Thermostat in backwards?

KENWILFY@AOL.COM wrote:

> I have been wrestling with this problem all day and I can't seem to put my
> finger on it, so I am turning to the list for help.  Here is the situation:
>
> Installed a 2.1l waterboxer engine that was supposed to be running fine into
> a '84 Vanagon.
> Engine runs great but after about 10-15 mins of running gets hot and I have
> to shut it down.
> I installed a new waterpump (1.9l) and thermostat (Behr) when I swapped in
> the engine as well as bled the system of air like I have a hundred times
> before.
> One hose (the one to the upper part of the thermostat housing) is getting
> very hot, while the other hose (to the lower part of the thermostat housing)
> is staying cool.
> Radiator is staying cool to the touch to the point where the radiator fan is
> not coming on even though the temp gauge says the motor is overheating.
>
> Things I have tried so far:
> 1. Removed new thermostat and tested it in boiling water.  Opened at around
> 180 degrees F.
> 2. Flushed coolant system out with water.
> 3. Tried to switch coolant hoses to see if perhaps they had been connected
> backwards (no luck).
>
> The waterpump is spinning merrily and I seem to have pressure at the radiator
> (because I can bleed the system there), but no flow through the radiator.
> The engine case behind the waterpump was free of scoring when I installed it.
>
> Anyone ever go through anything like this before?  My next step is to try to
> install a known good radiator for another van.  I just don't understand how
> the radiator could be bad.  The van only has 55k miles on it and the guy that
> had it before me didn't complain of overheating.  Of course it sat with the
> hoses unhooked for a few weeks and maybe some animal or bees decided it was a
> good place for a new home.
>
> Any ideas or thoughts would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
> Ken Wilford
> http://www.vanagain.com
> John 3:16
> Phone: (856)-765-1583
> Shop:   (856)-327-0027
> Fax:     (856)-327-2242