'89 Thermostat Housing

[Guest JSBojanglz]

Hey guys. I'm the proud new owner of a '89 Reatta (Bright Red).

I had a slow coolant leak on the radiator so over the weekend I replaced it. -I figured, while I had the coolant system drained and flushed, <span style="text-decoration: underline">why not</span> replace the thermostat? Big mistake. I spent my first hour and a half attempting to <span style="text-decoration: underline">remove</span> the manifold coolant outlet...I got it loose and replaced the thermostat.

First issue: The rubber seal replacement I bought is different than the old one. Old one was still in good shape so I reused it.

MAJOR ISSUE: The rest of my Saturday was spent attempting to get the manifold coolant outlet/thermostat housing to sit flush with the block again. -I can't seem to get the O-Ring to sit all the way back in the housing. When I tighten the bolt that holds the flange to the block, that side seats just fine...but not the side that sits beneath the throttle body assembly.

I said forget it, put everything back together and filled the cooling system with distilled water just in case it leaked... (I was expecting it to leak) but it didn't...just the same, I'm terribly paranoid about it.

Tips? Hints? Guidance? Am I an idiot?

Thanks!

[Jim]

The thermostat housing does not sit completly flat on the manifold but does sit up a little. You have it correct the way it is.

[Guest steakneggs]

Distilled water? Steak

[Guest JSBojanglz]

Thanks for the response, Jim, Steak.

I plan on taking a few pictures tonight and uploading them...maybe then you can get a better idea as to what it is I'm talking about... ie. tell me if it's normal.

As for Steak's question, I used distilled water because my house has a well water... Lots of iron, lots of sulfur...generally nasty, nasty stuff.

I'm not sure if it matters or not, but I didn't want pour rust water directly into a brand new radiator -or my engine.

[ReattaBoy]

just wanted to add distilled water is a perfect candidate for your radiator since distilled water is so pure it cant boil

[Ronnie]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: ReattaBoy</div><div class="ubbcode-body">just wanted to add distilled water is a perfect candidate for your radiator since distilled water is so pure it cant boil </div></div>You didn't really mean that did you?

[ReattaBoy]

yes i do mean that disstilled water has a much higher boiling temp than any other water and not to mention the purity of it leaves no build up in the rad so yes i do mean it

[charlie1]

ZZZ

Edited August 2, 2009 by CHAS1 (see edit history)

[ReattaBoy]

hey ronnie hasnt anyone ever told you when you have a small coolant leak to used distilled water because when a leak is introduced to the coolant system this allows steam buid up and intern lowers the tempature that it takes to make water boil in the system way lower hence the use of disstiled water b/c of the purity it will not boil (i think the temp to make disstilled water boil is 500+)

[Ronnie]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">distilled water is so pure it cant boil </div></div>The above statement is what I was referring to and it is absolutely wrong.

[ReattaBoy]

ok i should have put that disstilled water cannot reach the required temp to boil inside your radiator

but do this one time put distilled water into a pot that is completley clean no impurities on it and try to boil disstilled water on the stove it wont happen the water will sit untill you introduce a impurity then will explode in a raging boil

[Guest F14CRAZY]

Regardless on the type of water used, the "elbow" will not sit perfectly flat due to its one bolt nature but should be pretty close. Use caution, but with the bolt started, gently tap the opposite side of the housing down with a hammer and big orange screwdriver (or equivalent).

I'd apply some lubricant to the O ring too if possible

[charlie1]

ZZZ

Edited August 2, 2009 by CHAS1 (see edit history)

[Guest MauiWowee]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ronnie</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">distilled water is so pure it cant boil </div></div>The above statement is what I was referring to and it is absolutely wrong. </div></div>

I'm with Ronnie. The boiling point of H2O is 212 degrees. Period. It makes sense to use distilled water in a radiator because some of us have very hard water out of the tap.

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

Some people need a refresher in chemistry 101:

Adding salt, for example, raises the boiling point of water. This is why many recipes call for the addition of a small amount of salt to boiling water -- it causes the water to "cook" what you are placing in the water at

a higher temperature. The boiling point of a solution is a colligative property (you may read more about these at

http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/sci/A0812887.html).

The addition of salt not only raises the boiling point of water, it also lowers its freezing point (which is why people will put salt on their steps and walkways in the

winter).

Pressure is also an important factor. Water under pressure will have a higher boiling point temperature -- a fact used by some nuclear power plants that heat water in the reactor, but keep the water in that loop of pipes

(the "primary loop") under pressure to prevent the water from boiling (this is why these reactors are called "Pressurized Water Reactors"). Also,directions for cooking rice and other items that require boiling water will

specify that longer cooking times are required at higher altitudes (such as for people living in Denver, CO). This is because the lower atmospheric pressure at high altitudes means that water will boil at a lower temperature there.

