I have a question!

What good does a colder thermostat do....except open at a cooler
temperature and allow the coolant to begin to circulate sooner after a
cold start. Seems to me that after the engine is warmed to standard
operating temperature it doesn't matter. Hot is hot.

Can someone explain it to me?

I can see maybe changing something to make to cooling fan come on
sooner, ie lower temperature, but I don't get the picture as to the
value of changing the thermostat back by the engine.

If the thermostat is a cold one, if you live in a really cold climate
like Alaska or Canada or the like, I can see putting in a hotter
thermostat.It would help the engine maintain temperature in a really
cold environment.  But even in a hot desert, I see no advantage in a
cold thermostat. When the engine is up to operating temperature the
thermostat will go wide open anyway....hot or cold type.

What say the List Guru's??

I really would like to know about this. I have heard about this cold
thermostat thing always, and it never made sense to me.

John Rodgers
88 GL Driver

Timothy Hannink wrote:
>
> My gauge acts the same way and has since I added RedLine WaterWetter to the
> mix last summer. Now it goes above the LED when I sit in traffic idling. I
> changed out the radiator fan switch with the lower temperature rated one,
> but that had no effect on where the gauge sits or the way it acts.
> I will be replacing my thermostat with the lower temp one, along with the
> housing itself and all of the coolant, so I'll let you know how it goes.
>
> Tim Hannink
> Golidibox - 1987 Wolfsburg Edition Westfalia Camper
> Winter Park, Florida where it was hot enough today to get the radiator fan
> on high speed at a traffic light.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Chad" <groch@WORLDCHAT.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2001 4:57 PM
> Subject: Temperature guage
>
> > While driving, my temp guage usually stays over the coolant sensor led but
> > sometimes it goes just over it (still over the led but higher up).
> However,
> > all the time while idling at a stop light the temp guage climbs to the
> upper
> > regions. It doesn't go to max but it does go beyond the top of the led. Is
> > this normal??????? I know my rad fan works as I've tested it. Could my
> > thermostat be f'ed up?????? Could it be the thermoswitch in the rad??????
> If
> > so how do I test for it???
> > thanks,
> > Chad 85GL