At 117,000 miles, the radiator began to fail in the plastic side piece on the passenger side, so I've been forced to change the radiator. So far, so good. I have a question about the purpose of the three foam pieces called "radiator seals" that surround the installed radiator. What is their purpose? Also, mine disintegrated on removal and Jaguar want $150 for the three foam pieces, any suggestions on alternatives?
Thanks very much for your responses.
Bob

Of course, I had just finished detailing the engine compartment when the leak decided to appear!


Hopeful!

My garage


Cheers!

 

I think these pieces act as air baffles. While driving, ram air is forced through the grill and onto the front face of the radiator. Without these foam pieces, some of that air would take the easy route and go around the radiator, not through it. That extra airflow through the radiator improves cooling efficiency.

Most vehicles have something like this, even my 1948 Jeep. No foam there, however, it was horsehair mats from the factory.

How thick is this foam? Could you fabricate something out of foam weatherstripping from the hardware store? I don't think the fit is supercritical. You'd just be persuading air to pass through the radiator, not around it.

 

Thanks for the tip, just back from Home Depot with your solution. The new foam is almost the same size as the original.

 

I had the same issue when i replaced my radiator...used foam from a pillow...easy to mash into spots and then expand...also very dense and easy to cut or tear when installing

 

Yes, the foam is there to direct air into the radiator fins. Prevents "bleed" around the rad and increases cooling efficiency.

Our spec's for parts in that proximity to the rad is in the 230F area. Out by the grille its about 185F

 

That's an excellent 2nd post rgsaz!
Yes I changed mine after the same problem about 5 years ago. RHS plastic tank cracked. Plastic lasted about 12 years. Looking forward to the next time the plastic cracks on the new one.
I must admit that I was lazy and haven't bothered with the foam yet. But will be doing it shortly.
I knew little about the tranny problems then and I would estimate I lost about a litre (quarter of a gallon) of tranny fluid when I removed the radiator.
And I ran the car for some time with low fluid with the tranny refusing on an incline only to move out of first or second gear, cant remember which.
I would then have to pull over and restart the car and worked okay as I had got over the hill.
I then put 2 and 2 together.
Not sure if you have lost any fluid.

 

Went over to Home Depot and purchased this. My new radiator arrived today, so I'm starting reassembly shortly.

 

Welcome to the forum, rgsaz! Whilst the functionality of the foam seals given above as to directing ram air through the radiator at-speed is not wrong, neither is it the reason for their existence. A combination of foam, rubber, (sometimes horsehair?) are installed to enable the car to pass certain air conditioning design requirements, primarily the hot-soak idle test. The cooling fan(s) is/are mounted in a shroud on the back of the radiator. ALL of the air they move is coming through the radiator, which is sufficient for idle engine cooling - even if some of it recirculates - comes out of the fan shroud, curls under the radiator and is pulled back through. However, without the seals, at idle, not much air is pulled across your condenser, because it can enter the radiator from above, below and both sides in the gap between radiator and condenser. This means at idle, in summer stop n go traffic (mostly stop) you will get quite uncomfortable without them. Let's be honest, idle-a/c performance is not an S-Type core-competency in the first place.

In the ancient early/mid-90's, during and after the conversion to R134a refrigerant, we had a parade of Ford's and Chrysler's through our wind-tunnel. I never saw one fail an engine cooling test for lack of sealing between radiator and condenser, nor even between condenser and grill. However, long is the list of such vehicles that failed their respective manufacturer's specification regarding a/c performance without that airway sealed up.

OK, I was kidding about the horsehair - no a/c in the 1948 Jeep, unless added later. I had a couple of '46 CJ-2A's that had sheet metal baffles to channel air from the iconic grill opening to the radiator. I don't recall a shroud for the small, four-bladed engine-driven fan. I guess they made a few changes in the '48. Was that the introduction of the F-Head 4 replacing the L-Head 4?

 

Here's how ****** did it in 1948 on my CJ-2A:





The horsehair strips are stapled to the sheet metal on the aft side of the grill. The top and bottom strips butt against the face of the radiator. The side strips tuck into special channels on the edge of the radiator.

This radiator (original?) has an integral shroud. You'd have to cut it away if you didn't want it for some odd reason. Other years had a separate bolt-on shroud. I was thinking '49+ when the bottom mount on the frame was changed to side mounts on the grill. I'd have thought your '46s would have had the integral shroud, but maybe I'm getting the details wrong.

Here is a good history of the ****** 134 ci 4-cyl:

https://www.cj3b.info/History.html


My '48 cj-2A still has the original flathead. The upgraded F-head was introduced in 1949, but initially only in the trucks, wagons, and Jeepsters that had room for the taller engine. The Jeep itself didn't get the improved engine until 1952 when the body had a major redesign to make room.

Hope I haven't strayed too far off topic.

Mandatory Jaguar Content (MJC): Last month I drove my S-Type to a big swap meet near Tacoma, in search of ****** parts.

 

Greatness Karl! Yep that's definitely the L-Head. I acquired my first '46 in '76. Looking at your pic, I'm betting my hoss-hare was just worn away or removed prior. I don't remember a radiator shroud, but perhaps it had one...It has been awhile!

MJC: Both of my S-type radiators failed in the same place as OP's but at the 9 year mark. (100k-110k miles)
I was able to successfully transfer most foam sealings. What was disintegrated, I had stock on hand that would work.
3m spray adhesive is your friend for this.

 

Ha, in the S Type subdirectory.... Never!

 

Thank you!

 

Thanks for the reply.
Bob

 

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Bob

 

You said you were from Tacoma and a college friend of mine, Paul Morris, was likely at that meet. Lived in Tacoma till I got out of UW in 1969