Thanks Joe,
No offense, but this isn't my first rodeo. I am 65 years old and have been doing this stuff since I was a teenager. Also, I have been driving this truck daily for 6 years and I have had several thermostats in it. Currently I am running a Robertshaw "balanced" thermostat.
The problem is that the thermostat on a stove bolt is mounted in the airstream in front of the engine. With the thermostat closed and no water circulation the engine block and cylinder head will heat considerably above the thermostat setting before it sees enough heat to respond. Then the engine receives a huge amount of ice cold water, but the thermostat is still seeing the overheated water that is being pushed out by the inrush of cold water so it goes wide open. When the cold water reaches the thermostat it slams closed and the cycle starts again.
I'm not really looking for simple solutions to a problem I could just as easily ignore. I am trying to add modern improvements to these engines to help them perform better and last longer. And, I really don't want to leave my heater on all the time.
But thanks anyway.
