Thermostat stuck do I need one?

I'll tell you what my mechanic told me some years ago. If it didn't need a thermostat, it wouldn't have one.

All other BS aside, superformace.co.uk has them for not a whole lot of money. Stick one back in there, and then you'll have no worries.

Ferrari dealer wants like $80 for one. I had to buy one there in a pinch a few years ago when I was having a similar problem.

It turned out to be my water pump, BTW.

DM

 

If there is no thermostat the problem would be that the coolant will pass through the radiator too fast. The cooling system won't be as efficient. The coolant needs time in front of the fans.

 

The thermostat has a block-off plate on the backside, it closes off the bypass passage once the engine is up to operating temperature. If you run with no thermostat, the coolant will take the easier path, recirculating through the engine rather than going through the radiator. You must run a thermostat or block off the bypass passage, or the engine will overheat on a hot day.

 

all of the above AND the car will take much longer to warm up, the longer it runs cold the more engine damage you are doing. Motors are designed to be run at specific temperatures, running cold is not good for the motor.

Superformance has them cheap and its super easy to change out.

 

ATTA GUY!!!

And now, thanks to the boys, I have a more complete explanation than the one I got from my mechanic all those years ago.

DM

 

Looks like others have had great success with the $15 German Behr T-stat in this post:
http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=138598112&postcount=65



The Behr "Made in Germany" thermostat showed up today. Looks exactly right. It's cool, it has a little ball-bearing "valve" in the bleeder hole that will shut off the bleeder when there is flow, but allow you to bleed air when the engine is off. I ordered part number 100 200 07 15 (this is a Mercedes number) from Autohaus Arizona on their website.

http://www.autohausaz.com/search/product.aspx?sid=gfbbcy55rkxwx3zoaroqzomz&partnumber=100%20200%2007%2015

There is a 79 degree C and an 87 degree C version. 79 degrees is the standard one. (The 87 degree will allow the engine to run hotter, not good for a Ferrari).
$15.90 for the thermostat and $8.00 shipping. This is a good German thermostat for the price of a cheapo stant, and this seems to be the thermostat that Superformance UK is selling as the replacement thermostat for a 308.

To summarize this thread, the problem is that the original 308 thermostat manufacturer (Savara) no longer seems to be in business, so to buy an "authentic-looks-just-like-the-one-that-came-with-the-car" thermostat means paying $200+ for an NOS part which is 20+ years old to begin with. My investigation showed that Behr makes most later-model Ferrari thermostats, including 308 replacements. They used to be made by the Behr Italian Division, but they are now available through the German division. There are cross-references to other cars which makes them easier to find. I called Behr and found out the Behr Part number for the 308 thermostat, and it was also used extensively in 1970s Mercedes, which makes it easy to get from Mercedes parts dealer. Voila.

The thermostat I just got in the mail from Behr is a much better looking piece than the cheapo Stant I bought at NAPA and was no more expensive, so I recommend that you buy the Behr!

Birdman