Great point, Wayne, about never running without a thermostat. Many people
have an idea that once the engine warms up (which can occur within several
minutes on newer cars, seldom on our collectors) that the thermostat opens,
and that's the end of it. A thermostat is almost never the cause of
overheating, except when actually defective and stuck. The cooling system
is simple; coolant gets hot in the engine, and then runs through the
radiator, taking the engine heat with it. The radiator then gets hot from
the coolant, and the air going through the radiator gets hot, taking that
heat from the coolant so the coolant can go back into the engine and get hot
again. But as the engine operates, it develops different levels of heat,
and if the area of coolant near the thermostat get cooler (less than the set
temperature of the thermostat), then the thermostat closes somewhat, thus
controlling the amount of coolant passing through. In effect, then, the
thermostat helps to regulate the temperature of the engine as it operates up
hills, in traffic, rolling along the highway, decelerating, or accelerating.
It's a neat little gadget.
Mike Higgins
1955 Belvedere Sport Coupe
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