On Sun, 28 Jul 1996, Ulix Goettsch wrote:
> On Sun, 28 Jul 1996, David Councill wrote:
> > Now keeping the temperature up in the winter is a different story, but I fix
> > that by covering about a third of the radiator front with a piece of
>cardboard.
>
> Now that is something I don't understand. I have read about this a lot.
> Shouldn't the thermostat take care of that? If it is REALLY cold, the
> thermostat would stay closed more in order to keep the engine at
> thermostat temperature. Covering the radaiator would have the thermostat
> open for longer times, but the temp of the engine (and the heater) should
> still be thermo temp, shouldn't it?
> Now if it was so cold outside that the engine would loose so much heat on
> its own that the thermo never opens, covering the radiator would be
> futile.
> What am I missing ?
>
> Ulix
> __/__,__ ________/____,,_______
> ................... (_o____o_) ..... (___ O _________ O ___/ ..............
> '67 Sprite '66 Caddy
>
>
I believe the thermostat never opens.
I use the 180 degree thermostat, the warmest available, year round. When
the outside temperature is below zero (Fahrenheit), the coolant never
gets warm enough to allow the thermostat to open.
Here in the cold northern lands, it is common to block part of the
front of the radiator. Decreasing the air flow through the radiator will
cut down its efficiency and allow the coolant to get warmer.
Through experimentation, I found that if I covered about a third of the
radiator (on one side), I can get warmer temps. However, the car will
overheat if I cover more than that.
And once I get the warmer temperatures, I can with some luck get above
freezing temperatures in my BGT (but usually I can still see my breath).
David Councill
dcouncil@imt.net
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