[Mgs] Thanks

[Paul Hunt]

I've see 'blanking sleeve' applied to two different things.  One is on an A 
and possibly a 3-bearing B and restricts the flow of coolant through a port 
which bypasses the thermostat to give a quicker warm-up.  I'm not sure 
whether this is relevant to 5-bearing Bs.  The other is a restrictor used 
*in place of* the thermostat, to restrict the flow of coolant through the 
engine and radiator to that which would occur if a thermostat were fitted 
and fully open.  These are often used by racers as the thermostat is 
superfluous but could stick closed.  Running without one of these *or* a 
thermostat causes a greater coolant flow rate through the engine, which 
causes turbulence, which can result in local recirculation and hot-spots. 
But for the purposes of brief testing when looking into a possible hot 
running problem this restrictor isn't required, although one can be 
fashioned out of an old thermostat by removing the spring and pellet and 
just leaving the disc.

PaulH.

----- Original Message ----- 
> What is the consensus on the blanking sleeve?  Important, not  important?