68goat

Hi guys, well last week my girl got home from work in the '79, she told me the temp got to ~240, So I replaced the thermostat with a 160 degree and replaced both hoses. SHe got home friday and told me the car is staying around ~220...

A friend of mine said to check the fan clutch. How would I check to see if that is bad and not working? OR is that what temp the C3's run at? Anything else I could check?

joeveto

First, don't ever assume a thermostat is good, just because it's new. And don't assume a thermostat is bad, just because it's old. Buy a yeast thermometer and then heat some water on the stove. Dump the thermostat into the water, and gauge when it opens and closes.

I've had brand new thermos that were crap.

Also, make sure you have all the air bled out of the system. Put the front end as high up as it will go. Open the radiator cap, and let the car idle. Idle it high at times. You know, cyle it. Do this for a good ten minutes.

If the above two steps don't work, pull the radiator and replace all the foam seals. While the radiator is out, clean it real well.

This will restore your cooling power. The fan, I believe, should freewheel when cold, and engage when hot. The clutches are cheap and easy to replace. It's a ten minute job. So you could do worse than replace it.




[Modified by joeveto, 7:46 PM 4/10/2004]

LAvetteman

And don't think that a 160 degree t stat is better than a 180 stat. Many will argue this point but its important to vaporize any moisture in the engine oil. This doesn't happen if the coolant temp doesn't get at or near 190 degrees.

Yes check the fan clutch, cleanliness of the radiator, coolant system for air, and the air seals around the radiator.


[Modified by LAvetteman, 8:56 PM 4/10/2004]