No cooling system

[mattbondy]

Would one of these engines hold up without a liquid cooling system if you were to go easy on it?

Seems a shame to throw all that heat away. I mean I realize, thermodynamic closed cycle and all, I have to give up some of it but isnt that why the exhaust comes out hot? I could try to change that but this just seems a whole lot easier.

I certainly dont need to worry about pre-ignition from hot spots!

[jtanguay]

crazy hot rod guys use a special cement to fill in the coolant passages that can expand and contract with the steel to make it stronger.   i doubt the blocks last too long, and are only run in the 1/4 mile...  the biggest problem is controlling the heat from the swirl chambers.  great for cold starting, but once warm, i can see them getting a little too hot... i do wonder if it would be possible to run a little more retarded in this config though... since the extra high temp of the swirl chamber will hasten the fuel burn?

now an aircooled 1.6TD would be pretty wicked! except in the winter... unless maybe using an oil heat exchanger?

but definitely do not run a 1.6TD without coolant in it.  maybe you can limp it by driving 1-2 minutes and letting cool for 30 mins... something like that, otherwise expect a cracked head/block.

[Rabbit on Roids]

these engines get really really hot really really fast.
if you run with no coolant or cooling system, you are asking for your engine to commit suicide.

[mattbondy]

I was just curious as to what the possibilities were. I was hoping someone with a complete loss of coolant experience would chime in. I seem to recall a few horror stories but no specifics.

[Vincent Waldon]

Searching for "coolant" and "head gasket" (or "HG") might turn up some of the tales of woe.

[rabbitman]

I think with no cooling system it would last about 3-5 minutes from dead cold. I'm not gonna try it to find out though. 

[smokeme]

crazy hot rod guys use a special cement to fill in the coolant passages that can expand and contract with the steel to make it stronger.   i doubt the blocks last too long, and are only run in the 1/4 mile... 
...

those guys run nitromethane as fuel, it burns so cold it actually freezes the intake after a 1/4 mile run

[Rabbit on Roids]

the intake never sees the "burn" of the combustion chamber. the air is just going so fast with the nitro through the intake runners that it gets freezing cold.

[Turbinepowered]

the intake never sees the "burn" of the combustion chamber. the air is just going so fast with the nitro through the intake runners that it gets freezing cold.

^ this is truth. The vaporisation rate of the nitromethane is so rapid and the heat of vaporisation sufficiently great that it will suck the heat absorbed by the manifold into itself as it's injected, transitioning rapidly from liquid to vapor.

[Rabbit on Roids]

yes. i love this forum.
cause usually i have the basic idea of things.
but never the technical terms.
but i always have one of you guys to chime in with a technical explanation.