Remote Thermostat

[pizzaboy]

I understand that the K series generally eats HGs, so ive been looking at ways to reduce the possibility of this occuring anytime soon. A thermostat seems a good place to start ... on eliseparts theres the remote thermostat and a "sports" thermostat. The remote variation is more expensive but whats better value for money? Can anyone advise me on this?

 

Thanks!

[GCCK]

Horizon are fitting me a remote stat next week.

 

If you are concerned about excessive temperature fluctations you should do the same as it seems to be a reasonable insurance against HGF and engine health in general. Some engines just seem to be more stable than others. My previous car was rock solid on temperature, this one fluctuates a lot, hence my choice to protect it.

 

The gist of the problem is that with the rad at the front and engine at the back, the cooling circuit is rather long. This is compounded by the standard stat being hooked up on the wrong side of the thermal circuit. Upshot is that thermostat stays shut too long and so when it opens, releases water much colder than that which is circulating around the block. The theory being that the thermal shock can lead more easily to HGF. It never seems to be the only answer but it seems logical that by locating the thermostat (which is, in other words, a temperature sensor and valve) in a better place in the loop, will lead to more consistent temperatures and therefore less thermal shock.

 

There's a chap called Carlo Santeroni on SELOC who's written what amounts to a thesis on the whole business of remote stats on the K-series. Notably MG Rover and Land Rover have introduced remote stats to the MG TF and Freelander in the last couple of years, so there must be something in the idea.

 

For belts & braces, I'm getting an oil cooler fitted at the same time. Being a water/oil heat exchanger, it keeps the oil cooler during hard work e.g. on track and also warms the oil faster from cold.

[Rus]

Since i fitted the remote stat 18 months ago i've only seen the temperature rise high enough for the fan to kick in about 4 times. This was on a stupidly hot bank holiday stuck in traffic on the M5!

 

Oil/water heat exchanger keeps the temp between 79 and 84 on the track, temp is usually solid 80 on the road.

 

Russ

[AL G]

hello there,

 

I'm confused (and scared to death).

 

My temperature constantly jumps from 90-96 when the car is warmed up - am I talking about something completely different ?

 

I've only had the Elise for a few weeks, but have had previous HGF on my MG_TF before I sold the piece of shit . .

[Steve J]

That shouldn't be too much of a problem.

The biggest effect of hot/cold cycling occurs if the car is worked hard when cold. The engine heats up quickly, thermostat opens throwing cold water in cooling quickly, thermostat closes and engine heats up again.

If you wait for the car to be up to temp or even better till it's been through a few gentler cycles, before thrashing it, this should reduce the thermal shock as the water in the radiator is warmer.

 

However if there is a better plumbing solution out there (I think the Landrover version is considered the best) then it's probably worth it for peace of mind and means you don't have to warm the car up so gently before being enthusiastic.

[GCCK]

Think you're confusing two issues there Steve?

 

When the car has just been started, "everything" is cold: block & head, reciprocating parts. The oil is viscous and not circulating so easily amongst them. Work the car hard before aforesaid parts are up to temperature and you will cause untold damage and premature wear.

 

OTOH the purpose of the cooling circuit is to prevent excessive temperatures once operating temperature has been reached, followed by regulation within optimum range by controlling the introduction of cooler water as needed.

 

On its own a high reading is no guarantee of impending HGF but a K-series shouldn't be operating 90-96C as its normal range. More like 83-89 but if it's stable within a defined range at least that's something. The thermostat detects its own open & closing points and should be set to readmit cooler water from 89C upwards so it's possible the thermostat is faulty. However, the digital readout on the Stack is derived from another sensor and it's this which is more likely to be faulty.

[pizzaboy]

Mines is always between 79-85, fan kicks in at 90 so it seems to be pretty clean...but ill be aiming for the remote thermo then as added insurance. Thanks for the advice all!