Tab,
The thermostat in my car is, miraculously, the original. It opens at
75C and is pretty good at holding that temp when air temp is in the 40-75
F range. When air temp is in the 30s and below, the radiator stays
tepid to cold and the temp gauge will stay in the area of 50C. That's
too cold for good engine operation, so I cover part of the radiator with
a piece of canvas. Seems to me that it's about 12" x 12", so it can fold
to a smaller size or be used full size, adjusting the air flow through
the radiator and over the engine to bring the thermometer reading up.
That's none to accurate a way to measure actual engine temp, as the temp
sensor bulb is measuring the temp of the water at the top of the radiator
after the stat opens.
Are there alternate stats? I don't know-have never seen one. The TD
stat is an old-fashioned arrangment that is uncommon, and there is a
bypass-blocking movement that further controls water flow. Changing the
stat is not difficult, but it is much more of a pain than changing it on
a modern engine.
Bob
On Mon, 06 Sep 1999 21:18:33 Tab Julius <tab@penworks.com> writes:
>
>Although I don't disagree with the blockage diagnosis, my question
>relates
>to thermostats themselves. I know that from other cars that I've
>owned
>that we've occasionally installed a "summer thermostat" and a "winter
>thermostat". Since I live in New England where it can get to -30
>(that's
>30 below 0) degrees in the winter, or over 100 in the summer - there's
>a
>temperature range for you! - it's desirable to vary the thermostat by
>the
>season. Does such a thing exist for MGs (probably) and do people
>switch
>out (perhaps not so probable)?
>
>- Tab
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