DIY radiator water sprayer

[nayeliesuncle]

|I have an idea|

Given the propensity by eco modders to close the airflow that feeds the radiator, why not look for a simple solution to prevent an overheated cooling system?

I gave it a quick brainstorming session (the only session I can do, ), and remembered the water spraying systems used i n the intercoolers of turbocharged cars.

Such a system would be:

- simple
- cheap
- light

It could be made to turn on automatically, but that would need an arduino (a microcontroller) or equivalent, and a temp sensor.

Just imagine the same thing, but using it for the radiator. Would it make a difference?

Does anyone have any experience with this?



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System would be like:

reservoir of water ------ windshield washer pump ------- windshield nozzle ---- radiator.

[lunarhighway]

i understand you refere to something that would spray water on outside on the radiator?

i suppose one could hook this up to the fan relay, the water stray being a "wet fan" alternatively you could use water injection into the engine.

water injection has little benefits for FE in a NA engine. It was however initially used as "internal cooling" on early gasiline engines, at times when radiators where unreliable. It also prevented predetonation with the low octane fuel, wich was discovered when radiators replaced WI on the low octane fueled engins and they suddenly started nocking...

[nayeliesuncle]

Yes, external water spraying.

As in spraying the radiator fins area with water.

[RobertSmalls]

It might be helpful in a few situations, but:

*a variable grille block would be simpler, lighter, and more effective. It's the holy grail of grille blocks, and I think a simple, universal, easily duplicated automatic variable grille block should be our focus.
*you'd need a large, heavy reservoir for continuous operation of a water sprayer
*if you really need cooling in a hurry, the small amount of heat an ecomodder's engine produces can be easily dissipated by the heater core
*dropping a few mph is usually adequate to bring me back to nice and cool operation

[gone-ot]

...back in the '40's & '50's, when driving through the deserts of the southwest, people used to hang a canvas water bag in front of the grille to accomplish the samething, ie: evaporative cooling.



...anybody remember them?

[Dr. Jerryrigger]

It seems like it would be a simple mod if you have the room under the hood:
-A windshield washer tank w/pump from a junk yard
-A relay
-A toggle switch
-some wire
-hose and a sprayer of some type

I have a second cooling fan for A/C, which my car no longer has, so I'm going to rig it up to a manual switch. Blasting the heat works well, but in the summer it's really not ideal. I don't have a grill block installed right now, so this project will come after I get that together...

[lunarhighway]

one thing that could cause problems is corosion... i suppose the radiator itself might stand up quite well, but all the firrings and underlaying structurs that otherwise are pretty well shielded from water would not get soaked... most of the water on the rad, might vaporise, but it could still pool in areas underneath

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by nayeliesuncle

Yes, external water spraying.
As in spraying the radiator fins area with water.

We use evaporation cooling at work to keep some storage tanks cool.


Cars basicly have everything you need at hand: a water reservoir and a spraying system

It's just a matter of repositioning the spraying nozzle.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

one thing that could cause problems is corosion... i suppose the radiator itself might stand up quite well, but all the firrings and underlaying structurs that otherwise are pretty well shielded from water would not get soaked... most of the water on the rad, might vaporise, but it could still pool in areas underneath

Most engine bays get soaked in the rain.
Water gets through the grill, through the radiator, through the various seams, through the holes in the bottom, ...


Driving through big puddles can kill your engine if it gets into the air intake.
And it does on some cars.

[nayeliesuncle]

I'm just keeping my mind busy.

Cars do have everything needed to do this, but a separate system would be simpler in terms of not joining 2 systems in one (windshield washers and the radiator sprayer).

Corrosion is not a problem, unless you drive a toaster. =P


I would use the system at EOC, with the fans at full blast.