I am in complete agreement about the fundamentals of thermostat
operation. My point was that the following quoted condition is what one
should expect from an MGB using a 165 degree thermostat, under normal
driving conditions in the US, from May through October -- the engine will
be generating more heat than the radiator can dissipate, except with full
coolant circulation (thermostat wide open). Therefore the 165 degree
thermostat will not achieve the intended effect of lowering the operating
temperature (except after a cold start, and perhaps while coasting
downhill).
Furthermore, since the "normal" position on the temperature gauge is
calibrated to something more like 185 degrees, I don't know why one would
expect the engine to operate at 165, or near it, or why this would be
desirable.
Perhaps your experience is different, but in this country, MGBs have a
reputation for running rather hotter than otherwise -- a condition
attributable to the total heat-dissipating capacity of the system, not to
the choice of thermostat, IMHO.
Paul Hunt had this to say:
>The only time any
>thermostat is wide open is when the engine is generating more heat than the
>radiator can dissipate, i.e. slogging up a steep hill on a hot day, ...
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
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