On Sun, 7 Jul 2002, John Brush wrote:

> I am a bit concerned tho, because it has never run this hot in the year
> and a half I have had the temp gauge. One thing I have noticed is that
> running 70MPH on a wide, crowded freeway it will head quickly for 250
> degrees, but when I take the state highways, like through much of wyoming,
> it will run 20 degrees cooler, still running along at 70. A lot of it is
> certainly the temperature of the road.

John,

Just a thought, but how is the condition of your engine seals?  They can
make a big difference, especially the ones that seal the engine into the
engine bay.  Those little rubber ones around the spark plug boots are kind
of critical, too, and tend to deteriorate badly from the heat.

> Oil is good, the tin is all there, the fan works, and the thermostat......
> How do I test that?? Guess I better go dig out mr bentley.

You can tell if it's opening fully by looking at the little bellcranks on
the shaft when the engine's warmed up.  I can't remember which way is
which, though, it's been too long.  I think when the flaps are fully open
the ends of the cranks point towards the rear of the van.  On the '75 I
used to own someone had forgotten to install the return springs properly
and the flaps had a tendancy to drift into the half-closed position.