WD9 thermostat

This is my first red tractor so I m learning as I go. My question is - has anyone else run into this : I can t seem to find the correct thermostat for my WD9. Steiner sells one that is closest to original , but it is only 160.. crossing the international # 33814D pulls up a Napa/MotoRad 180223 which is rated at 180, but it is too long , bypass would be closed when cold. I spent over an hour today in local Napa store going through boxes of thermostats.. we found several that are rated at 192 and 203, which is perfect operating range for a diesel, they fit the housing perfect but are all too short or too long.. either the bypass valve is closed upon install or it is 1/2" away .. couldn t find anything in between.. need one that is roughly 1.4" from flange to seat (closed) I m thinking of using one of the longer 192 stats I found and just shaving off some of the bypass seat with a Bridgeport. Also I have an old IH dealer pamphlet with pages of recommended maintenance parts for all models at the time , it list separate thermostats for h the gas and diesel 9 series.. the stat listed for the diesel is 180-185, IH # 315739R91. Google that and it pulls up NOTHING.. I found one at a NOS warehouse supplier , they sent it , had the right # on box but incorrect thermostat was in it Anybody have any thought or experience with this issue? Thanks

Jim would be a good one on this subject, but what i heard is their pretty sensitive to temp changes,i had a neighbor,they ere useing it to break soil bank, it was pulling hard when plowing, thermostat wide open,and when they came to the end pull the plow out, change direction, it would get to much cool air,and eventually cracked the head, but maybe they had it over fueled,or like out favorite guy would say, the wick was turned up! If it was me i would go with the book say's!

A picture is worth a thousand words and I cant see
what you have. Not wanting to be the jerk here. But is it
possible that the old one you want to replace is not the
correct one to make a comparison with?

Jim would be a good one on this subject, but what i heard is their pretty sensitive to temp changes,i had a neighbor,they ere useing it to break soil bank, it was pulling hard when plowing, thermostat wide open,and when they came to the end pull the plow out, change direction, it would get to much cool air,and eventually cracked the head, but maybe they had it over fueled,or like out favorite guy would say, the wick was turned up! If it was me i would go with the book say's! But i wouldn't block that by pass!

I've heard guys recommend drilling a small hole in the flange so they bypass a little all the time. It might take a little longer to warm up because the bypass is going to the radiator but it does keep the coolant moving through the engine.

Nobody makes the original style more tahn 160 that Im aware of.

Thanks for all the replies. Sorry haven t been able to post any pics , will try to later. I do have service manual and parts book, and have don t quite a bit of research. Mine didn t have a thermostat when I got it, some fool had taken it out. It s beyond me why people do that.. kinda like bypassing a fuel filter after it stops up. The original IH 33814D thermostat for a WDR9 was rated at 190 according to the parts book. And I m not planning on leaving the bypass closed, I m pretty picky about things functioning correctly. I m sure most propel use them because that is what is available, but I don t really like the idea of using a 160 in it, it open up before the engine ever warmed up. After looking at it some more , I m pretty sure I can use one of the 192 stats I found at my local napa yesterday. If I mill off 3/16 to 1/4" out of the thermostat housing where the bypass flange seats it should work correctly. Going it set new thermostat in a pot of water and watch temp and measure how far it opens before I do any machining. I will try to post pics on here of what I end up with.

I ordered one from Bates last year for my WD9 overhaul. They said it was NOS 190 T stat. It didn t look like it was 70 years old when it arrived, but it did fit correctly and seems to open fully by 195 degrees.

Engine warms up quickly. When warmed up, The cylinder head above #4 reads about 205 degrees when the gauge is on the high side of green normal area.
So I think it seems to be working correctly.

Thanks for the info. That is one place that I haven t called , I ll check with them and see if they have anymore

Hold onto your hat when they tell you the price.

Hahaha- As much money as I have already spent on this project , it will just blend in just had injector pump and nozzles gone through, that hurt cylinder head is at machine shop now. No cracks so far. Had to order 4 precups, found 3 new and one used..one of them is still stock in head, machine shop is hs big heck with it. Needless to say my budget has already been thrown out the window

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My set up looks like an elementary school science project but it works. I found a 203 thermostat at napa , and quickly decided I m not using it. Pretty sure he had a 180 back there that was a close fit, will be a much safer choice. The pic with needle sitting in center was at 180, the hotter one was at 200






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Unrelated to my post, Here s some pics of the IH tune up parts catalog I got the part # for the OEM 190 thermostat. It covers all models from the Cub to the 806, and some plows, harrows and sickle/rotary mowers. I d like to purchase one of those $150 sleeve and piston kits !

Ok, so after going through a LOT of thermostats I think found one that will work. It s 192 , #462799 at napa . The bypass flange would barely touch the seat when you set it in the housing. We put it on a Bridgeport and milled off about .150" inside the housing , some less than 3/16" the bypass flange in this thermostat is larger then most others so it will seat and make a good seal when thermostat opens . I am posting pics of what we did. I m pretty confident it will work fine.. if not then I ll find a used housing and start over now I m just waiting in the cylinder head .. one of the pre cups was stuck so bad from rust pressure around the outside if it he s gonna use the milling machine and cut down one side of the cup some can break it hoping to have tractor running before our local pull on Feb 11th I ll give some feed back wether it works or not..

deerediesel, you have to do whatever it take to make it work , i had to do something similar on my IH504 utility , the only thermostat you could get for it was ones that cost over $80 and you had to find a place that sold them, i took a few 180 chevy 350 engine thermostats and turned the flange down to fit it in my housing , added a few shims to take up the thickness and put in a new retainer clip,works great

That looks like factory work. I have a NOS 315738R91 thermostat , I m not sure what it fits but doesn t go to anything I have.. I should prob list it on here for sale , somebody might need it.