Thermostat

B

baylinerjohn

Junior Member
I recently purchased a 1930 model a and was wondering if this has a thermostat. I so where is it located compared to a newer car. If so what temp. is suggested
 
Good morning John, originally the A did not come with a thermostat.
If one is installed in your car, it should be in the upper rad hose, just above the top outlet.
Most people with a thermostat use either a 160 or 180 degree F.
It is a matter of personal choice. Please insure that you have a very good radiator to start with.
Hopefully with the purchase of your new A (Congrats by the way). You have a very good running car, that does not require a thermostat, as many of us barners do not use one.
Hope this helps. Jeff
 
The thermostat I have fits in the hose, it is 160 degree, a 30s design with coiled bi-metal strip to operate it, there are modern ones sold by the vendors that are modified modern car ones that fit in the hose near the upper water neck

If you feel the top neck and the radiator tank as the engine warms from cold the top neck will get hot while the radiator stays cold if there is a operating thermostat (unless several holes were drilled in the thermostat---), if no thwermostat the radiator will warm at about the same rate as the waterneck
 
Gently squeeze the upper rad hose. If it feels like there's something in there, it's probably a thermostat, if it feels like there's nothing in there, there probably isn't.
You may have to warm the engine up to soften up the rad hose for this test.
 
I don't use a thermostat. My Model A runs at 155 F and runs and idles just fine. Also, the back cylinders could run hotter and this would not be good for the valves and rings. Ed
 
Ed in Maine said:
I don't use a thermostat. My Model A runs at 155 F and runs and idles just fine. Also, the back cylinders could run hotter and this would not be good for the valves and rings. Ed
Click to expand...

With a thermostat my engine runs very even temp, less than 5 degree difference, #2 warmest
 
I have used 160 F thermostats, and they work well. It gets nasty hot in the summer down here in S. Carolina, but the winters can be cool. Not as cool as upstate New York, mind you, but in the 30-40 F range. I replaced my old original radiator with a Berg's and did not put the thermostat in-misplaced it but need to put one in. Driving around on a 50F day, I can't get the engine over 135F (measured on external surface). (Yay for Bergs!!) The thermostat is especially useful for cooler weather as it gets the engine up to an efficiently running temperature and moderates it so when you are blasting down the road it doesn't cool off too much.
 
The real benefits of a thermostat are realized in colder climates. Even here in Oklahoma on a 30 degree day my car without a stat will not get hot enough to burn off any condensation in the oil. In warmer months I like that the motor comes up to temp faster. There is a reason that all modern cars have thermostats. If you live in a southern climate it is not as beneficial.
 
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