seawheeler wrote:
So you have to buy the entire housing just to replace the thermostat, correct?
Correct
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And this will leave you with an unreliable product with the wrong temperature opening. Who said it's the wrong temperature?
Well, it will be equally reliable to the factory thermostat.
The factory opening temperature is somewhere around 176 F. Whether or not this is wrong is open for discussion. But the general consensus is that this engine operates more efficiently in the 190-200 F range.
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So you can install an inline stat and retain the old housing after gutting it. This gives you somewhat of a Rube Goldberg looking solution with additional hose clams (read leaks).
This is exactly what I have done and I have had no problems with leaks.
I gently cracked open the thermostat housing, removed the thermostat thingy from inside, and then sealed it back up with JBweld. I have a Meziere in-line thermostat housing that holds a 192 F thermostat. I've gone through the entire Florida summer like this with zero problems.
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Has anyone fully tested these modifications for correct water flow? I was wondering about bypass water flow vs a factory housing? And fully opened stat modified vs factory.
No, no one has tested water flow.
If you know of a way to conduct this kind of test, I'm sure many here would be interested to hear about it.
Depending on how you drive or use your CRD, good airflow through the radiator is very important for keeping the engine cool. The factory fan clutch is known to fail early and engage at too high of a temperature.
Some here, including myself, have been successful with just removing the mechanical fan and only using the factory electric fan. But if you tow heavy loads or drive through steep mountains, a good mechanical fan and heavy duty fan clutch is best.