the exhaust after about 15 minutes of running while it was running! i pointed my infared thermomiter to it and it was only about 400 degrees farenhight if you put youre hand down there you can barely feel any heat radiating off the exhaust. next is a duct and a fan to get some cool fresh air moving across the fins on the jug.

I have never tried to "heat wrap" an exhaust. On my Avenger the exhaust pipe sticks out about 10 inches on the left front. I had a passenger put their hand on it and they got a big blistered burn. Could I heat wrap that piece of pipe? What is the brand name of the product that you used? Does it just wrap on like electrical tape, or is there a more complicated process? Thanks for the help.

[Duke]

heat wrap avenger

I have never tried to "heat wrap" an exhaust. On my Avenger the exhaust pipe sticks out about 10 inches on the left front. I had a passenger put their hand on it and they got a big blistered burn. Could I heat wrap that piece of pipe? What is the brand name of the product that you used? Does it just wrap on like electrical tape, or is there a more complicated process? Thanks for the help.

if you can get to the pipe you should be able to wrap it its not too hard to do it just takes time especially if you do it while its on the vehicle like i did. i got it from oreilly auto parts (but almost any autoparts store should have it) they sell them in 50 foot rolls about $31.00 plus you have to buy the stainless ties they are $15.00 for a pack of 8 but radiator hose clamps seem to work better the stainless ties just look better but are alot harder to put on. they have a chart on the inside of the package to determine how long to cut it for the length of pipe and size. the heat wrap is an inch wide strip of what i think is strands of fiberglass and something else they also come in two inch wide strips but they are hard to work with. after you get it cut soak the heat wrap in water for a few minutes and that makes it more pliable and way easier to work with start by wraping at the engine (or if you just want to wrap that section of pipe) and clamp it at the beginning after a couple of wraps around and remember to keep about a quarter inch overlap and keep it pulled tight around and take your time (if its loose it would defeat the purpose of having it on there ) after you get it all wraped clamp the other end and run it for a while mabe take it for a ride dont worry it will smoke for a while because its getting rid of the water and curing the wrap(i never did this but you can also buy a spray on silcone to go over the heat wrap that is suposed to prolong the life of the wrap and keep it cooler) hope this helps

[Roger S]

I use stainless steel wire and make "twist ties" with pliers..

[Duke]

thats a great idea too i never thought of doing that