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Thermostate Testing

Thermostats control engine temperature by regulating coolant flow. They are designed to start opening at 80-84°C and fully open at 15-20° higher. Testing a thermostat properly involves heating water it is suspended in and checking it opens at the specified temperatures. Removing thermostats can cause overheating and is not recommended.

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Jesson Jade Pahit
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158 views

Thermostate Testing

Thermostats control engine temperature by regulating coolant flow. They are designed to start opening at 80-84°C and fully open at 15-20° higher. Testing a thermostat properly involves heating water it is suspended in and checking it opens at the specified temperatures. Removing thermostats can cause overheating and is not recommended.

Uploaded by

Jesson Jade Pahit
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Many thanks to the members who responded to Thermostat post and shared
information and ideas, I enjoyed your comments, I am not saying that some
comments are completely incorrect, but I am saying that some comments needs
to be updated. I know that thermostat issue is sensitive issue that is why, I would
like to start the case from the beginning, practically thermostat is a valve that
opens and close to control the direction of coolant flow and intern controls engine
operating temperature based on engine manufacture’s recommendations and
engine design, Thermostat has so many shapes, sizes, designs and working
temperatures.

             
 

Thermostat is installed in the thermostat housing that located at end of water


manifold, and control if the coolant should go back to water pump to be
recirculated or coolant should go to radiator to be cooled.

Many of thermostats that installed in diesel engines are designed to start opening
at degree of 80 C⁰ to 84 C⁰, this is not the full open temperature, which is typically
15-20 degrees above the listed temp. For example, thermostat begins to open
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within three degrees of 80 C⁰ to 84 C⁰, so 95 C⁰ to 99 C⁰ will be fully opened , we


cannot deny that some thermostats will be fully opened at even higher more
temperatures and could reach up to 105 C⁰

Coolant Flow

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In diesel engines, there are two coolant circles:

1. Coolant closed circuit.(Thermostat closed)


In coolant closed circuit, the coolant keeps circulating inside the engine without
going to radiator to be cooled.

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2. Coolant open circuit (Thermostat Open)


In coolant open circuit, the coolant keeps circulating inside the engine and go
to radiator to get cooled.
By all means, we should not remove thermostats, because of hot climate, but
can be changed due to geographic location , Engine manufactories ignore
warranty coverage if the engine end user removes thermostat and run the
engine without it, removing thermostat will end up with some undesired engine
problems, the famous idea that removing thermostat will improve the cooling
efficiency is not correct, I totally understand that sometimes thermostats failed
or stuck up causing engine overheating, and in this case you need to replace
thermoset with another thermostat of the same specifications. The most
relevant reason of thermostat failure is using tap water or salty water instead
of using the recommended coolant.
If we need to test thermostat, we need to perform the testing properly to avoid
misleading result, I need to mention that some of us used to test thermostat by
just immerse it in hot water or by boiling it and watch if it will open or not, this
may indicate that thermostat is working or not but will not indicate if thermostat
is working properly or not. I mean it starts to opens and be fully opened as
per the recommended temperature range or just partially opened or even not
open at all.

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Thermostat Testing
1. To test thermostat in a prober way, you should first read the temperature
range stamped on the thermostat and record in a piece of paper.
2. Let us assume it is 80 – 84 C⁰, then hang thermostat in a glass container
nearly 80% full of clean tap water as seen in the figure below and make
sure it does not touch the container.
3. Hang Thermometer (Range up to 120 C⁰ ) inside the glass container, at the
way seen in the figure below.

4. Start to heat the water and watch thermostat, if it started to open at 80 C⁰ -


84 C⁰, keep heating till the thermostat is fully opened, read the temperature,
it should be 15 - 20 C⁰ above opening temperature.

5. When fully opened, stop heating and wait till water temperature cooled
down to 65 C⁰, if you find that thermostat is fully closed, it means that it
passed the test and is in good condition.

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