Alan, I did not buy a sleeved thermostat from British Car Specialists. I
called to order, but learned that the only one they have is rated at 160
deg. Same with Moss. My experience with a 160 non-sleeved thermostat was
that it did nothing to control the heat in the summer, but did make my car
run too cold in winter. I wanted a 180-deg. sleeved thermostat, but the
one I did buy was a NOS AC Delco 187-deg. unit made in England, still in its
original box.
I agree that the purpose of a thermostat is not to make a car run cooler,
but to make the engine get up to operating temperature faster. However, the
thermostat won't make the coolant run at the same temperature regardless of
how hot it is outside unless the cooling system has sufficient capacity. It
can only respond to the temperature of the coolant passing over it, and that
is determined by the design and capacity of the system, the velocity of
coolant flow and air flow through the radiator, and the difference in
temperature between the coolant and ambient air.
As I understand the "sleeve" concept, it only comes into play when the
engine warms up to temperature, and then prevents part of the coolant from
bypassing the radiator. If part of the coolant was bypassing the radiator
before, and now it doesn't, I don't see why there wasn't some discernible
difference after I installed the sleeved unit.
Steve Byers
HBJ8L/36666
BJ8 Registry
Havelock, NC USA
From: Alan Seigrist [mailto:healey.nut@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 8:57 PM
To: BJ8 Healeys
Cc: Healeys@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Healeys] Thermostat?
Steve -
The thermostat that David Nock sells is not really intended to "run your car
cooler" per se, it is meant more to keep your car's temperature more
constant through the operating range - i.e. it heats up the engine faster
when cold, but then keeps it at the same temp regardless of how hot it is
outside. I have found the sleeved thermostat has helped immensely in this
regard, and does help keep my car cool on hot days. That being said the
condition of the radiator and scale in the engine block will be more
important than the thermostat in keeping the engine temp consistent and
within designed heat range.
One advantage of the sleeved thermostat is the opening is a bit larger,
allowing for a more free flow of fluid when open. The older style Smiths
bellows thermostat is more restrictive on water flow, plus if it fails it
fails shut so I'm not really a fan of them, but I still use them from time
to time.
Good Luck,
Alan
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