Date:         Sat, 7 Jan 2012 22:05:57 -0500
Reply-To:     Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Mike S <mikes@FLATSURFACE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Thermostat Woes
Comments: To: Evan Mac Donald <evanm@ATT.NET>
In-Reply-To:  <1325974538.21784.YahooMailRC@web180308.mail.gq1.yahoo.com>
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On 1/7/2012 5:15 PM, Evan Mac Donald wrote:
> Are they BOTH dead, or have I missed something? It should be fairly obvious,
> shouldn't it? The movements are not glacial, or the engines would overheat,
> right?

Actually, they do move pretty slowly. I have an AC engine, but assume
the WC uses the ubiquitous wax pellet type of thermostat. There's a
small round cylinder on the engine side, inside is a pellet of wax made
to melt over a specific temperature range. As it melts, it expands,
pushing a rod to open the valve plate against spring pressure. The rated
temperature is where they first begin to open, they don't open fully
until the temperature is 10-15F higher.