quote:Originally posted by jwr2968:
Surley Wilkenson wouldn't have sent me the wrong thermastat?
Yes, Steve sold you the wrong t-stat.
and please don't call me Shirley!
lol.......
(thats an old Leslie Nielsen joke)
On a more serious note, the wrong thermostat has been handed out for the Clevo ever since the motor was new, I think the first time I came across this problem was around 1973. Steve may or may not be aware that's not a Clevo t-stat. Its very possible he was shipped the wrong part & never checked the boxes to verify he had received the correct parts. OR, he may feel that the Windsor t-stat he shipped you is the only one available, many vendors are under that impression. It's not common knowledge that Robertshaw is making the proper Clevo t-stat.
The brass orifice beneath the t-stat is no longer available new, if it is damaged or missing, an owner is left with fabricating one from a freeze plug, or scrounging for one at a wrecking yard.
There are several Clevo parts, that if you go to a Ford parts counter & referrence any car with a 351C in it, such as a 1970 to 1973 Mustang, you'll be given the wrong part, or you'll be told the part is obsolete. But if you reference a later car with a 400 in it, say a 1979 LTD for instance, you'll get the correct part, still available. I have read this is true of t-stats, but have never verified this. I also know it is true of the flat timing chain cover plate.
I don't blame you for finding it hard to believe that a vendor you respect would make this mistake, I don't blame you for finding it hard to trust some stranger on the internet (me). But I posted the pictures for you, you can see with your own eyes, the Clevo t-stat must seal against the orifice below it & seal it off. The t-stat you were sold is not capable of doing so. This will lead to overheating problems if the vehicle is used for high speed driving, on hot days, on long grades, in stop & go traffic, etc.
If you block that orifice, as has been the solution for many Pantera owners, you WILL develope steam in the heads when the motor is cold & the t-stat is closed. Which is then why owners find it necessary to drill holes in the t-stats, to allow the steam bubbles to pass. They've been told it is air.
So you see, one wrong part leads to one modification, which leads to another, which leads to another..... The Cleveland motor's cooling system worked just fine as delivered from the factory. (The Pantera's half of the cooling system was a bad engineering job however).
Like I wrote earlier, this is a problem that is as old as the motor itself. I have dealt with this problem as a part time mechanic dozens of times in the '70s & '80s, when the correct part was readily available. I became involved with Cleveland owners on the internet in 2001, on a different forum. Since then I have continued to run across this situation.
If the radiator, water pump & belts are in good shape & a Cleveland is having cooling system problems, there are 3 things to look for. A windsor t-stat, a Weiand water pump, or head gaskets installed improperly.
I have shared the info with you guys, a new wave of Clevo owners, now it's your turn to carry the torch.
Your friend on the DTBB, George