Thermostat Tube Failure !!!!!!
#1
Instructor
Thread Starter
Thermostat Tube Failure !!!!!!
At the track this weekend I had the thermostat open and hydraulic the front cooler supply line out of the thermostat housing. For those that don't know it is located just in front of the right rear tire. Having that joint fail will oil the tire
100 % and it did. Luckily I was in the slower corners when it popped, soft spin and no damage except for the 7 quarts of oil on the track.
Even though this happened to two other N/A cars in my area I never paid any attention to my turbo. The metal retention tab was bent completely back allowing the tube to move the 19mm out of the thermostat body. This happened on a hot day with a good amount of of warm up idling. But it was running at a fairly high RPM when the thermostat opened. I am sure that it has been failing progressively for a long time. The retainer clip is marginal at best and I will be building something that can handle the forces acting upon that cooler feed line.
Until that permanent fix, longer warm ups at idle.
CHECK YOURS TO MAKE SURE ALL IS IN PLACE.
Rick
100 % and it did. Luckily I was in the slower corners when it popped, soft spin and no damage except for the 7 quarts of oil on the track.
Even though this happened to two other N/A cars in my area I never paid any attention to my turbo. The metal retention tab was bent completely back allowing the tube to move the 19mm out of the thermostat body. This happened on a hot day with a good amount of of warm up idling. But it was running at a fairly high RPM when the thermostat opened. I am sure that it has been failing progressively for a long time. The retainer clip is marginal at best and I will be building something that can handle the forces acting upon that cooler feed line.
Until that permanent fix, longer warm ups at idle.
CHECK YOURS TO MAKE SURE ALL IS IN PLACE.
Rick
#2
Warming up our motors before tracking so the thermostat doesn't open at 6K rpm and spill oil--good advice. Sign me up for clips if you're making extras Rick.
Loved the custom exhaust on your car btw.
Loved the custom exhaust on your car btw.
#6
Addict
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
#7
Instructor
Thread Starter
As much of a bummer as it was 30 seconds before was a 145mph straight. No way to have survived it had it happened in the brake zone there. That statement is obvious but thinking about it gives me the chills. I don't think this was a complete "instantaneous" failure but instead the retention tab yielding over a period of time. The Mobil 1 V-Twin 20/50 didn't help.
I have to say that oil has some surface stick. It took some serious brakekleen to wash the car down and it is still coming out of the seams.
Rick
I have to say that oil has some surface stick. It took some serious brakekleen to wash the car down and it is still coming out of the seams.
Rick
Trending Topics
#8
Instructor
Thread Starter
NoHTWO,
Certainly could have lit up. The turbo's were not super hot since I was not on it yet. Still warming up the car. Interestingly the tire blocks most of the oil from going rearward. The inner fender and rocker slow the spray down. The rocker filled up started to dump oil out the front edge too.
As noted previously this could have been 95% worse than what happened. One of the N/A 993's lost his in a parking lot the other one on the same track as I was on three turns earlier. No damaged except for pissed off corner workers. It is always better to be lucky than good.
Rick
Certainly could have lit up. The turbo's were not super hot since I was not on it yet. Still warming up the car. Interestingly the tire blocks most of the oil from going rearward. The inner fender and rocker slow the spray down. The rocker filled up started to dump oil out the front edge too.
As noted previously this could have been 95% worse than what happened. One of the N/A 993's lost his in a parking lot the other one on the same track as I was on three turns earlier. No damaged except for pissed off corner workers. It is always better to be lucky than good.
Rick