This thread has taken an epic turn. I didn't believe that was Joe at first, but nobody has questioned it, so...

I'm speechless. I can only manage lols.

Joe, who was the shady looking guy in your kitchen?

Man, I should have come up for that. Oddly, I remember my thermo just cracking at 160, and being fully open at like 165. It was really quick. I imagine the temps weren't increasing too fast at the top, as in there was enough time for the thermo to react? I'm pretty surprised at how slowly that opened, not fully open till well into the 200's. I think I might repeat it if I crack open my cooling system....

FYI, if you put in a colder thermo for no reason, engine wear aside, your heater will suck. I know this doesn't seem like a big deal, but all the times I'm going down the road with the heater on full, just waiting to feel it.... I regret the decision even more - only the knowledge that I'm suffering right alongside my bearings keeps me going.

I don't remember the part number, but the cheapest 160* thermo from NAPA was the one. NAPA brand. It might even say NAPA on it, or have the part number stamped in it, check the pictures I posted, my smugmug page for highres images.

the NAPA 160 is a #42 IIRC.

Am I the only motherfucker here that doesn't drive his Miata in the winter?

I don't drive your miata in winter. I don't drive mine in winter either, but we don't have winter here. And it's a lot more civilized than my other transportation:

http://abefm.smugmug.com/photos/56131637_LzEwe-L.jpg

So, Joe: Perhaps your experiment would have gone better if you'd had the good beer you'd made with your own two hands there instead? I'll try to at least bring by some bottles and the 2 liter growler sometime soon (next weekend if you think you can spare the time from other duties)

a stripper owned that bike

Joe's early 90's shirt combined with Ludacris makes for a very entertaining video. As for the thermostat, I had a 180 Stant in my Jeep and swapped it out recently after I would overheat on small climbs. Tested it on the stove and it didn't even open. Went back to the 195 after reading up on it and the cylinder walls like to be warmer to get best fuel economy.

I'm curious how old that thermo was... They don't seem like the sort of thing that would go bad, but the one I took out of my car was kinda corroded.

Is it possible for a motorcycle to be gayer than a Miata? We now know that it is. :D

It was an interesting shoot. And I wasn't kidding about the analog 1/2" camera either- it's a Panasonic AG-456. To make matters worse, the drum motor died halfway through, so I had to drag out my old VCR and use it as the recorder. Basically, here's what the setup looked like:

http://img29.picoodle.com/img/img29/...pm_634563e.jpg


Next weekend would be ideal if you want to come up. Actually, if you can bring that machinist's rule with you, we can do the head.

Boy, everybody hates my shirt... My mother says I'm handsome!

The two in the video were brand new. In the first scene, they're sitting on my workbench still in the package.

And actually I exaggerated somewhat about the performance of the superstat. The regular one started to open just after 180°, and the super started to open about 5 or 10° later, but after initial cracking it moved much more slowly than the other.

Ok, I caught that.

Coincidentally, I got some pink dice to hang from it's windshield.

I'll check with my scheduling dept, I should be able to make it up there. Perhaps a highly pressurized container in which to open the beer, in case it tries to gush like 1/2 of the bottles have would be good.


Sometimes, you have to be the bigger man, and not say what Joe's mom tells you. This is one of those times.

I actually meant the guy with the jeep. :-) So I assume you're going with a 180 then? I was more curious about the fully open one. But I will say that in my own OEM vs NAPA test, I was very unimpressed with both the rate and the total opening of the Mazda part.



P.S. God damnit, who started the nasty rumor that it's my birthday? Like, 25 people have told me happy birthday. It's tomorrow. I'd like to continue my "still basically in my 20's" delusion that one more day. I'm sure tomorrow, at 31, my back will go out and I'll go bald.

Meaning you're a bottom? :giggle:


Hmm. Perhaps we can just attempt to uncap them very gently. Ie: give it just a touch with the opener to break the seal and hopefully let the pressure down gradually.

Not that I'm a supporter of thread-drift, but..... I was more concerned about the growler, not sure how easily I can pop that lid. But I'll try. :-)

Perhaps this is part of the cause of the poor cooling performance of my car. Where did you source the 29868?

BTDT. I was the first geek to buy and boil a bunch of different thermostats and found the regular Stant opened most, back in 2001, but no video, LOL.

The Superstat (and the factory stat) are designed the way they are to reduce the temperature undershoot after initial opening during warmup.

The factory stat continues to widen past 100°C, til about 103°C IIRC.

Interesting comment and very plausible; Here's a snippet from the GTX, JDM/EDM, FSM which had a turbocharged BP from the factory and utilized a two stage thermostat. If the image is too large, bitch at me and I'll resize it.
http://home.comcast.net/~silentbob34...ethemostat.gif

Good find. The slot in the factory and superstant act as the sub valve, by opening only a tiny bit in the first 5°C or so.

For you control system types, the dips are oscillations. The subvalve (or initial) operation has a lower gain than the main valve, reducing oscillations, during cold weather or when the radiator coolant is cold (during warmup). Cold weather means the system gain is higher, thus the need for lower gain in the subvalve operation of the t-stat.

You wouldn't by any chance know where one could buy this t-stat right?

It is the OEM thermostat. This is why I always recommend using it.

The one I got from Pep Boys has the sub valve too.

Many thanks!