Scorpio!

[dollywobbler]

I think that is indeed the plan.

[Richard]

So it is. I must learn to read properly.

[michael1703]

70's Alfa Romeos had inline thermostats made of brass, you might be able to adapt one to fit

[Rusty_Rocket]

I'd bash the guts out of the Ford part and refit. Then buy a Renault 5 inline jobbie from ebay for £3 and stuff it into an adjoining hose.

Done that on three different cars now and it works a treat!

[scaryoldcortina]

OK - housing cut open, stat extracted. It's a standard looking 54mm diameter waxstat, which shouldn't be hard to find. Thing is, it's stamped 62, and 62° is a very low opening temp, closest I can get is 72° so I'm going to do the pan of water and thermometer trick to try and figure it out.

 

Then I'll get something ordered and try soldering it back together. Backup plan is to knock the centre out of the other one (I have a spare, but it's also suspect) and use an inline one. There is a volvo stat available that fits inside the bottom hose that would work a treat, assuming I can get something in the right heat range.

 

I also looked at my sierra today, and wondered if it might be less grief than the scorp is proving to be.

[Stixy]

These any good 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GATES-THERMOSTAT-TH15685-/371314148975?fits=Car+Make%3ALada%7CModel%3ARiva&hash=item56740c466f:g:KOkAAOSwqu9VPLfs

 

 

what the volvo one like ?

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, I've looked at one of those today! It would be perfect, even the hose sizes are right but the side exit on the bottom connector would mean running the bottom hose through the AC compressor.

[Eddie Honda]

62 deg sounds way off for a thermostat. Even Minis in bloody-hot countries got 74s.

 

What does the manual say? Fifth post http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Advice;action=display;num=1106260295says that it is an 88 deg.

 

Post nine http://www.fordscorpio.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Advice;action=display;num=1315415414confirms all stubs to be 32mm. Also mentions BMW.

 

End of the Wahler Thermostat catalogue PDF shows diagrams and measurements.

http://emissions.borgwarner.com/wahler/sites/default/files/pkw_katalog_gesamt.pdf

 

Check the 3344 stye for the BMWs. Available as a 75deg and an 80deg.

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161814515892(80)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/400783181981(80)

 

Would it be such a ball-ache to straighten the stub by any means?

 

and some of this for added bling...

 

[scaryoldcortina]

Thanks Eddie. The manual is quite reticent about the stat, it doesn't even tell you where it is and describes the position and part number for a BOA (granada shape) engine. Pan of hot water suggests that the stat is in the 85-90° range, so 88 sounds right..

 

I think the BMW stat you linked to is the one I was looking at in the catalogue, rather than the lada one on ebay (I didn't look closely when I posted before, and the information isn't here, it's at the motor factors) so depending on case material it might be a candidate. A brass one could have the elbow cut off and resoldered but a lot of the newer ones seem to be that horrid half paper half plastic stuff so won't modify.

 

First order of business is to get an 88°x54mm stat and solder it into the old housing. If that doesn't work then I'll look for other options again.

[dome]

Good effort. I nearly rescued an abandoned 4 headed monster one of these last year, it was just too much work for me though. If only I had your skills...

[Bear]

All guesses in the right area. Ford want £168+vat, and there is one on ebay at the moment for £178.62 which the seller says is a 10% saving. Nice.

 

 

There is a regular ordinary stat buried inside the crimped together brass tube - I bet I can match that to something after I've cut the damn thing open and I also bet I can solder it back together afterwards. Losing the bet means having to drive a Laguna.

 

Those stakes are way, way too high. Smash stat out of housing, fit one elsewhere inline.

[Bear]

Have you priced front wishbones? Try it if you want another fright.

 

Particularly for the facelift models, IIRC. Still convinced we had a buggered hub carrier somehow rather than the wishbones they kept replacing and insisting were why it pulled and shook even with everything replaced.

 

Rumour has it there's a fair bit of S-type under the facelifted model, like a testbed for bits - Cosworth's code for the 2.3 16V lists it as for an entry-level Jaguar, too. Not sure how much BS that is, but I like the story anyway so tell it to S-type owners.

[vulgalour]

Built-in obsolescence through bizarre price scaling.  Good work there, Ford.  Happily, few things defeat a stubborn scaryoldcortina, or a scary old Cortina for that matter.

[KruJoe]

Some modern "Land Rovers" also use inline thermostats. They are used in modifying Estima cooling systems.

[scaryoldcortina]

Friday the 13th update!

 

 

Cut open brass stat housing? Check.

