tractor with no thermostat?!

[LD1]

It sounds like something weird may be going on with that thermometer. I would think the thermometer should have read hotter than 100*.

What were you doing with the tractor when it you got 203 on the block?

Ir guns dont do well on reflective surfaces. The duller the better. And the darker the better too.

They also dont do well measuring water temp as water is clear and the shiny bottom of the pan will likely give false readings too.

They are good for comparing things though. like if you have shiny headers and trying to find what cylinder is missing, while not accurate temperature wise, accurate for comparing what one is running cooler.

 

[SPYDERLK]

Ir guns dont do well on reflective surfaces. The duller the better. And the darker the better too.

They also dont do well measuring water temp as water is clear and the shiny bottom of the pan will likely give false readings too.

They are good for comparing things though. like if you have shiny headers and trying to find what cylinder is missing, while not accurate temperature wise, accurate for comparing what one is running cooler.

,,,,,,,,,,,,:thumbsup:

 

[SPYDERLK]

Engines run cleaner, burn fuel more completely,and have less products of combustion in the oil when run at warmer temps. Thats one of the reasons for extended oil changes on newer vehicles.

Yes. All good if the cooling system is fine and well pressured. OP thinks his tractor is overheating and we havnt all the info to figure it out yet. This shows up with no tstat as well as with a 160.
,,,,,,, Going up in value at this juncture is not sensible. Maybe after he gets good temp control he could run the system hotter if it can stand up under a reasonably hi pressure cap. At 4psi [current] he would be bound to lose coolant.
larry

 

[CircleRat]

Another thing to check is the ignition advance mechanism inside the distributor. I believe it has 2 flyweights that advance the spark as the engine revs. They could be frozen, pull the cap and try to move the ignition rotor in the direction of rotation, it should move about 10 degrees (20 degrees crankshaft).

Fred

Good point. If the timing advance mechanism was frozen from sitting, someone in the past may have set the timing too far advanced to compensate. Then if it freed up, you'd have the timing way too far advanced.

The next step is obviously checking the distributor and timing. Once that is done it either fixes it or we can move forward. Remember, diagnostics is a step-by-step process. Joe, please check the distributor and timing! :thumbsup:

 

[Egon]

I suspect you may have a radiator problem. Possibly plugged up internally. No T-stat does not always mean it will run cool. A T-stat acts as a flow restrictor that opens or closes with temperature. No T-stat means there is no restriction in the cooling system so the hot coolant gets pumped from the engine to the radiator and right back to the engine so fast it doesn't stay in the radiator long enough to allow air going through the radiator core to have any cooling effect. Try the new T-stat with fresh coolant. If it still gets too hot it could be the water pump impeller has failed not pumping coolant or the radiator is plugged.

Supposedly turbulent flow allows for better heat exchange than laminar flow. Turbulent flow comes with higher velocity. So?

 

[the old grind]

I always wondered: if coolant goes thru' a radiator too fast to cool, would it not also go through an engine too fast to pick up heat? Would cycling it back thru the engine due to the T-stat's limited but very real flow restriction when in place vs thru' the radiator increase cooling effect? C'mon, that would be using the engine as a radiator supplement, if so.

I suspect that folks have bought vehicles whose T-stats were already removed, and also bought an urban legend that the cure would be putting one back in. Sooner or later they show up on the interweb after doing just that and finding it didn't help a bit. JMHO

Wouldn't higher, turbulent flow with no T-stat cool better?

 

[pmsmechanic]

Supposedly turbulent flow allows for better heat exchange than laminar flow. Turbulent flow comes with higher velocity. So?

I've read what George2615 is saying . I've also experienced it in terms of having poorer cooling with no thermostat. Turbulent flow can also come from radiator design as I installed a turbulent flow rad in my 90 Dodge Cummins for better cooling.

 

[pmsmechanic]

I always wondered: if coolant goes thru' a radiator too fast to cool, would it not also go through an engine too fast to pick up heat? Would cycling back thru the engine due to the T-stat's inherent flow restriction when in place vs thru' the radiator increase cooling effect? C'mon, that would be using the engine as a radiator supplement, if so.

I suspect that folks have bought vehicles whose T-stats were already removed, and also bought an urban legend that the cure would be putting one back in. Sooner or later they show up on the interweb after doing just that and finding it didn't help a bit. JMHO

Think of it this way. The coolant is going through the rad tubes a lot faster than through the engine block because the block has larger passages and thus slower flow. Years ago I also read a Hot Rod article where the engine was in the rear and the rad in front. They didn't achieve adequate cooling till a washer with a 5/8ths hole was installed into one of the lines to slow down the flow.

And the heat loss from an engine does supplement the cooling from the rad.

 

[the old grind]

.... And the heat loss from an engine does supplement the cooling from the rad.

Not news to me, with so many air cooled engines, but I haven't yet grasped how steering coolant back into the block would enhance that.

LD1, isn't slower flow thru' the radiator going to be less turbulent? I don't know how the guys actually measured cooling after installing the 5/8" washer, but I also don't know how rerouting flow might have changed the temp just at the sensor. Not to compare a tractor (no cab) to a car or truck, but in those the restriction at the radiator increases flow to the heater core (few exceptions with vac vlow control there) where line to that core supplement the radiator & would especially so if the latte wasn't doing well.

Gotta go get both teeth cleaned (2 for 1 special). Back later to see who called Mythbusters if we don't have the OP out of the woods yet. tog

 

[Egon]

Think of it this way. The coolant is going through the rad tubes a lot faster than through the engine block because the block has larger passages and thus slower flow. Years ago I also read a Hot Rod article where the engine was in the rear and the rad in front. They didn't achieve adequate cooling till a washer with a 5/8ths hole was installed into one of the lines to slow down the flow.

And the heat loss from an engine does supplement the cooling from the rad.

The washer increases flow velocity and turbulence.