thermostat problems which one

[plasticpig72]

hi guys,
i wonder if someone can help please.
Driving my 1990 S3 2.9 V6 in this cold weather i found that the engine temp stayed at 50/60°. I have a feeling the previous owner has removed the thermostat. I ordered a new one with seal from Clever Trevor and when it arrived i see that there is a gasket with 2 holes and not a seal. On my 2.9 V6 there are 3 screws holding the thermostat housing. In Tvr bible it says there is no gasket and a seal. I think the supplied 82° thermostat is for a V8 engine.
Question is can i use the V8 thermostat in a 2.9 V6, if i can find a seal?
Sorry about a basic question but i'm new to the TVR world
Alan B

[techbotics]

I would say probably not why risk it? Also many v6 don't get hot in this weather even with a working stat in there some coolant still flows through the rad. Not ideal there is a mod that corrects this you may find using search.

Cheers D S3

[tozerman]

Just get the correct standard 88 degrees stat with a new seal, and if you have a healthy cooling system then it will be perfect, don't use the V8 one as those engines run colder than the V6.

Cheers.....Tony..

[davedogfish]

I agree wholeheartedly with Damian and Tony. The 2.9 Cologne engine does tend to run on the cool side at this time of year (mine doesn't go above 70 - it has a new, standard thermostat and a recently flushed system with new hoses). The correct thermostat comes with a rubber seal which stretches around its circumference and mates with rebates in the housing/cover. There is no traditional paper gasket on the mating surfaces of the housing.

I'm not sure about the compatibility of the V8 thermostat but I don't think its really worth putting one in a V6 it would only add another unknown to the equation.

[plasticpig72]

many thanks for advice. My S3 has a new rad that was fitted and silicon hoses just before i bought it, so the system is cooling very well. In the summer it always stayed constant at 90° with no problems. For sure 82° seems far too cool. The big difference between my S3 and my Lotus Elans is the way the TVR is so solid and unstressed with it's big 2.9 V6 engine. I never need to grab for a lower gear with the TVR, just put my right foot down a little.
Alan B

[GreenV8S]

I remember being shown a standard V6 S which had a degas line that acted as a stat bypass and that would produce overcooling in this cold weather. It's a design flaw that should ideally be fixed, and I think the person who pointed the problem out did fix it on his own car, but I don't remember who that was.

[plasticpig72]

greenv8s,
thanks, you have a good point. I remember reading about that. The fix he did was to weld a connection to the bottom regid return pipe from the rad. Then connect the degassing hose to it instead of to the swirl tank. The connection on the swirl tank was then blanked off
Alan B

[phillpot]

GreenV8S said:

but I don't remember who that was.

Think it's Rob (Griffinr) you're looking for


Search still not working !

[Griffinr]

phillpot said:

Think it's Rob (Griffinr) you're looking for


Search still not working !

Indead! it was I, been running with the mod for about a year now and its been fine. Warms up quicker than any car I have owned and also behaves better when it is hot. I use the car most days in all weather so its had plenty of testing.

Rob.

[whitewolf]

Gasket with two holes sounds like mine - Essex v6 thermostat not cologne