tractor with no thermostat?!

[Old Virginia Joe]

Hey, I need to ask you all a question. I set out today to put my new tstat in my '63 Ford 4000 4 cylinder, 172 cid. Been running hot EVERY time I used it since I got it last fall. Been watching the guage and quit when it gets to red. Have not used it much yet, because of that, obviously. Others told me the easiest thing to try is to switch the thermostat. If that dont fix it, maybe the water pump is shot. Bought a tstat this week, and when I opened the neck today, behind neck at the bottom of the upper hose, there was NO thermostat! That IS the right location, right? I thought to myself, if there is NO thermostat, then overheating would NOT be the result, would it? It would be slow to warm up, right, not overheating? I thought I would ask you first, before I put the stat in and seal it up. If I am correct, is the water pump now probably the true cause? And, is there ANY reason a person would deliberately set a tractor like this one up with NO thermostat? I am more and more pissed at this guy from Va Beach who sold me this POS.

Thanks.

Joe

 

[George2615]

I suspect you may have a radiator problem. Possibly plugged up internally. No T-stat does not always mean it will run cool. A T-stat acts as a flow restrictor that opens or closes with temperature. No T-stat means there is no restriction in the cooling system so the hot coolant gets pumped from the engine to the radiator and right back to the engine so fast it doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to allow air going through the radiator core to have any cooling effect. Try the new T-stat with fresh coolant. If it still gets too hot it could be the water pump impeller has failed not pumping coolant or the radiator is plugged.

 

[Soundguy]

chck the rad and water pump.

these engines should not overheat under reasonable circumstances.

 

[SPYDERLK]

I suspect you may have a radiator problem. Possibly plugged up internally. No T-stat does not always mean it will run cool. A T-stat acts as a flow restrictor that opens or closes with temperature. No T-stat means there is no restriction in the cooling system so the hot coolant gets pumped from the engine to the radiator and right back to the engine so fast it doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to allow air going through the radiator core to have any cooling effect. Try the new T-stat with fresh coolant. If it still gets too hot it could be the water pump impeller has failed not pumping coolant or the radiator is plugged.

This is wrong ... Other things mentioned are possibilities.
larry

 

[George2615]

This is wrong ... Other things mentioned are possibilities.
larry

I have seen cars and trucks overheat by not using a T-stat. The reason was the fan is too far away from the radiator not pulling enough air through. This is what I saw on cars and trucks that overheated when not using a T-stat. By simply adding a fan shroud more air was able to be sucked through the radiator. After a fan shroud was installed then having no T-stat made for a cooler temp reading.

 

[Egon]

Another possibility is a leaking gasket.

 

[Soundguy]

i've seen lights go out without a bulb being bad...

bottom line.. that machine should not be overheating with or without a thermostat.

I'd be checking rad core.. and flow capability of rad and pump

 

[SPYDERLK]

I have seen cars and trucks overheat by not using a T-stat. The reason was the fan is too far away from the radiator not pulling enough air through. This is what I saw on cars and trucks that overheated when not using a T-stat. By simply adding a fan shroud more air was able to be sucked through the radiator. After a fan shroud was installed then having no T-stat made for a cooler temp reading.

More discussion:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/103322-no-thermostat.html

 

[George2615]

More discussion:

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/parts-repairs/103322-no-thermostat.html

Thanks for the link. I read it all and it seems to be a 50/50 split on T-stat or no T-stat. I still stand by my previous post which I also learned in the automotive industry and personal experience in this matter. Whether coolant is flowing fast or slow you still need the proper air flow through the radiator to transfer or dissipate the heat. Without sufficient air flow the radiator can only shed so much heat. A tractor that moves less than 10 MPH with a fan sitting 3" behind the radiator doesn't allow for much air flow to shed the heat.
Its been a good discussion though. Everyone has their own opinions.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Thanks for the link. I read it all and it seems to be a 50/50 split on T-stat or no T-stat. I still stand by my previous post which I also learned in the automotive industry and personal experience in this matter. Whether coolant is flowing fast or slow you still need the proper air flow through the radiator to transfer or dissipate the heat. Without sufficient air flow the radiator can only shed so much heat. A tractor that moves less than 10 MPH with a fan sitting 3" behind the radiator doesn't allow for much air flow to shed the heat.
Its been a good discussion though. Everyone has their own opinions.

We are dealing with fact, not opinion. 50% of opinions are wrong regarding coolant moving too fast to transfer heat. Unfortunately there seems no way to reach these people with fact.
larry