>A. Well, although it makes no physical sense whatever, racers and mechanics
>everywhere agree completely that one way to improve the cooling of your car
>is to slow down the flow through the radiator. Many owners swear that this
>has worked for them. British cars, it seems, are so nearly human that they
>succumb to the placebo effect. It is probably worth noting that the owners
>of british cars are nearly human, too.
Oh, there's no doubt that engines can, and do, overheat without the thermostat
or
some type of obstruction in their system. Probably one of the most common is
water pump cavitation. A real problem with rotory engines, even with the
thermostat installed. Another can be lower radiator hose collapse. Especially
if
the radiator is a bit cruddy. Edy type cavitation is a bear, as the fast water
pulls away from the inside of the curves. This doesn't show up on the gauge,
but
the metal knows it's being overheated. It can even walk away from whole jacket
areas if the inlet to those passages is on the inside of a curve.
Remember, when you've removed the thermostat, the water is moving *very* fast
when
the engine is reved up. Fast moving water in rough terrane is white water when
you're in a kayak, and white water is not good for cooling systems. Not even
the
power plants on the rivers. <g> If you can make it move fast and not behave
like
white water, you've got it made though.
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