The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop theromstat

i in installed a new water pump and a new stat i put in a 195 is that to high? it still over heats and gets up to the hot mark sitting still. i have not driven it since the install just a few minutes ago. at least the fan blades don't hit anything now. help!!!! ron

the 195 seems a tad high but I dont think that is your problem, If you have replaced your pump and the belts are tight, have a good radiator cap then about the only thing else is make sure your radiator is not stopped up,,,,,,,,,,,,,also check to make sure you dont have a blown head gasket.....

I have not had a need yet to replace mine but make sure you dont install the thermostat backwards, in some cases one can do that.......you might try running it with out the thermostat to see if that cools it down, if so, then you may have a defective thermostat...........

Easiest way to check for a bad T-stat is to place it in your wife's favorite sauce pan filled with water then bring it to a boil on her favorite stove. A 195 should open just before the water boils.

As far as installing it backwards, the large cylinder & spring end should go down into the head or block.

Are you sure that you got the system FILLED with coolant (water) ?? Many times you will get the Rad. and hoses full but the block and head will not fill because of air trapped by the closed T stat. Check this by running the engine with the Rad. cap off and see if the water level drops drastically once the engine warms up. Be careful as the water may rise and overflow slightly just before it drops. If it does drop be ready to add water immediately.

It is a good idea to loosen the temp sender, when filling for the first time, to bleed all the air out.

Also make sure the timming is advanced enough or it will run hot.

thanks all but the mistake was me, i left the blind on i had installed on the rad. at the start of winter and i had bad water leak from the heater valve lost a lot of water that i wasn't aware oft. put another shut off in and bypassed the valve i am going to remove it and get a new one. i won't have a chance to take it on the road til later in the day. now that we have daylight savings time here in indiana we have an extra hour of daylight, i don't know where they got it from but it is nice. ha ha. ron

Running the engine without a thermostat will cause the engine to overheat. The thermostat slows the water so that the fan can have time to cool it in the rad. Book calls for a 160 or 180 degree thermostat with permanent antifreeze.

Never herd of running without thermostat hurt the engine???Only if you want heat.Most engine run great at190 or 210 for small blocks.The old bolts run good at 180 .So I guess ya better run a therostat.But it won't hurt without one.Now for the retraction on this subject

I put a 180 degree thermostat on my 235.... and added an electric fan on the front of the radiator to help cool during the hot Texas summers

I was always taught that our engines will run more efficiently at higher temperatures. This is the reason for today's higher pressure cooling systems and higher boiling point permanent antifreeze. I believe the older engines were limited to the 180 / 190 range only by the alcohol antifreezes used at that time. Anyone have some informed comments on this.

PS Great idea on letting the air out at the sending unit !!.

I thought that the old radiators couldn't handle much pressure so if you try to raise the boiling point with anti-freeze and pressure with on older radiator you could blow it out, is that right?

ihave a new radiator, just a couple of years old. i drove it to town to get some things and fill it with gas almost empty, 41.00 to fill 2.88 a gal and my other car is almost empty. i had no problems with overheating but it run a little hotter when i stop for a while but cooled down when i drove, 65 degreed today.