Heater always hot

[RAVEN]

Skip, you may be confusing "Control Head" with Temp Reg Valve or Heater hose Water Valve.
Maybe I missed in previous posts what is your car's configuration. Do you have A/C or just a standard heater? What is your specific problem with your car to narrow the problem?
There have been numerous posts on this topic recently (hot air, temp control, vac issues, etc) and some confusion may exist.

[paulr]

what does Control Head exactly mean in this feed i'am lost

Your console heater-A/C control levers are operating this here thing:

In some cars, like mine, this thing gets dirty and requires cleaning. It's got internal passages that are hair thin; tiny bits of dust block your vacuum passages. It's a delicate procedure. Hopefully, yours is ok.

[sseebart]

Would running without a thermostat cause this effect?

I think this is possible. On some cars at least, a lack of a thermostat would allow coolant to flow through the radiator too quickly, so once up to temp, it would run too hot. I suspect that if this were the case, engine overheating would be a bigger problem than extra heat in the cabin.

~Steve

[Terry64HT]

Steve, when I was a kid I can remember my father taking the thermostat out during the summer so the engine would run cooler. The thermostat opens and closes at the preset temperature to hold the engine at a relatively constant temperature. I assume that this is ongoing, opening and closing to keep the temp in the right range. It would seem that, in general, the cooling capacity of the rad (in a properly operating system) would be greater than the heat generating capacity of the engine. Otherwise, the temperature would just keep going up. With no thermostat, the engine would probably never reach proper operating temperature.
My thoughts
Terry
64HT

[sseebart]

Terry, when I was much younger I had a '71 BMW 2002. It always seemed to run hot, so I bypassed the thermostat (an oddball thing that actually fit into the upper radiator hose). As you mention, it never got up to operating temperature after that--a feature I failed to consider when I drove it to Montana one year in the dead of winter. (Soda cans in the back seat literally froze during the drive!)

In relating this story over the decades, quite a few folks have mentioned experiencing the opposite effect--engine overheating with the thermostat removed. I imagine that the outcome is dependent on the design of the car. I haven't tried running the 390 without a thermostat, so can't speak directly to Paul's issue, but as I mentioned before, a too-hot heater would probably be the least of his concerns if this were the case.

~Steve

[David Langhorne]

paulr wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:30 am
Would running without a thermostat cause this effect?

I think this is possible. On some cars at least, a lack of a thermostat would allow coolant to flow through the radiator too quickly, so once up to temp, it would run too hot. I suspect that if this were the case, engine overheating would be a bigger problem than extra heat in the cabin.

Steve - if the water is spending less time in the radiator losing heat then I would presume it is also spending less time in the engine gaining heat?

[paulr]

Terry, when I was much younger I had a '71 BMW 2002...

...directly to Paul's issue, but as I mentioned before, a too-hot heater would probably be the least of his concerns if this were the case.

~Steve

Steve, the always-hot heater condition my Bird had was due to temperature regulator valve/vacuum related matters, it turned out.

My '82 530i always ran hot (didn't they all?) which never concerned me in Wisconsin (in those days) winter. In summer, however? I joined a local club and got schooled that I was driving too slow. True, that. The car always seemed most solid at 80 mph+.
Miss that thing. Too many tickets.

[sseebart]

paulr wrote: ↑
Mon Apr 21, 2014 2:30 am
Would running without a thermostat cause this effect?

I think this is possible. On some cars at least, a lack of a thermostat would allow coolant to flow through the radiator too quickly, so once up to temp, it would run too hot. I suspect that if this were the case, engine overheating would be a bigger problem than extra heat in the cabin.

by

Steve - if the water is spending less time in the radiator losing heat then I would presume it is also spending less time in the engine gaining heat?

I'm no expert, but perhaps. That would mean poor heat transfer with the majority of the heat trapped in the block and heads, no?

In any case, I can only report the anecdotal evidence I heard. Based on this thread, it sounds like there's no real consensus: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/sho ... hp?t=32411