My engine seems to be having a little problem in running too cool. I'm running a high volume Mildon water pump, 4-core rad, stock GM 180 stat, and heavy duty clutch fan, and stock GM 15lb rad cap on my '71 Chevelle. When the temp is cold outside (like now during winter) it runs well below 180. The mechanical autometer guage is tapped into the left cylinder head. I'm running straight water with a anti-corrosive solution. I just drove it on a 1000 mile trip this past weekend and even after crusin' at 75-80mph for hundreds of miles it wouldn't go above 150. Climbing a hill it would hit 160, but going down the other side it would drop below 140. What the heck is going on http://www.chevelles.com/forum/confused.gif I used to have a high flow stat and swapped in the GM one thinking it would heat the engine up some...but no go. I do have a chrome stat housing with the rubber O-ring, but there is no leaking externally. Only thing I can think of is the stat is opening too early or some how water is getting past the stat another way. Anybody run into this problem before or have any ideas what to replace? Sorry for the long post. Thanks.

-Alan

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1971 Chevelle
1994 Impala SS
1996 Schwinn when both are torn apart :)
The Silver Bullet (http://www.geocities.com/chevyman1971/Pages/chevelle.html)
"If you don't have extra parts after a rebuild..you did it wrong"

I don't have an answer for you, but I would try another temp gauge to see if you are getting an accurate reading. I've had several gauges die after just about a year of service.

I agree to check it with a different guage. It's hardly cold enough to classify as "winter" if your running a straight water mix http://www.chevelles.com/forum/wink.gif If I did that my block would have cracked already this year, or busted out all the freeze plugs at the least http://www.chevelles.com/forum/tongue.gif


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Chris Dagenais
'71 Malibu with a home built 454! 12.7@107
"Our balls are bigger :)"
CDE Power! (http://www.71malibu.com)

I had the same problem on my 68 chevelle.

It's your o-ring water neck.

I had a 180 thermostat, and an o-ring waterneck. It seems as if water was seeping around the thermostat and wasn't allowing the temp to get over 170. I thought it was the temp gauge too so I tested it and it was right on the nose. The o-ring doesn't press down on the thermostat, so it leaves a space wide enough to make it so your engine won't warm up.

I bet you can get rid of that o-ring and stick a gasket in it's place, but I just bought a new housing from Kragen. It was only 6 bucks and came with the gasket (P/N: PA 6124606). It made a big difference too...dropped my oil viscosity 50% (a good thing for me), steadied out my idle, made my throttle response sharper...

For 6 bucks...it's a wise invensment.

Gandalf80, yeah you're right about it not being "winter" since I'm running straight water. Winter is mild in the San Francisco Bay Area. I can run straight water all year http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif. Winter in Canada or the Northeast has a different meaning.

I guess I'll try a new stat housing without the O-ring and see if that solves my problem. Just don't want to fork out money for a new guage to find out my current one is fine. Thanks for the tips...

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1971 Chevelle
1994 Impala SS
1996 Schwinn when both are torn apart :)
The Silver Bullet (http://www.geocities.com/chevyman1971/Pages/chevelle.html)
"If you don't have extra parts after a rebuild..you did it wrong"

Fried Guy is right on the money! I have an "O" ringed water outlet and I'd been putting up with low engine temps for several winters, even had cardboard in front of the radiator just to get some kind of heat out of it. This past weekend I pulled the upper radiator hose from the water outlet and could wiggle the t/stat around in the housing. Dumped the O ring for a paper gasket, the t/stat is snug and I've got lotsa heat! This post should make it to the archive IMHO. Thanks Fried Guy!

Jim H.
69 Malibu