A little more affordable thermostat / engine swap

[patracy]

I ordered all of this on rockauto.com today. I had found the part number for the t-stat from Napa, but went onto stants website to cross reference it.


FEL-PRO 35063 (Gasket) $ 0.79
STANT 25010 (Seal) $ 2.60
STANT 13938 (T-stat) $ 17.76

After $5.07 for shipping and minus the discount code. (Google rock auto discount code, for a valid one) I've got the entire setup on the way for $25.16.


I had driven in the parade at Rome, GA today. But last month I had overheating issues, so I yanked the t-stat as a get by. But found out that this actually wasn't a good idea. (There's two cooling circuits, radiator and bypass. Which lead to a slow overheat issue on my truck.)

Anyhow, just thought I'd share.

 

[rchalmers3]

A deuce may be a good patient for a low cost thermostat. I have compared thermostats for autos and have noticed that the low cost thermostats are not made of the same quality or complexity and fear they will not regulate the water temperature as required.

Let us know how yours works and lasts.

Rick

 

[patracy]

I've never had a problem with replacement Stant t-stats. But from what I've found, some of these t-stats have the Napa part numbers etched on them as well.

 

[patracy]

Got the part in, but I've found that I have different issues than just the t-stat. Looks like I'm going to be engine shopping and swapping.

Coolant system is overpressuring and even with the new parts and a wash out of the radiator it's crept up to 220F with steam pouring out the new radiator cap.

 

[73m819]

head gasket, maybe a cracked head on the exhaust side, a lot easier then a motor

 

[hndrsonj]

Looks like I'm going to be engine shopping and swapping.

Try Twright in Rockmart. I am pretty sure he has a takeout longblock LD-465. (think it had a bad IP IIRC).

 

[patracy]

I'm done throwing money at this motor. Already replaced HG before. Found out it was a crack in the water jackets. Replaced the liners as well as pistons too. Time to start over instead of patching this back together.

 

[patracy]

Try Twright in Rockmart. I am pretty sure he has a takeout longblock LD-465. (think it had a bad IP IIRC).

LD or LDT?

 

[hndrsonj]

LD or LDT?

I think it was a LD (non turbo) but it was a TD block. Think it's pretty cheap.

 

[misupratwin]

When you don't run a thermostat the coolant doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to be cooled either. Tim

 

[JasonS]

When you don't run a thermostat the coolant doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to be cooled either. Tim

Thermodynamics doesn't bear this out and I have tried both several types of thermostats and no thermostat. No thermostat ALWAYS resulted in the coldest coolant temperature. Magazines and a few online sources have also examined this and came to the same conclusion.

 

[JasonS]

Stewart Components - High Performance Automotive Cooling

A common misconception is that if coolant flows too quickly through the system, that it will not have time to cool properly. However the cooling system is a closed loop, so if you are keeping the coolant in the radiator longer to allow it to cool, you are also allowing it to stay in the engine longer, which increases coolant temperatures. Coolant in the engine will actually boil away from critical heat areas within the cooling system if not forced through the cooling system at a sufficiently high velocity. This situation is a common cause of so-called "hot spots", which can lead to failures.</SPAN>

 

[3dAngus]

Back in the old days, on cars, not diesels, if nothing else worked when troubleshooting overheating problems, you just pulled out the thermostat. Problem solved. Worked on everything from a triumph spitfire, to a Simca 1000, to a Caddy with a Northstar engine, even with the A/C on full in dead stopped traffic.

 

[patracy]

I tried pulling the t-stat. Actually ran it saturday without one. But temps stayed around 200F. Finally on the way home it shot to 220F. Couple that with the extreme coolant pressure. (Water was boiling out from under a NEW cap on the radiator) I tried starting it and letting it idle with the new t-stat but the temp climbed back up to 200F pretty quick. Also when I had the radiator off I had a puff of vapor coming out the thermostat port on the block. This was with the engine drained of coolant and the radiator off. Engine just had been started. I thought while I was installing the t-stat is was water trapped in the head area steaming. The engine also puffed out the slobber tube as well. I'm guessing it's something in the heads since it has new HG and cyls/pistons/rings.

Anyhow, it made me mad, so out it came. Talking to Tony right now about the take out he's had laying around for a while.

 

[patracy]

BTW, since some of you like to joke about how I'll go out and turn wrenches in the evening after work. It took me ~3hrs to pull the engine and trans on my own. Woulda been quicker if I had someone to work the wrecker while I pulled bolts. And it probably would have prevented me from falling and landing on my ribcage.

 

[patracy]

Boogered up the firewall pulling it last night. Nothing that a 4lb sledge didn't fix this morning.

 

[Wildchild467]

I'm done throwing money at this motor. Already replaced HG before. Found out it was a crack in the water jackets. Replaced the liners as well as pistons too. Time to start over instead of patching this back together.

Was your engine a "TD" block? im just wondering.

 

[patracy]

Yes it was.

Cracked around the top of #6 to the rear of the block. Tore it down and welded back up the crack with a nickle rod. Installed new liners and pistons too. I'm guessing this engine could be made back into a runner again with another set of head gaskets and likely heads.

 

[patracy]

Picked up an engine from Tony (twright) yesterday. Just another LDT. But it appears to be a "newer" engine since it's just an 86 model. As luck would have it, I spent most of the day at his shop and never got a call (I'm on call). So I started home and thought, well I've got time to pick up a gatoraide. As SOON at I got to the register to pay, the call phone went off. No worries, I'm only about 12 miles from home. 6 miles in, BOOM!, tire blows on the trailer. To make matters worse, not only was one of my chains missing from my trailer toolbox. But someone also took the four-way. Thankfully I had a 13/16 wrench in the jeep that I was able to tweak enough to get the lug nuts off and the tire changed with.

Tony made a neat dolly from the ruminates of a deuce frame and some kind of slow speed trailer axles. I'll get a picture later today. Last night I was able to pull the injection pump and lines off my old engine. Today I'll get the starter, alternator, turbo, and relay swapped over to the new engine. Unfortunately I can't do much until I get a IP gasket, oil filter canister gaskets and filters, and a replacement oil feed line for the IP as mine has some cracking on it.

 

[hndrsonj]

Tony made a neat dolly from the ruminates of a deuce frame and some kind of slow speed trailer axles. I'll get a picture later today.

Actually that came from wreckerman. I traded something for it, and gave it to Tony when we pulled that motor.