[Healeys] Fw: Thermostat?

Dick Matson medlabinc at msn.com
Wed Aug 25 13:31:16 MDT 2010


I suppose as a test the thermostat could come out altogether.  Run the car.
If the temp is going up still you would know the cause has nothing to do with
the thermostat.

Dick Matson / Bj8


----- Original Message -----
From: BJ8 Healeys<mailto:sbyers at ec.rr.com>
To: Healeys at autox.team.net<mailto:Healeys at autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 8:24 AM
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Thermostat?


Alan, I did not buy a sleeved thermostat from British Car Specialists.  I
called to order, but learned that the only one they have is rated at 160
deg.  Same with Moss.  My experience with a 160 non-sleeved thermostat was
that it did nothing to control the heat in the summer, but did make my car
run too cold in winter.   I wanted a 180-deg. sleeved thermostat, but the
one I did buy was a NOS AC Delco 187-deg. unit made in England, still in its
original box.

I agree that the purpose of a thermostat is not to make a car run cooler,
but to make the engine get up to operating temperature faster.  However, the
thermostat won't make the coolant run at the same temperature regardless of
how hot it is outside unless the cooling system has sufficient capacity.  It
can only respond to the temperature of the coolant passing over it, and that
is determined by the design and capacity of the system, the velocity of
coolant flow and air flow through the radiator, and the difference in
temperature between the coolant and ambient air.

As I understand the "sleeve" concept, it only comes into play when the
engine warms up to temperature, and then prevents part of the coolant from
bypassing the radiator.  If part of the coolant was bypassing the radiator
before, and now it doesn't, I don't see why there wasn't some discernible
difference after I installed the sleeved unit.

Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC  USA


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