>
> I was always told that running the car without a thermostat was dangerous
> because the car wouldn't heat up quickly enough.
Not really dangerous (being cold, that is), just annoying.
> It may be that by welding it open they are trying to restrict the flow a
> little bit, but not restrict it as much as a working thermostat would.
On Cooper S mini motors, the trick is to take the thermostat out,
because the cooling system is marginal at best, and replace it with a small
restrictor sleeve. The sleeve slightly limits the flow and turbulance so that
the water flow will be more even throughout the head. Without the sleeve,
coolant distribution on the "other" end of the head (the one with the heater
take off hose) is poor, which can damage the head.
--
Nigel Pearson, research dog's-body @ University of Technology, Sydney.
AARNet: nigel@socs.uts.edu.au Talk: (Sydney) 330 1799 or 330 1816
Hardcopy: Nigel Pearson, SOCS, UTS, PO Box 123, BROADWAY, Australia, 2007
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