180* thermo

[Vwbuggin69]

So i picked up a 180* thermostat. My plan is to flush the radiator because the PO put just water in it. Then i plan to put a 50/50 mix of radiator fluid and distilled water. Is a 180* good to use on the central coast of Cali? Im in Santa Maria.

[basketcase0302]

=Vwbuggin69 post_id=773841 time=1646635830 user_id=122100]
So i picked up a 180* thermostat. My plan is to flush the radiator because the PO put just water in it. Then i plan to put a 50/50 mix of radiator fluid and distilled water. Is a 180* good to use on the central coast of Cali? Im in Santa Maria.

The 180 should be ok, (but I prefer the 165 to open sooner here in Florida).

Be careful with the engine flush as I've had so...much trouble with older engines when flushing, (very easy to create a leak with the flush-even had to replace a head gasket once when it "ate" away what was left sealing the gasket to the engine's metal surfaces). Don't leave it in a minute longer than instructed and thoroughly flush the engine colling system-even twice-with fresh water after dumping the flush out.

[cep62]

I've heard one guy say he uses straight vinegar and drives a while so it gets hot and works through the system.
Then flushes it with water and add 50% coolant.
It's not as aggressive on old freeze plugs and head gaskets as real flush is.
Your results may vary.

[Vwbuggin69]

=Vwbuggin69 post_id=773841 time=1646635830 user_id=122100]
So i picked up a 180* thermostat. My plan is to flush the radiator because the PO put just water in it. Then i plan to put a 50/50 mix of radiator fluid and distilled water. Is a 180* good to use on the central coast of Cali? Im in Santa Maria.

The 180 should be ok, (but I prefer the 165 to open sooner here in Florida).

Be careful with the engine flush as I've had so...much trouble with older engines when flushing, (very easy to create a leak with the flush-even had to replace a head gasket once when it "ate" away what was left sealing the gasket to the engine's metal surfaces). Don't leave it in a minute longer than instructed and thoroughly flush the engine colling system-even twice-with fresh water after dumping the flush out.

So I did the flush yesterday and I have steady temps of 190-195 now. Also, I made sure to flush out the system 3 times for good measure. The haz waste guy kind of looked at me funny when I shouted up with about 12 jugs of rusty water today .

[fastEdsel]

Noting the severity of some engine flushes it was recommended to me to use Cascade Dishwasher soap. This stuff goes through the entire system of course and it dissolves any calcium or any other junk in there and especially the heater core. It actually worked great in my Edsel but may have to do it every other year though. And it smells nice. Another mechanic also said to make sure there is some restriction if you feel compelled to run these engines without a thermostat because the water pumps are fairly aggressive and without any restriction just the front two cylinders on each side of the engine get coolant and the rears get very hot. We've also through the years run 180* thermostats and they work well.