Re: 1938 Super 8 thermostat

Posted by kevinpackard On 2023/7/30 14:51:28

Interesting. It looks like thermostat I linked to is the shutter thermostat found inside the radiator. Mine works fine. So maybe the Super 8 had no thermostat on the cylinder head at all? I assume the cooling system would be designed as a whole to work without that thermostat.

When my dad bought the car years ago there was an aftermarket thermostat somehow placed on the cylinder head. When the engine failed and the block cracked, the presence of the thermostat is one of the things the mechanic thought may have caused the problem. That and a faulty impeller on the fuel pump, and a poor water distribution tube. It seemed to be a problem of poor water flow.

So perhaps I just run without a thermostat for now.

It brings up the question of proper operating temperature for this engine. I haven't found it in documentation yet. If the shutters open at 150, is the engine meant to be kept at a lower operating temp, like 160-170?

-Kevin