So I've been dealing with inadequate cooling problems for a while now, and I got tired of trying to keep the stock cooling configuration. New thermostat, new fan, new fan clutch, nothing seemed to work. So here comes another inline thermostat convert.

@Extinct was kind enough to reach out with a kit he had developed, and this month I went in and changed the fan, fan clutch, water pump, lower radiator hose, and thermostat (obviously), back-flushed the heater core and radiator (which was essentially new), and added a bleeder valve to the upper hose. The kit came with a hose splice to connect the existing lower hoses, but I decided to go with the Gates 22073 for aesthetic purposes. Otherwise, there are no new hoses required, and no cutting of the fan shroud.

At idle, temperatures have dropped from 212 to about 187, and temps stay rock steady throughout. I'm calling this a success.

From the pictures below, you can probably figure out how the kit works, and @Extinct was kind enough to allow me to post them anyway. But he obviously put a significant amount of time and work into finding the correct parts and developing the kit, and if you're interested in duplicating this system, you should support the people that support this community. As far as I could tell, he's barely making any money selling these anyway.




As an aside, when back-flushing the radiator, I cobbled together this thing that you stick into the lower radiator hose which seals it to the garden hose. Works fantastic; it's a garden hose valve, female-to-female connector, an adapter for a sump pump, and a hose barb connector. Ignore the fact that a month of working from home has gotten to the point where I don't bother changing out of pajamas when going outside.

 

What size is that barb ?

 

LOL on the pajamas, we have all been there.

 

The barb is 1.25 inches, which is the size of the lower hose (but not the outlet). I got all of them off Amazon.

 

I was just texting with a buddy in the UP and we were discussing the fact that putting pants on first thing usually results in a more productive day, however for me it rarely happens. And I've been working from home for over 15 years...

Nice work guys. I've been resisting the inline mod and my newly rebuilt cooling system is running 184°-194° under normal driving conditions, and 201° at extended idle. It's an average of about 55° ambient here in my corner of PA, we'll see what happens in 2-3 months when that spikes by 35-40°.

This may still be a weak point in your cooling system. If what I've been reading on the forum lately has any merit, this is a severely unreliable piece of equipment.

 

I had been reaching out privately to forum members who seemed to be considering this path to enable them to opt in for a beta kit. I plan to launch a web site later this month to offer these in broader circulation via ecommerce(not just Disco's but other applications as well). In the meantime I can handle interested parties on an individual basis. Jason we kind of excited about his results and wanted to post here, I appreciate the kind words. Cost is $52.50 plus shipping, I can usually ship US priority mail for about $9 but if you are international it may cost a bit more. I have not ordered significant inventory yet because I was waiting to get the web site up and the kit design validated for the other non-disco configurations, but if there is significant interest I will just go ahead and order the components for the Disco/RR (fits P38's as well) configurations and keep enough in stock to ship daily.

In the meantime feel free to PM or email me directly.

Thanks

Tim

 

The PO has installed a number of replacement parts, including the upper hose. I chose not to take it out at this time, but I'm definitely keeping an eye on it.

 

The URO hoses I see fail = lower molded hoses.

 

Hey Tim!
Are you still selling these inline thermostat kits?

 

Yep, send me a PM. You would not believe the supply chain issues I have been having on this.