Dear listers,(apparently the massage didn't come through last time)
What is it with me and thermostats? One failed on my wife's Hillman Gazelle,
one failed on my Alpine a few years ago and now ...
I had a meeting to go to on the other side of Sydney (about a 90 minute
trip) and was about half-way there when I noticed the temperature gauge
slightly above where it would normally be - no real concern I (foolishly)
thought, I'll check the coolant level when I get there. A few minutes later
- temperature a little higher - well, the traffic is a bit thicker - that's
just normal (fool!). In heavy traffic in the middle lane going up a long
hill and suddenly the temperature gauge needle is looking for numbers that
aren't there. It was impossible to pull over, so I gritted my teeth and made
it to the top of the hill and immediately switched off to coast down the
hill. Then bang! the top radiator hose blew - fortunately I managed to pull
over into the only place available for miles. On checking the boot (trunk) I
only had a spare bottom radiator hose - so I cut it up to make a reasonable
impression of a top hose, removed that nasty little thermostat, bolted
everything back together (Why do these things always happen when you're
wearing your best suit?) refilled with water and drove off hoping the head
gasket was intact - and yes, it seems it managed to survive. I got to the
meeting a little late, but that was no big deal.
Maybe I should just go back to running without a thermostat - like I did for
many years - but then again my (now becoming older) bones enjoy the heater -
even if it's only my feet that get the benefit.
After all that I have two questions for everyone:
1) How often does everyone replace their thermostat?
2) Is there a particular brand (hopefully available in Australia) that is
reliable?
Rick Harrison
PS: Many, many belated thanks to "Blue" for the Vizard info.
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