Replacement stat? Check. It's the one I ordered and returned once already - 88°C stat specced for earlier 2.9 engines.

Plumbing solder? Check. Now ironically lead free.

Blowtorch? Eh, no. Can't find it. Will use oxyacetylene carefully instead. WCPGW? (checks date again...)

 

 

Oh yeah, you also need flux, and a sturdy glove to hold the hot thing

 

 

Now you see it.

 

 

Now you don't.

 

Radiator goes back in tomorrow because my "can be arsed" threshold drops in line with the temperature, and by this time the sun was 2 hours gone.

[Richard]

Yes it does. That's not a bodge, it's a proper repair.

[Bren]

Yes it does. That's not a bodge, it's a proper repair.

Then you are on the wrong forum.

[scaryoldcortina]

Yeah, it's had a ghetto pressure test with bits of innertube and compressed air, holds to at least 3 bar with no leaks (over 3 bar and I can't hold the bits of inner tube shut against the pipe ends!)

 

If the engine ever gets hot enough to melt the solder, I've got bigger problems to worry about

[Bear]

Built-in obsolescence through bizarre price scaling.  Good work there, Ford.  Happily, few things defeat a stubborn scaryoldcortina, or a scary old Cortina for that matter.

 

Ford are mere amateurs. You should see parts prices for the Avantime.

[twosmoke300]

All just playing at it compared to the japs !

[Richard]

Everybody seems to think it's electronics that will be the death of ageing modern cars but I think it will be hideously expensive minor parts that are unique to a particular model. I bet there are already some brake pads the aftermarket won't touch because they were only fitted to one model for about three hours.

[scaryoldcortina]

Rad fitted, run up to temp, gets pressure. So far, so good. If it's still got water in it tomorrow I'll go for a drive.

[scaryoldcortina]

 

Luxobarges-R-us

 

Scorpio is home again, Omega going home soon.

[mrbenn]

Watching this with interest.

 

My brother bought himself a 24v Ultima saloon at the age of 19 having wanted one for years.

 

He kept it 4 years and used it daily, it required virtually constant fettling but never ever failed to get him where he was going, and home again.

 

He parted with it when the gearbox went. In retrospect, I really should have found a way to have it from him (no space for it at home, wouldn't fit in a council lockup). He loved it, and so did I. There were real tears in our eyes when that car went I don't mind telling you.

 

If anyone ever sees P946 KOO sitting on a driveway somewhere, let me know.

[scaryoldcortina]

Copied from GOM thread...

 

FTP²

 

After a long day fixing cars, the LT decided to have a flat battery when I went to put it away. Changed the battery, pulled it in and locked up, went to ASDA in the scorpio for beer essential teatime related shopping.

 

When I got back in the car, it wouldn't start. This is wierd, it's never done that. Leak water, yeah. Lock me out, sometimes. Fail to start? Never. Multimeter is in the house too, and all my diagnostic kit is at work. I'm in a supermarket car park and very tired.

 

OK. Immobilizer (PATS) light goes out. Good. Can't hear the fuel pump. Check inertia switch, not tripped. Check for fuel pressure, checked. Fuel is there. Pull a lead, check for spark, none. Shit. Pull coil multiplug and reinsert. No change. There isn't much that can stop the car sparking at all but I have no tools to test it with, and you can't reach the crank sensor on these to clean it without some significant dismantling.

 

Give up and call AA. Listen to "safety advice" then tell operator where I am, and that the car won't start. Get asked if it's a flat battery.... grr. It will take up to an hour and a half for a patrol to attend because they are very busy tonight (I think they ALWAYS say this...) so I settle down to listen to radio 2 and wait.

 

An hour and fifteen minutes later, the AA text me to say that "so they can help me quickly" CF Motoring Services will be attending, in maybe an hour. FFS.

 

Open bonnet, pull coil plug again and look at it. Blow on plug. Replug plug, try engine. It started.

 

I came home first, and rang the AA afterwards to say don't bother.

 

I'm not under any illusion that the car is fixed, I still need to find out why it did that and stop it happening again, but for tonight I'm assuming that blowing on the plug worked, and therefore the wiring was made by Nintendo.

 

 

This morning, it wouldn't start at all, just clicking indicating a flat battery. I walked to work and fetched a battery charger home with me, it's charging now.

[Jim Bell]

Bang it, blow it, turn it off and back on again.

 

Child of the 90's manual for no tool maintenance.

 

Rarely works if its not a NES cartridge or old fashioned telly though.