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Special Thermostat for Southwind |
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davidg 
Grand Poobah 
Joined: January-07-2008 Location: NW Chicagoland Status: Offline Points: 2239 |
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 Topic: Special Thermostat for SouthwindPosted: May-29-2012 at 7:22pm |
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Guys.....Took the boat out for the shakedown cruise on Sunday. Ran good except it overheated on me. It kind of scared me at first since I had been working on the raw water pump (new impeller/gaskets) earlier. Got my onboard tool kit out, and pulled the thermostat, and right back to 160 and a few more great tubing runs.
 Question: Do I need a special thermostat, or should NAPA or AutoZone have what we need for our boats. The engine is a 351 Ford in my '76 Southwind. |
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TRBenj
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Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21134 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:23pm |
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If the boat ran 160 without a thermostat, then youre still overheating. It should have trouble getting to 100 degrees without it.
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davidg
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Joined: January-07-2008 Location: NW Chicagoland Status: Offline Points: 2239 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:28pm |
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Good catch Tim!
I should clarify that it did drop down to 100 F or less, especially underway. But, at idle, I thought it went up to 160 F for a moment or two. |
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TRBenj
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Joined: June-29-2005 Location: NWCT Status: Offline Points: 21134 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:31pm |
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Sounds like you have an air leak... check all the hoses and connections between the hull intake and the RWP. I would also investigate the RWP itself, since you had it apart recently. It does not sound like a thermostat issue.
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davidg
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Joined: January-07-2008 Location: NW Chicagoland Status: Offline Points: 2239 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:46pm |
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I assumed it was the thermostat. Here is what happened. I launched the boat, and while cruising out of a long bay to the open lake, I noticed the temp guauge reading very hot (~260 F or so). I was pretty nervous about that, but, got to the open water, and picked up some speed. The temp gauge went back to 160 F. It had never done that before, so I worried me a bit.
We ran for a couple of hours and the temp guauge was a constant 160 F. No issues at all. Then, it did it again. Up to 260 F or so, only this time, it didn't come back down. That's when I stopped and pulled the thermostat. That seemed to solve the problem. The temp gauge went WAY down to the other end of the gauge. Based on what I have described, does it still sound like a hose connection or pump issue, or could it be a thermostat? Thanks! |
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Bri892001
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Joined: September-27-2008 Location: Boston MA Status: Offline Points: 4947 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:59pm |
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How were your exhaust manifolds feeling during all this. Warm to very warm to the touch or scalding hot to the touch?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if your manifolds were merely warm, while you were getting sky high dash temps, maybe it really was your thermostat. If your manifolds were getting scalding hot, then you've got something else going on as Tim suggested. |
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TRBenj
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 7:59pm |
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Id lean a little more towards the pump, but I wouldnt rule out a hose. Still doesnt sound like a 'stat issue.
Put it in a pot of boiling water and see if it opens at the right temp or not. |
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davidg
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Joined: January-07-2008 Location: NW Chicagoland Status: Offline Points: 2239 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 8:40pm |
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Brian....I don't think the manifolds were overly hot. But, the area around the thermostat sure was.
Tim.....I just put the thermostat in 170-180 F water, and nothing changed...ie...the little cone-shaped top did not open up (assuming that's what is supposed to happen). |
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Bri892001
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 8:45pm |
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David, if you do decide to go with a thermostat, bear in mind that you want a 143 degree for your carbureted engine, not the 160 degree. Even though, if things are working properly, you'd see 160 on your dash gauge.
http://www.nautiqueparts.com/thermostat-pcmfordengines-143degrees.aspx |
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davidg
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Joined: January-07-2008 Location: NW Chicagoland Status: Offline Points: 2239 |
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Posted: May-29-2012 at 8:55pm |
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Brian....Well, I have learned a bunch from you and Tim on this thread, and appreciate the advice from you both.
I did not realize the thermostat was a 143 F. Always thought they were 160 F. My temp guage always reads 160.... most of the time 
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