Various topics....

["Jason and Maria Colavecchia" <jasoncolavecchia@domain.elided>]

Happy holidays, folks...


1:  Here are my thoughts on that fella's frozen Scout....It is most likely
the thermostat.  This is one of the easiest things to replace on a scout,
and it is also one of the locations where alot of people buy those cheap
ones available at Canadian Tire or other equivalent aftermarket parts
stores.  Sure, the diameter might be the same as an IHC thermostat, but the
FLOW characteristics and SPRING strength are another matter...break down
and buy an original part from a Harvester dealer, and make sure the
temperature rating is 185-195 degrees.  Install it the RIGHT way up, and
watch your heater suddenly work fantastically...

The best way to make sure it is the thermostat is when you are running at
highway speeds and your temperature guage drops....that is a SURE sign.

Just a note about putting cardboard in front of radiators and stuff. 
Although this is a prevalent idea on the roads today, you will note that
ALL these systems utilize a covering in front of the grille, NOT the
radiator.   This forces air to be brought in UNDER the front of the truck,
so it doesn't blow directly into your engine compartment.  This is why
heavy trucks use this system, because in actuality it doesn't improve your
heating system one bit...instead, it prevents the engine fuel
pump/carburator/fuel lines/etc. from freezing which keeps the truck
running.  Covering the grille MAY help the heating system a bit simply
because cold air isn't being directly blown on the heater hose and
components, thereby preventing a certain amount of scavenged heat loss. 
Placing card board or some other kind of covering DIRECTLY against the
radiator causes three problems: one is that the radiator will develop
hotspots, as parts of the rad will heat up dramatically, and others will be
very cold, causing uneven expansion/contraction in an abnormal manner and
can lead to premature failure...two, covering the front of the rad prevents
airflow through the rad, so the fan is forced to work extra hard inside its
shroud creating a vacuum, which robs power and puts extra, abnormal stress
on the fan and cooling pump components, also causing potential premature
failure...AND thirdly,  whenever you stop the truck, it gets a chance to
overheat EVERY time...you might as well have NO rad at all..

The best solution is the easiest, actually...replace the thermostat with a
new, Navistar/harvester component, and if things are still a little cool
out of the heater, put a GRILLE MOUNTED covering on, and lastly if things
are STILL cool, flush your cooling system ESPECIALLY your heater core...

this is all coming out of a CANADIAN from the GREAT WHITE NORTH, so trust
me....it WORKS...