home Diary    57,517    10/23/97    
8:02 a.m. Bimor on Main St. $20.35 for 14.54 gallons. 10.72 mpg.

 Drove around at lunch time to see if the fans do the trick. As I'd already seen it get hot with both fans on at idle I wasn't hoping for too much. Sure enough, just turning the fans on when it's hot is not enough to get it back. When it was on the road, however, it handled the temp fine. Still, it seems that I should get a little more time at a stop light before it loses it. Leaving the fans on full time does seem to drop the temp while it's running, though.

 After lunch I called around town looking for a Robert Shaw thermostat with no luck. I called the parts place that Tom mentioned (GT Car Parts - 602-780-2200) and he said Ferrari thermostats are different. They have two parts that open separately - one on top and one on the bottom. List price was $57 but he'd sell for $48.27. He also had a temp switch for $30. He said he didn't have a Robert Shaw thermostat as he only deals in Ferrari and Lamborghini parts. He is located in Phoenix Az.

57,561 10/23/97

 After school I drove it a little more before meeting Maria at the gymnastics place. Same old story - fine on the open road - heats up too quick in town. We head it over to the shop where we stop before it's too hot. Waiting to talk to Jim who did the installation of the coolant hoses. We wait a while for him and then notice a coolant puddle under the car. I look underneath and it appears to be coming from the rear tunnel area. Good thing the first time I've seen this leak was where they fixed it! Finally talk with Jim and he's not available for a couple of days. I ask him whether the Ferrari thermostat is necessary and he says many cars have 2-part thermostats (Toyota). "Are they necessary?" I ask. He said they weren't. He recommended using a 160ƒ and said just take the old one to a parts place and match size. I take Maria back to the gym and head home.

I'm set to change the thermostat (at least to eliminate it as a possibility) but first to remove some coolant. I try the drain cock first and am unable to turn it. I"d read where some guys remove the lower hose as it's easier. I then look at the top hose. As it's lower than the overflow tank it should do the trick. I remove it and collect a little of the spilling fluid. A quick check shows the tank to be empty. I remove the hose to the thermostat and no water. What a deal! I remove the thermostat and find it's not a Ferrari type. I get in the Suburban and head to dad's. We get his thermostat collection out of the pod on the motorhome and take them inside. They look like a match in size. He has 3 new ones - 2 195ƒ and a 180ƒ. He gets some calipers and they are the same width. We discuss gaskets and a rubber ring that was around the old one. Looks like the only place to get a Robert Shaw thermostat in Medford is at Dad's.

 I stop by Schuck's and pick up a gasket for a Toyota that's close and a rubber gasket for a Toyota that's close and a rubber gasket (neither of which fit). I also bought some gasket material to make my own.

So I end up cutting one out - the old hole drill for paper worked great. The thermostat housing is recessed but the thermostat is not quite wide enough to fill the space. Fortunately, I had some blue gasket stuff. I put a bead around the recessed area and set the thermostat in place. Let it sit for a minute, put the hand-made gasket in place, clean the surface on the top piece, dry it and replace it. I only found 2 washers when I took it apart so I'm missing one now. Will let sit for a day and refill tomorrow.