Thermostat problems

[wensum]

Originally Posted by Dollar Bill

Maybe not related to your problem but I'm curious to what mods you made to get 120 psi compression?

The motor is bored to 100thou oversize which was necessary because of the state of the block. It has a 7:1 Winfield reproduction alloy head which had to be relieved to clear the larger inlet valves and also machined to allow piston clearance.
Clearly it is the head alone that contributes to the 120psi, although the large bore must also contribute a little.
It also has mains pressure oiling, counterweights on the crank, lightened flywheel, reprofiled camshaft, twin Stromberg carbs off early Holdens and shell bearings.
So far, mechanically reliable and quiet, but surprisingly grunty although lacking the very low rev torque of a classic Model A
Keith

[wensum]

Originally Posted by Mike V. Florida

Mikes afordable discription;

"Welded to 1 in. piece of thin-walled stainless pipe. Install at the top of hose, pointed end up. Will not cause leaks like the pronged ones can do. 160 Deg. Temp."

Brattons disctiption;

Install thermostat at top of hose. Pointed end up. Most authorities recommend this. The 180 degree thermostat will give a slight improvement in performance, but will raise the water temperature 20 degrees. For some cars that extra 20 degrees can cause overheating. Most customers order 160 degree unit.

That is exactly the units that I have tried installed as per the photo
Keith

[CarlG]

Solve all your thermostat problems by using one of these:

[wensum]

Originally Posted by Ron W

I had a feeling you were not using a stock pump. It acts like the direction of flow may be wrong. Ron W

Thanks Ron, it has crossed my mind that that might be possible as when looking into the header tank when the motor is running there is very little evidence of the water swirling as I think it should?
I'll be questioning the guy who supplied it later today
Keith

[colin1928]

Keith almost all the falcon water pumps push coolant into the block it is very hard to find any late model pump that pulls coolant out of the engine
AS for repo aluminium Winfieid heads I have had some that ran nice and cool and some that ran hot you may want to try running with the thermostat just to see how it goes you can control temp by blocking some of the air from the front of the radiator

[wensum]

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Originally Posted by colin1928

Keith almost all the falcon water pumps push coolant into the block it is very hard to find any late model pump that pulls coolant out of the engine
AS for repo aluminium Winfieid heads I have had some that ran nice and cool and some that ran hot you may want to try running with the thermostat just to see how it goes you can control temp by blocking some of the air from the front of the radiator

BINGO! It does appear that the Falcon water pump pushes the stuff around the other way!
I'll insert the thermostat the other way around and hopefully that will solve the problem
Many thanks
Keith

[wensum]

Here's a photo of the situation, the Falcon water pump with adaptor, the motor set back 4" in the chassis necessitating an electric fan
Keith

[Dollar Bill]

As the direction of water flow is reversed, shouldn't the thermostat be placed in the lower hose? With it in the top hose, it will sense water that has already been cooled by the radiator and likely cause overheating.

[Ron W]

Good catch Bill! I think I would reverse the pump flow so the flow is in the normal direction. Ron W

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Ron W

...I think I would reverse the pump flow so the flow is in the normal direction. Ron W

I would think that would be the only way it would work at all. Logic tells me that with the pump the way it is, it would be trying to pull water out of the top of the radiator.

[wensum]

Thanks Guys,
It has crossed my mind that the thermostat should be in the bottom hose in this situation, but of course, the bottom hose is a smaller diameter than the top hose and the supplied thermostats won't fit in.
Perhaps I'll just have to make up an adjustable radiator blind?.
The motor came with is set-up and I've accepted it as a modern improvement, but possibly I'll have to go back to an original type pump?
Keith

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by CarlG

I would think that would be the only way it would work at all. Logic tells me that with the pump the way it is, it would be trying to pull water out of the top of the radiator.

Or does it push it into the engine?

[Dollar Bill]

Originally Posted by wensum

Thanks Guys,
It has crossed my mind that the thermostat should be in the bottom hose in this situation, but of course, the bottom hose is a smaller diameter than the top hose and the supplied thermostats won't fit in.
Perhaps I'll just have to make up an adjustable radiator blind?.
The motor came with is set-up and I've accepted it as a modern improvement, but possibly I'll have to go back to an original type pump?
Keith

The Ford 8N tractor has an OD of 1-1/2 inch. Model A lower hose ID is 1-3/4 inch.

[wensum]

Originally Posted by Dollar Bill

The Ford 8N tractor has an OD of 1-1/2 inch. Model A lower hose ID is 1-3/4 inch.

Thanks for that, it's worth investigating!
Keith

[Tom Wesenberg]

Need to see the pump not installed to see what you have.
I would NOT try to make any kind of reverse flow system, nor install the stat in the lower hose.

[Y-Blockhead]

I agree with Tom. The reverse flow goes against the design of the radiator and thermosyphon principal (hot water rising and cold water dropping).

[eagle]

A reverse flow water pump with a thermostat in the bottom hose would increase the pressure a little bit in the engine block which would raise the boiling point. That's a good thing...keeps the hot spots in the head and block from boiling. The only thing I see as a possible issue is you need to make sure to keep the coolant level kept up to a level to flood the upper radiator hose opening. Actually sounds like a good idea.

[tbirdtbird]

"would increase the pressure a little bit in the engine block which would raise the boiling point."

The Model A cooling system is a non pressurized system, period, unless very specific adaptations are made to it.

The overflow tube is always vented to atmosphere