SC Case Thermostat placement?

[tomfg]

Got a new thermostat put in my SC Case today and tried it out. The temperature gauge got close to 200 degrees and promptly started belching anti-freeze out the radiator overflow.
Which direction is this type of thermostat suppose to go, Spring "up" toward radiator, or Spring "down" toward engine?
Thanks, Tom

 

[John Saeli]

Tom: Spring down, just like you have it pictured. Is that how you had it?
 

[1031D]

The spring is actually a temperature sensitive wire, always goes twords the engine. Is there a bypass hole in it? Belching is cured by drilling a very small hole in the thermostat so a trace amount of water can circulate.
 

[Pastor John]

Tom here is a link to a pic from Mike Schotte posted some time back on this forum. Shows those bypass holes


http://www.tractorshed.com/gallery/pieces/v86.jpg
 

[tomfg]

Yes, I had the spring / bulb down toward the engine side. Guess I could put it in a pan of water on the stove and see if it opens. Don't believe the wife has a candy thermometer to see if it's opening at 160 degrees though.
 

[Iowa Barber]

Tom, you probably had air trapped in engine Try warming engine slowly by starting and stopping engine, Brian
 

[tomfg]

I suppose trapped air is a possiblity. If so, then maybe I should drill a little by-pass hole in the thermostat so air can bleed up and out when I fill the radiator and engine back up with anti-freeze.
 

[John Saeli]

Did you have the belching problem before you tried the T'Stat? The drilled hole is a good idea.
 

[tomfg]

Never had any radiator problems with this tractor in the past, but never had a thermostat in it either. After the partial rebuild of the engine, I ran it for half an hour (without) a thermostat, drove it around, etc., with no problems, and the temp gauge needle never moved off the bottom. Will try testing the thermostat in hot water today for starters, and if it works okay, then drill a little hole or two in it to make sure the air gets bled out of the system when I refill with anti-freeze. Thanks.
 

[Pastor John]

Tom I have had the radiator off my SC twice and to a good radiator shop. They cleaned it up inside and out and replaced the overflow line and it still will not hold coolant above the top of the core.

I'm going to add a thermostat in the spring with Mike Schotts idea of the two holes in the flange. Like yours my SC barely moves the temp gauge. Maybe this will do the trick. My good friend says those tractors rum more efficiently up around 180 degrees anyway.

Good Luck
 

[tomfg]

FYI, I tested out the thermostat in a pan of hot water with a new candy thermometer. It opened at 170 degrees. I figured that was close enough, so I took it out to the garage, drilled two 1/8" holes in it, installed it, and refilled the radiator. I started it up, and ran it at fast idle for 25 minutes, and the temp gauge needle never moved off the bottom peg,(about 135 degrees) until I shut the engine off, and then it went up to about 150 degrees. Maybe this is okay, being it was 30 degrees outside, and the engine was just idling.
If I would have been thinking, I would have put the candy thermometer in the radiator while I was running it to compare with the temp gauge.
 

[John Saeli]

Is she good this time? No pushing coolant out? I don't test every T'stat, but radomly check some, & have never found a bad one.