Faulty Thermostat?

In response to a post I made about 3 months ago, now archived, I questioned what to do with a thermostat that seemed to work OK in a hot water bath, but caused an overheat in the tractor (TO20 - ran cold with thermo out). It was suggested to try a new thermostat or to drill a relief hole in the old one. I tried both, got the same result with the new thermo, but resolved the issue by drilling the hole. While I don't fully understand why that became necessary when it had worked the way it was designed to before, I sure do appreciate the tip!

Mike V.
 
Your temp should run somewhere between 160-180 with a high of about 200 working hard. By any chance is the thermostat installed backwards? Pointy end to radiator I believe.
 
Hole poked in stat allows heat to get to the bulb easier and allow for a gradual opening. No hole means the engine builds up a wall of heat that eventually might get the stat to open. As soon as sufficient cold water has passed the stat, it cools off and slams shut. Sudden open/closing of the stat causes larger temp fluctuations and more stress on the engine.
 
I installed the thermostat in the middle of the hose and noticed that after running it had migrated to the top of the hose where it can't go any further - presumably it will work as well as in the middle. The Ford folks seem to like a clamp around their thermostat - who's most correct?
 
Did you use compressed air to blow junk in between the radiator fins out?

Mine was so plugged when I bought it, it would run hot even without the thermostat. I use the air compressor to blow mine out a couple times a year. I aways blow from the inside, moving back and forth. You will be surprised at how much stuff will come out. But don't touch the radiator with the air nozzle, you don't want to damage a tube and cause a leak.
 

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