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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Thermostats, leave in or remove

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Thermostats, leave in or remove -- page: 1 2 3     35gal 04-07-2011 @ 1:33 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 66 Joined: Jan 2010 Every season I go thru this ritual of removing or installing thermostats. I remove in the summer because I have Skip’s pumps and according to his instructions, they should be removed in the summer. But in a 35 it’s a lot of work, because you have to remove the pumps in order to remove the stats. And bending the hose is no option. But I’m wondering is it necessary to remove. I read one article where it stated they should be kept in so the water can be exposed to the radiator longer. But I guess I’m wasting money by buying Skip’s high flow pumps if I plan on leaving the thermostats in. What are your thoughts? 37RAGTOPMAN 04-07-2011 @ 1:48 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1965 Joined: Oct 2009 why do you put them back in? are you driving the car in the winter and need the hot water for heat ? or does it overheat with the thermostats in? what you have to do is , run the car till operating temp, then fill the radiator, this will keep air from foaming the coolant, do you have Skips OVERFLOW valve in? let us know, 37RAGTOPMAN ford38v8 04-07-2011 @ 2:40 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2767 Joined: Oct 2009 35gal, the article you read has been tossed around on this Forum till the cows came home. Water will absorb heat and dissipate heat at the same rate. If it stays in the radiator longer, that means it stays in the block longer also, and you don't want the coolant to go above boiling temp in the block. Faster water flow only means that a given temperature drop will be attained in the radiator at a point farther away from the inlet. Skips pumps have a high flow rate that requires a free passageway for efficiency. Thermostats are restrictors, even in the open position. So unless you plan on driving extensively in cold climates, removing the stats permanently will only mean that your engine will take a few minutes longer to attain operating temperature. For example, with stats in, they may open at mile #3, and without stats, that same temperature will be attained at mile #5 or #6, as all the coolant has to b e heated as opposed to only the coolant in the block. Alan trjford8 04-07-2011 @ 7:53 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4228 Joined: Oct 2009 I would look at this issue in simple terms. If you don't have a heating issue in warm weather with the stats, leave them in place. If "it ain't broke don't fix it". 46fordnut 04-07-2011 @ 8:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 332 Joined: Oct 2009 funny i put them mine in one works fine the other did not open. with out thermostats it runs a little hot in summer on a half hour drive.i do have a good 50/50 mix.takes about 2 hours for temp to go down when car is not running . does not boil over eather...yet 100 horse running wild supereal 04-07-2011 @ 8:47 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Thermostats serve two purposes. They allow the operating temperature to arise sooner which, in turn, reduces the formation of sludge. The other is to provide a bit of back pressure to reduce hot spots in the water jacket that create steam that does not produce cooling. On later cars, the pressure cap does that job. Be sure your stats open fully at the correct temperature, and that if your car has the stats in the upper hoses that they are secure in place so they can't turn over and block the hose. The improved flow water pumps help offset the common cause of overheating, a coating of lime in the system. A coating of only 1/16th of an inch reduces cooling efficiency by as much as 40 percent. Most of us drive primarily in the warmer time of the years when having thermostats can be omitted to further enhance flow. MG 04-07-2011 @ 9:00 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1262 Joined: Nov 2009 35gal said: "But in a 35 it’s a lot of work, because you have to remove the pumps in order to remove the stats." Why do you have to remove the pumps??? BTW - I don't run stats. JM 04-08-2011 @ 10:05 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 823 Joined: Oct 2009 I already replyed to this same question for you over on the Ford Barn. I also wondered why you need to remove water pumps to install or remove thermostats? I can get to the stats in my '35 by just removing the top hoses. What kind/brand name stats are you using? JM This message was edited by JM on 4-8-11 @ 10:06 AM drkbp 04-08-2011 @ 10:32 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 180 Joined: Aug 2010 35gal, You are correct. It is the way to put them in/out... drop the water pump down, slide them in the top of the hose, push the hose back up on the radiator and bolt the pump back on. If you have a '35, you know. They work just fine. Drove mine to the office yesterday and today. It will be 85 today. I certainly don't need them for heat! I live in the tropics (Houston) and drive all year. There is no need to take them out in the summer. I use the stats to slow the water flow down when going over 40-45 mph. If you have a '35 with the correct engine, transmission and 4.11 in it, you know why. Ken in Texas 35gal 04-08-2011 @ 12:00 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 66 Joined: Jan 2010 My stats are original and fit inside the hose. I've tried to remove the hose without removing the pump and it required sticking a screwdriver up into the edge of it and prying (with a lot of effort) to slide hose off water pump. I ended up tearing hose. Like drkbp stated, the best way to remove is dropping the pump. But you do run into the probem of removing the old water pump gasket and buying a new one. Also it has always been difficult for me to get a good tight fit at the radiator and pump connection without leaks. I drive my car in the winter and it gets cold here. Even with the stats in, the engine barely gets above 140 to 160 degrees. I have a hot air heater and i get plenty of heat from it even at those temps. I would like to leave the stats in year round. I have never left them in before but i think I will try it this summer and see how hot it gets.

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