Heater not heating up cab is a 160degree thermostat my problem?

[72farmer]

I installed a Oldair Heater,A/C kit in my 67 last year.I don't remember if i had heat last year or not.I went to use the heater last week and it never did get warm. I had never looked to see if i even had a thermostat and thought that could be the problem.I drained radiator down below gooseneck and pulled it off and it had a 160 degree thermostat.Is this the correct temp thermostat.

[d4xycrq]

72,

160 sounds cold to me. Perhaps someone was running a cooler t-stat to compensate for overheating. I think 180 is closer to normal, but don't have a manual handy.

Meanwhile, no-heat can be a symptom of a blown head gasket. Got any bubbles in your radiator whilst the engine is running and fully warmed up

Ray

[Lee H]

The thermostat generally will not dictate the operating temp of your motor, only how long it takes to get there. I run a 180. Check to see if both heater hoses are getting hot.
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[dcasalena]

I also run a 180.
Was the thermostat still good, not stuck in the open position?

[72 K20]

I usually run either a 195, or 205 ,,, I like heat !!!! No problems in the summer,, they run around 195 -205.

[72freak]

Originally Posted by Lee H

The thermostat generally will not dictate the operating temp of your motor, only how long it takes to get there.Posted via Mobile Device

Not true. If it is cold outside and you have no thermostat your engine will likely never get to operating temperature.

[72 K20]

Not true. If it is cold outside and you have no thermostat your engine will likely never get to operating temperature.

And to add to that,, no thermostat in the summer will result in overheating.

Years ago when I lived in Vegas I had a 69 C10 with a 454 TH400. It was always running hot. I was down to a 160 thermostat and was still overheating. An old timer told me to put a 205 stat in if I wanted to keep it cool. I was confused,,,, why would I want a hotter thermostat when I was having overheating problems ?

I always thought that the thermostats purpose was to hold the coolant in the engine to maintain operating temperature,,,,,,, not quite so. It's purpose is to hold the coolant in the radiator to maintain operating temperature..
A hotter stat holds the coolant in the radiator longer and cools it more. A 160 stat in an engine , with ambient temps running between 100 and 115 will virtually never close, hence, no cooling, continuous heating, resulting in overheating.

Install a 205 thermostat and it will close ,maybe not for very long but it will close,allowing the radiator to do it's job.

I installed a 205 stat in that 454 and had no more problems with overheating.

[DaBigKahuna]

Originally Posted by 72freak

Not true. If it is cold outside and you have no thermostat your engine will likely never get to operating temperature.

The secondary purpose of the thermostat is to put a restriction in the cooling system to slow down the flow through the cooling system so the radiator can do it's job.

[Lee H]

Originally Posted by 72freak

Not true. If it is cold outside and you have no thermostat your engine will likely never get to operating temperature.

Originally Posted by 72 K20

Not true. If it is cold outside and you have no thermostat your engine will likely never get to operating temperature.

And to add to that,, no thermostat in the summer will result in overheating.

Years ago when I lived in Vegas I had a 69 C10 with a 454 TH400. It was always running hot. I was down to a 160 thermostat and was still overheating. An old timer told me to put a 205 stat in if I wanted to keep it cool. I was confused,,,, why would I want a hotter thermostat when I was having overheating problems ?

I always thought that the thermostats purpose was to hold the coolant in the engine to maintain operating temperature,,,,,,, not quite so. It's purpose is to hold the coolant in the radiator to maintain operating temperature..
A hotter stat holds the coolant in the radiator longer and cools it more. A 160 stat in an engine , with ambient temps running between 100 and 115 will virtually never close, hence, no cooling, continuous heating, resulting in overheating.

Install a 205 thermostat and it will close ,maybe not for very long but it will close,allowing the radiator to do it's job.

I installed a 205 stat in that 454 and had no more problems with overheating.

Originally Posted by DaBigKahuna

The secondary purpose of the thermostat is to put a restriction in the cooling system to slow down the flow through the cooling system so the radiator can do it's job.

Originally Posted by DaBigKahuna

The secondary purpose of the thermostat is to put a restriction in the cooling system to slow down the flow through the cooling system so the radiator can do it's job.

Come on guys, I did not say or did not suggest no thermostat. I was merely replying the the posters question of is 160 degree the wrong one for his heater problem. A 160 vs 180 vs 195 thermostat would not make much difference to the heater core unless it's -20.
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[treveiger]

Wow ya learn somthing new everyday
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[cdowns]

if you want cab toasty a 190 or so thermostat and cleaning out the 40years of crap in the phlenum by the heater core/blower motor is a great way to do it

[jhwkns]

Originally Posted by 72farmer

I installed a Oldair Heater,A/C kit in my 67 last year.I don't remember if i had heat last year or not.I went to use the heater last week and it never did get warm. I had never looked to see if i even had a thermostat and thought that could be the problem.I drained radiator down below gooseneck and pulled it off and it had a 160 degree thermostat.Is this the correct temp thermostat.

I've got OldAir also. My heater works fine. The OldAir kit comes with a shut-off valve that goes inline on the heater hose. If this is turned off (as it should be during warmer months) you won't get any hot water to the heater core. The oldair units combine the heater core and the A/C coil into the same unit to save space. If there's hot water running through it when you're trying to use the air conditioning even though it shuts the cable controlled valve off, the cooling won't be as effective. Turn the valve counter clockwise to open it.

[bosland]

Up here in the North Country, 195 degree thermostats are what we usually use with no over heating problems in the summer months.