zoltan:

the problem may be a failed closed, or nearly closed, thermostat. that
would explain the cold hose and hot engine. in that case, the cooler temp
thermostat would make the van run cooler all right, but not because of the
lower temp rating -  becasue a faulty thermostat was replaced by a
thermostat that actually opened!

possible also that the system is airbound.

in any case, there is obviously no flow through said hose.

this is a serious problem, and the van should not be driven until it is
resolved. i would not use the 80 C thermostat, by the way, especially in
the winter time.

dan

On Sat, 8 Jan 2005 20:19:23 -0800, Zoltan <zolo@FOXINTERNET.NET> wrote:

>The engine is not too hot, kind of normal, the big hose at the thermostat
won't get hot, but the gauge is getting close to the top max line.
>What to do.  I ordered a 80 Celsius thermostat to install instead of the
87 C.  Is this common?  Possible that the new thermostat is not working
well?
>Who knows?
>Zoltan