Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

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Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Orso »

Did the 1977 P34 have four oil coolers before they were moved to the front? The Monaco/Belgium version seems to have three.
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Orso »

Here is Brazil 1977. Oil coolers inside the water radiators and at the rear wing.

https://cdn-1.latimages.com/images/mgl/ ... 7bra06.jpg

https://cdn-5.latimages.com/images/mgl/ ... 7bra21.jpg
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Daryl_Huhtala »

Perhaps the third one is the transmission oil cooler?
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Orso »

That was my first thought also but now I'm leaning toward heat problems with the fully enclosed engine.
I noticed that in the preseason testing there were only one oil cooler at the rear like the Tamiya kit but that changed for two coolers to the races.
I guess that the oil coolers mounted inside the radiators didn’t get enough cool air with the new streamlined body.

Image
At the races in Long Beach and Spain there seems to be some testing by moving the oil cooler from the radiators and placing them in front of them on Ronnies car.

Image
I guess that the air ducts on the side pods are connected to the appearance of the moved oil coolers.
As we all know the Oil coolers finally ended up in the front. All these circumstances make me think that there were two oil coolers by the rear wing, but that is just my guess.

Now I understand the strange blue spots on the white in later races. Those ducts seem to have been sealed off when the oil coolers were in their normal position behind the radiators.
Image
In the Swedish GP they were back in the original position and the blue spots are there.
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by rasputen »

Do you have the Joe Honda book? It shows two at the rear of Depailler's car, plus one inside of the LH radiator at Long Beach. I would assume there is a fourth inside of the RH radiator but there is no clear picture.

There is another image from Sweden, showing two oil coolers at the rear, on what the author says is P34-5 (although I sometimes wonder how he kept track of which car any given image is from).

I think the transmission oil cooler is much smaller, and can sometimes be seen at the rear of the car, below the bottom of the two wing supports.
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Orso »

Here is a pic from https://www.motorsportimages.com It is their version of thumbnail.
1017351832-LAT-19770305-77SA17Lighter.jpg
I tried to get the rear more visible and I think that the small gearbox cooler is present as well as two oil coolers. Sadly that part is hidden under a water mark when one click for a larger picture.
The Joe Honda pic from Sweden was interesting. I didn't know that it was the same car used in Monaco and Belgium where it had the open /1976 style) body work. Two oil coolers in Sweden but only one at Belgium which strengthen my belief of heat problems with the new body.
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Re: Tyrrell P34 oil coolers?

Post by Orso »

I have been looking at old magazines. Ronnie used to write an chronicle in a Swedish motor magazine and he said after the Argentinian GP that the engine overheated. The oil coolers did not cope.
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