<VV> Thermostats

[Jim Simpson]

Does anyone know at what temperature the stock thermostats are supposed to
open?  I can't find it in any of the standard references.  (One of the
damper doors on my Corvair doesn't seem to open properly.  It's free to
move, but lately even when the engine is hot, it seems to stay closed.  And
yes, it is adjusted according to the book.)

Supposedly the thermostats are filled with one of the isomers of butyl
alcohol but there are four varieties, each with a different boiling point.
And the fill may be a mix.  Even if I knew which one, it's still a bit more
complex since bellows is designed to fail open and therefore is under a
partial vacuum when cold which would affect the boiling point.

I've checked several reproduction thermostats and they start to expand in
boiling water but not fully.  By contrast, the one I removed from the car
-- a GM original -- doesn't show any signs of expanding in boiling water.

Jim Simpson
Group Corvair