An infrared thermometer is great for seeing if 
the hose is really hot enough to open the 
thermostat. It's good for checking the temps of a lot of things on the bus.
http://www.harborfreight.com/infrared-thermometer-93984.html 
is the one I have. It was cheap & it's great for 
checking the temp of a lot of things, like your 
coffee water when you are out camping.

Rob
vwrobb@gmail.com

At  5/9/2013 09:46 PM, william landsman wrote:
>Hello,
>I can't believe it has been since April 23rd 
>since my first post. We have had several more 
>snow storms here in SD, finally starting to warm up!
>Since my shed has no heat this warm weather has 
>allowed me to get out a replace the alternator 
>and the belt. Got everything put back together. 
>(No small feat since I am pretty new to my own car maintenance).
>  Started it up and everything seemed fine, 
> except I felt like it was getting warmer 
> quicker than it had, this winter, but it was a 
> lot colder. I idled it for a few minutes and 
> drove it a 100 ft. Stopped it and checked the 
> hoses. The hoses that came out of the 
> thermostat housing seemed more bloated than I 
> thought they should be. The one that goes to 
> the distribution unit was warm to the touch and 
> expanded more than I remember seeing before. 
> But it might be that I just wasn't paying 
> attention before, am I just being paranoid? I 
> remember someone mentioning that the thermostat 
> could have gone bad. Are there any tell tale signs of this?
>i recently replaced the thermostat in my honda 
>so I am confident I can do it. Any tips on how 
>to collect coolant or minimize spillage? Also 
>once I'm done does this procedure require a 
>bleed of the coolant after I refill it?
>Also any particular brand of thermostat. I will 
>most likely go to NAPA or Advance Auto, very 
>limited German auto parts stores where I live.
>Thanks,
>Bill
>
>
>🎭
>
>On Apr 23, 2013, at 12:45 PM, "william landsman" 
><unclebeer@HOTMAIL.COM> wrote:
>
> > Hello,
> > Today I was out driving (about 2 miles) and 
> my alternator froze up and the belt broke.
> > I took off belt and did not think about the 
> water-pump being run by the same belt, "other 
> stuff on my mind" regardless I drove another 
> 1.5 miles and then it hit me. Pulled over immediately and turned engine off.
> > Engine temp was still not up to normal 
> operating temp as I had just started driving 
> and it is currently below freezing where I 
> live.  The gauge was rising quickly before I 
> shut it off in a safe location. Opened up 
> engine compartment, I could hear water gurgling 
> but nothing was spewing out anywhere and it had 
> not hit a temp that caused the coolant to go 
> from expansion tank to overflow tank.
> > Here are my questions.
> > 1. Have I ruined the motor...I did not see any coolant leaks anywhere.
> > 2. What temperature do the GoWesty Melt tabs 
> actually melt and where are they located. (Just 
> had a new engine installed recently...)
> > 3. If the heads fail, would they leak immediately?
> >
> > I will get alternator and belts replaced.
> >
> > 4. Is there anything I should watch out for when I do start it up next?
> > Thanks for any advice.
> > Regards,
> > Bill
> >
> >
> > 🎭