> My temperature guage has always run at about the 1/4 mark except in very
hot
> weather (by English standards!) or in traffic for a long time, and I've
never
> worried about it. I don't know what thermostat I'm running with, though,
> because I've never bothered to look!
>
> Remember that putting a hotter thermostat in won't necessarily make the
car run
> hotter. If it's running too cool to open the current thermostat, then a
hotter
> thermostat also won't open, and won't affect the temperature at all. In
fact,
> it might give you overheating problems in the summer. I'm not saying
don't
> change it, just make sure it really needs changing first!
I don't really understand that. A thermostat opens at its rated
temperature, thus keeping the temperature of the car engine below or at that
temperature. I started with the 160 degree and the gauge got up to 1/4 of
the way. Now I tried a 180 (Stant didn't have a 190 at pep boys) and it is
about 7/16 of the way. Next I will probably go to a 185 to get it to be
exactly halfway. I am going to make sure that is what the gauge reads by
calibrating the gauge. To do this, I will put the sensor in a pan of hot
water with a candy thermometer.
If a thermostat is functioning, it cannot cause the car to overheat in the
summer. If it overheats in the summer with a functioning thermostat, the
car does not have enough cooling capacity. This is a function of the
radiator, not the thermostat. You can improve the cooling capacity by
fixing the radiator (recore it) or push more air accross it with an electric
fan or better cooling shrouds.
I suggest you replace your thermostat in your car. If it is always running
so cool, you are probably not getting the maximum mileage, and you want the
cylinders to come up to operating temperature so they can burn off any extra
fuel or stuff.
---
Kirk Crawford AIM:KirkBCraw
mailto:Kirk.Crawford@home.com
http://members.home.net/kirk.crawford/spitfire/
1968 Triumph Spitfire Mk3
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