[jonlabree]

The boiling point of a solution is always higher than that of the pure solvent; this boiling-point elevation is one of the colligative properties common to all solutions.

Which means that Distilled water will boil at a lower temp.

[Guest DTerry]

I can sit quietly no longer. Water (pure, no additives - for all practical purposes, distilled) boils at 100 degrees celsius (212 degrees farenheit) at one atmosphere of pressure. One atmosphere is sea level. Always.

[Ronnie]

Amen. Anything else would go against the well established laws of physics.

[jonlabree]

The boiling point of a solution is always higher than that of the pure solvent; this boiling-point elevation is one of the colligative properties common to all solutions.

Guess what, I didn't make this up.

It is proven fact .

[Guest F14CRAZY]

Is the boiling point that much of a factor in this case? Antifreeze/coolant raises the boiling point anyway, and if your engine is getting that hot you have other things to worry about

[Guest MauiWowee]

Actually, none of this has anything to do with the thermostat housing. Hard to ignore when somebody says something like "The world is flat."

[Guest steakneggs]

Are you saying that if you get a stuck thermostat (closed) and your coolant can't circulate the radiator that distilled water will not boil? It seems that it would have been the first thing I learned in auto mechanics class if it were true. Steak

[Guest simplyconnected]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: DTerry</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Water (pure, no additives - for all practical purposes, distilled) boils at 100 degrees celsius (212 degrees farenheit) at one atmosphere of pressure. One atmosphere is sea level. Always. </div></div>

That's the standard!

We snowbirds know from icickles, that pure water freezes at 32*F, while the impure water drips off, freezing at a lower temp. That's why icicles are clear. So, antifreeze, NOT being distilled water, causes the water it is mixed with to freezes below 32*F AND causes the water it is mixed with to boil above 212*F, (measured at sea level).

Steak, a stuck thermostat will certainly cause boiling.

[Guest F14CRAZY]

You should definitely use at least "good" water when mixing w/ antifreeze/coolant but I wouldn't be overly concerned about the boiling point

[Guest simplyconnected]

F14, you are surrounded by 1/5th of the world's fresh water. I don't know what "good" water is by comparison, but some folks are at the mercy of very hard well water. People in AZ & NV don't use tap water for their house plants. What will they use in their antique/classic?

[padgett]

OK, the seal is an O-ring as mentioned so the position of the water neck does not really matter, if the manifold is clean and smooth it will seal, the bolt is just there to hold it in place.

If everything is pristine, the water neck will just pop in place though I have been known to use a big screwdriver to push down on the flat while tightening the bold.

Finally it really does not need to be very tight, about like a spark plug is fine. (5-15 lb-ft. Do not play Godzilla.

[Guest JSBojanglz]

So I checked the upper coil. -It was perfectly fine. Wed night I borrowed a Kent-Moore J-34730 Fuel Injection diagnostic kit from a family friend. The pressure was 35-36 psi at the fuel rail. I changed my fuel filter yesterday, tested it again and my pressure went down to 33 (psi?).

Does anyone know how much pressure I'm supposed to have at the rail?

Anytime I can't get it started, I've been turning her off, waiting 5 seconds, letting the fuel pump re-prime and trying to turn her over again. Sometimes I have to do it 5-6 times, but that proceedure hasn't failed me yet.

When I start it up and I'm idling, it runs fine for 5-15 seconds. After that it sounds like it runs a little lean and it has to increase it's rpms to stay idling. Sometimes it doesn't work and it stalls. -Is this indicative of a common problem.

The next step is to drain and drop the tank, remove the fuel pump and have the tank cleaned. I'm planning on replacing the sock that covers the pump's intake.

Is there anything else I should do while I'm at it?

[Guest Drake]

Hello, in the service manual, section 6E3-A-31, chart A-7, is the fuel system pressure test. It has the flow chart for trouble shooting. It starts out with: Ignition on engine off. Pressure should be (40-47 psi) and hold steady. The chart then takes you step by step to find your problem.

I had problems a while back, and mine turned out to be a bad pressure regulator. The flow chart led me right to it.( Your problem could be any one of several faults listed )

Hope this helps.

Also, you might want to start a new Thread concerning your runability problem. I think we pretty much covered your thermostat issue.

[Guest JSBojanglz]

There's already one. It's in the '89 no start please help thread...I just posted to the wrong one.