I was wondering if someone who lives in a colder area could confirm for
me whether or not something around the vintage of my 83' 300D should
maintain temps even in winter?
Of course. Unless...
Also worthwhile to note that I have a greasecar kit installed, so I do
have another 15-20' of heater line, heating a 15 gallon tank of oil,
and
there's probably a 6' length of those lines that runs directly under
the
car out in the open, so I would imagine this all works effectively as a
second radiator to some degree.
I would think to more than a small degree. Is there any way you can
block the coolant flow to the greaser setup for a test? Your symptoms
certainly sound like a bad thermostat, but the heater loop (and
friends) bypasses this and if it's too efficient at sucking heat
out of the engine you would see your symptom. Of course, both
factors could be at work here.
Certainly a new thermostat shouldn't hurt, but your theory
could be right too. I for one am curious because I have this
pipe dream about 'greasing' the 200D Frankenheap, and if there's
not enough engine heat for winters it's a factor I would like
to know about! (Then I have visions about running the exhaust
pipe through the middle of the grease tank...)
topping off) works too well. I believe last time I disconnected the
upper radiator hose to fill. Is this what you're supposed to do?
It's what seems to work best at eliminating that nasty air bubble
in the head. Make sure you install the thermostat correctly with
the air bleed hole (or jiggle valve) up.
-- Jim
