Thermostats, cooling and waterpumps

[Swerve]

When I was younger and less skilled I was always under the impression a quick fix to overheating engines was to remove the thermostat centre, this is great if you are out and about.

However the cooling system to work properly needs the thermostat in. WHY ? Well when the Thermostat is closed the water held in the radiator cools, as the water at the thermostat warms up from the engine side it will open. The cool water from the radiator then enters the engine and cools it down. Once all cools down the thermostat closes again and the cycle starts again.

Now if the thermostat guts are removed, the engine really doesn’t get a chance to cool properly. As I write this I never have had an issue, but it is wise to remember this should you be having cooling issues in the future.

[miller]

Also a great tip Ive used a number of times when my radiator gets blocked with mud while out on the trail is to turn your heater on full blast. You might get hot feel but it will drop the engine temp quick smart!

[50car]

A trick that we used on the circle track racecars when I did that was to cut a flat piece of metal the shape of the thermostat housing, drill about a 5/8" to 3/4" hole in the plate and bolt it in under the thermostat housing. By altering the size of the hole, it slowed or increased the water speed through the radiator without having to get warm enough to overcome the thermostat. Mind you that we were always racing in summer so didn't have to worry about frozen conditions... The slowed water speed allowed the water to actually cool while in the radiator.... If you ran without the thermostat or a restrictor, the water would pass through the radiator too quickly and not cool down....
Another trick was to use a product called WaterWetter.... pick stuff in a clear plastic container.... one pint in a couple of gallons always seemed to work best.... it would bring the temps down 10-20 degrees.... kind of critical when you are running a motor at 8500 RPM, and 220 degrees, with total advance about 32-35 degrees.... These were little ford 2300 motors that we would build up....

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ah those were the days.......