Barry H. Adams wrote:
>
> When the weather was cool the indication on the temp gauge of my 74
> Spitfire was normally around the center mark. Now that the weather has
> warmed up the indicator is normally at the mark just below the Hot mark and
> sometimes in traffic its even slightly higher. Is this about normal for
> these cars in warm weather, or should I start looking for a problem? If
> there is a problem should I start by looking at the thermostat, radiator
> cap or water pump? The cooling system has been thoroughly flushed, but I
> did not boil out the radiator. Would it be ok to run without a thermostat
> in the summer? Will an oil cooler give much help?
>
> Berry:
To reduce engine temp there is something you might want to try. Drain
the coolant, replace your present thermostat with a `160 degree one, add
a bottle of Watter Wetter from Red Line (Available from Pep Boys), and
refill with water. This should reduce your operating temp to an
acceptable range for summer if the system is in otherwise good
condition. The Water Wetter with water only is fine for one summer but
if you want to keep the same coolant in for a year you will need around
25% anti-freeze or whatever it takes in your area. Of course adding
anti-freeze to the coolant will reduce the effectiveness of the Water
Wetter. I have tried this and it works. Don't remove the thermostat,
its there for a purpose. Oil coolers do help in reducing the operating
temp of the engine.
Bob
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