Trouble With Thermostat Install

marc hildebrant

marc hildebrant

Well-known member
Group,

New part of the thermostat debate.

I have a thermometer installed half way in the upper radiator hose. It is a metal pipe with a fitting for the thermometer.

I tried to remove the upper hose from the radiator in order to install a thermosat. However, the hose was to "stiff" to move off of the radiator.

Do I need to use a saw and cut the hose off ? Does the metal pipe for the thermostat cause the hose to be hard to remove ?

Marc
 
I recall facing this same dilemma. I opted to put the probe down in a Scalded Dog return neck. Not so accurate, but it tells whey things are getting hot.
You may have to unbolt the radiator -- which requires removing the lights and light bar and ect. -- and lift the radiator off to get the neck out of the hose. Or, you could remove the head bolts that hold the outlet neck ... but even then you may have to take the head bolts out of the block to find an advantage. On the other end, when you have a thermostat installed in the hose, too, there will be even less wiggle room.
Have you considered the return neck with the boss and threaded port for the probe? Install that (without breaking an ear) and you'd be in business!
 
Original 28-31 hoses were not the stiff synthetic rubber with synthetic fabric we now have. They were as flexible new and cold as a modern hose gets when soaked in steaming hot water. Without removing the headlamp bar and tilting the radiator that metal pipe "T" for the temperature probe is a bear to get in. I had one on my driver and threw it away.

Definitely cut the hose when removing to avoid over-stressing the soldered upper radiator inlet connection. Soaking your new assembly in a big pot of boiling water will help. If it were me, I'd skip that nasty T for the sensor and put the sensor in the side of the water outlet casting. Either drill/ tap it in place (1/4 NPT, I believe) or buy one set up that way from a catalog. The only way your sensor T assembly with the two short hoses and the thermostat will later come off without stressing the radiator inlet will be to cut the hoses or tilt the rad.

If you have float-a-motor mounts and the engine is free to giggle, like a modern car, that stiff assembly you are contemplating may be detrimental to your radiator. Brass work hardens and cracks easily from vibration.
 
i usually remove the hood and then the hood rods at the radiator side only. then i can flex the radiator foward enought for the hose to come off the neck even with the headlight bar on. is there a problem doing it that way?
 
Group,

Thanks for the comments so far.

Any opinion on a combination water outlet/thermostat/sensor that I have seen ? Looks like you could use regular old thermostats.

Marc
 
Do you have a heat gun or hair dryer? Warm both ends of the hose with the heat gun. Take a pair of channel locks or large vise grips and gently but firmly twist the hose back and forth. It will break loose. Once it is loose, you should be able to slide it back and forth enough to get it off. You can also put some liquid dish soap on the necks to act as a lubricant.

It went on there, it should come off.

Good luck,
Jon
 
I stuck my temp probe in a hole I poked into the upper hose. I put a washer on the doohickey the probe screws into, stuck it in the hole in the hose and put a washer and a nut on it inside the hose. Then I reinstalled the hose and screwed the probe into the doohickey and it worked perfectly with no leaks. Cheap, too.
 
Marc take a sharp utility knife and cut the hose right down the cent3er from end to end then peel it off and throw it away and replace with a nice sodt new hose Have a Great Day Gord. B by the Bay
 
marc hildebrant said:
Group,

Thanks for the comments so far.

Any opinion on a combination water outlet/thermostat/sensor that I have seen ? Looks like you could use regular old thermostats.

Marc
Click to expand...

Marc,

Is this what you're referring to? Looks a little goofy and is expensive, but it's well made and seems to work, so far. There's a couple of little by-pass slots to allow some flow during warmup. I use one outlet for my hot water heater and the other for temperature gauge sender.

Steve
 

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marc hildebrant said:
Steve,

Yes, that is the device. Does it allow you to easily change/remove the thermostat ?

Marc
Click to expand...

Not quite as easy as just popping it out of the upper hose, but not bad. It's a two-piece housing. The lower piece is held down by the head bolts, and stays in place while changing thermostat. The two pieces are joined/sealed with the black O-ring.

One performance thing that wonders me is that my gauge temperature ranges between 160-180, depending on load and speed. It's a 160 stat but it doesn't hold a steady 160 like Gord reports. Brand new Brassworks 10-fin/in radiator and Brumfield 5.9 head and motor rebuild ~3000 miles ago. I didn't have temp gauge before, so I don't know whether this represents a change or problem or not. Coolant level is stable and car runs well.

Steve
 
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