Rebuilt engine, problems....

Dan Sarandrea (Phila) said:
As part of a cooling system overhaul I ordered a new stat for my car from Vicks.

What I received I have to say looks disappointing. The original Savara looks to be all-brass and solidly constructed, and with its rubber collar fits the stat housing perfectly.

The new unit is a no name, looks pretty flimsy, and does not really fit snugly into the stat housing regardless of which if the two rubber collars I use (I have one square edged and one round-edged). The bypass stopper is smaller in diameter than the OEM and the full flow opening is a LOT smaller than OEM. Oddly, the full flow opening is eccentrically positioned on the main flange. In the main flange, the new one also has a small hole with a "dingleberry" which I guess is supposed to allow trapped air to eventually escape from the system.

Not sure what I am going to do. I will check with other vendors to see if anyone has NOS OEM. If not I may test my old one and if OK clean the scale off of it and put it back in.

The bad news is that I paid $32.50 for the new one.
Click to expand...

Looks like I still have 2 of the original style... http://www.fiatplus.com/thermostat-pr-293097.html
If you order it make sure you specify you want it as in the picture so they don't send you the current unit.
 
Who makes the one on the left?

Really interesting... offset, and with a bypass thingie...

The one on hte right, looks like the originals like Chris stated...
 
The one on the left has what looks like a part number on the bottom bypass plate (7983) and has 52MM and USA stamped in the top plate and on the side there is the temp value of 195 and "to rad" with an arrow.

But there is no name or symbol of any kind that I can see that would indicate the manufacturer.

It came from Vick Auto Sports.
 
WHOA... 195???

I wouldn't touch that one... doesn't appear to be the right one at all for our cars. Just 'cause it FITS in the housing doesn't mean its the right part... WOW!

The Stant stat I recommended is either a 180 or 185 and like I said, keeps mine running at 185 all the time, in hot or cold weather, heater on or off... it regulates almost perfectly. (Forgive me if I repeat myself... I used TWO of Mama's meat thermometers against the engine temp guage and ALL three read 185. She never caught me either...)

Let us know how the other one works.
 
195 -- Beg to differ, Tony.....

On F.I. X1/9's the fuel injection system is calibrated for a running temperature of 195* F.

Ciao,
 
Dollar has to wait...

going in Thursday to replace thermostat. If it is just the thermostat i will send YOU a dollar.
 
No Poo-poo!!! Geez-Loueez...

That seems to answer a bunch of questions and takes another 10 degrees of leeway out of the equation. And they did that without increasing the system pressure to increase the boiling point either!

Sounds like a plan... a smog reduction plan??? I truly wonder what the 10 degree increase does to the operating efficiency. I imagine there was some benefit otherwise they would not have done it.
 
HEY-HEY-HEY... I stand to make $2 bucks on this deal...

... capitalizing on the misery of others... What a kick!

HA!

I truly hope that is all it is...
 
Thermostat replaced...alternator bad...

Alternator being replaced Wednesday. Bosch 70A replacing a marelli 55A. weaker marelli cause trouble?

Don't know is stat fixes other problem yet
 
Replaced Thermo same trouble

Bosch 70A alternator worked great, replacing the wrong Marelli 55A installed 3 or 4 years ago.

New thermostat installed, coolant system bled. Tested. Got to 190, fan come on, stayed center. Test drove. OK.

Here is the thing...I drove home, temp is staying at 190 cenetr all the way. Afetr about 30 minutes of DRIVING, the temp is creeping up. I turn on the heater to help, doesn't go down.

What's the next step? Replace the radiator? It was installed NEW 3 years ago.

Tony, no dollar for YOU.
 
Are you sure the system has been bleed

fully? I like to elevate the car both ways when bleeding it. Jack it up in the front, let it warm up, open the rad bleed, when it flows just liquid, tighten, lower, jack up the rear and let any air get out of the system. Tony always use to sing praises of the prestone flush tee, but I never got around to installing one. I also run a little water wetter in with my coolant.

My old Orange Crush 78 had an overheating problem that ended up being a bad stat and blew my hose from the stat housing. Sitting at a stoplight, watching the temp rise, and rise, saying to myself, green, green, green, when all of a sudden a bomb went off behind me and all my coolant was all over the pavement.
 
Oooo, Oooo, another thought....

I replaced my fan, also on Orange Crush, and while I was at a pick and pull, I grabbed a second fan and added it. When I did, I hooked it up backwards and the fan was blowing the wrong way. It would hit 190, fan would come on, but it was not cooling the rad. Switch the wires around, worked like a charm.
 
Vinnie maybe you did already but

how is your expansion tank cap? If your cap is not in good shape this will cause your system to run hot. Get a Stant cap at an auto parts store... they are cheap!

I take Tony's buck if it's the cap!
 
How to kill a new radiator...

1) Return old coolant to it, circulating old debris and worn out coolant through an otherwise good radiator.

2) Fill system with other than phosphate-free propylene glycol antifreeze. A readily available version of phosphate-free antifreeze is Sierra™ brand.The phosphates react with the aluminum head and the resulting white corrosion will fill the radiator tubes.

3) Don't change the coolant every two years.

Just a thought if the your 3-year old radiator is clogged. :hmm:

Please check the cap though. It should release pressure when you loosen it when the engine is warm, otherwise, the pressure is leaking out prematurely and it will run hot.:shock2:
 
Checked the cap...

Let the car warm up to just below 190...took a short drive...after 5 minutes it creeps up to 225. Front fan was on when I parked in the garage. Turned off the car, front fan runs' and opened the expansion cap, covered with a rag. The pressure was there, and hot coolant gushed.

Turned offignition and the rear fan comes on.

The expansion cap was replaced last year, way before this trouble.

Radiator?
 
Cooked the old thermostat...

I didn't see anything move at all. Did it need salt?

Seriously, changing to a new stat didn't matter at all.
 
Cap should be 13 lbs.

I remember reading one of Obert's Tech Tips that got into this area. Let me say that I'm running a new radiator as of January. The place that works on my cars used to specialize in Fiats and they still have a few parts laying around (they installed a NOS starter on the car a couple of years ago).

Any way, they installed a cap that was supposed to be the correct one. It worked but the car would still get up to about 210 on hot days. I replaced it with one of the 13 lb. Stants from Chris and it now runs right at 190 cruising all day at 80MPH in 104 degree heat. I bought two of them, just for drill.

Oh, and the radiator was from Obert's place as well.
 
I have a strauss auto parts across from me at work. Exact cap...

Let me try changing out the cap. Could have the wrong one installed. I had the wrong alternator .
 
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