Lol Your understanding of cavitation in cooling systems seems to be a bit off and also isolated to one specific design and situation. Cavitation can and does occur in cooling systems that aren't pre-38 Fords.
Cavitation is a result of a drop in pressure below the vapor point of the fluid, causing the formation of bubbles which then collapse, or implode, when the fluid transitions to a high pressure area. As the bubbles implode against the pump body or the impellor they etch away a small bit of material, over time that wear adds up. That is why this occurs in water pumps, and it is a problem in many engines, even today. That is why modern antifreeze solutions contain additives to plate out out on the internal surfaces of an engine to provide a sacrificial surface to prevent cavitation erosion of the parts. This is a problem for all makes of engines and all years of production, not limited to pre-38 Fords. I've seen plenty of water pumps where the impellor is basically worn away from cavitation erosion, because the owner didn't maintain proper antifreeze concentration, or the additives were depleted due to age. Here's some examples from the net:
What's most important for engine wear is how long it takes the oil to get to operating temperature, not just the coolant. My coolant heats up fairly quickly, but I try not to put it through much abuse until I notice the oil pressure come down to a reasonable range, then I know the oil is warm.
Yes, but other things are going on as well. The coolant's only job is to limit and maintain the upper operating temperature. The thermostat stops the cooling action until things warm up. Yes, this includes the oil, so it can circulate properly and do it's job. Getting up to temp also expands all the engine parts to their designed operating size so the tolerances are where they should be. The quicker the oil and the engine as a whole achieve proper operating temperature, the less wear there will be at start-up. Thus, running the correct thermostat is good practice......
Hello, We had driven our red 1965 327 powered El Camino for 120k miles with no repairs or problems. When we were getting ready to sell the El Camino for a station wagon, it must have heard what we were planning. Ha! At 120k miles, the temperature was getting hot when we stopped in our carport. It was driven normally and to get to our house, we had to go up a steep hill and winding road. So, that did put on some strain as we drove. But, it had been doing that for several years, along with normal highway cruises to the local surf spots and coastal areas. We did not have any problems with anything. So, I changed the thermostat. That seemed to take care of the problem temporarily. It was the first repair I had to do to this long running 327 motor. Soon, it started to do the same thing and finally, the water pump started making some odd noises. So, the local Chevy mechanic told me I might need a new water pump. Overheats, thermostat replace, then check the water pump was his idea, too. Now after buying it new in 1964 and driving it over 120k miles, a major take apart repair was now necessary. So, it all came apart and our garage/carport was a repair station. Once installed, the motor started up right away and we were able to drive it anywhere again. It worked as planned, it was just a lot of work taking everything apart and putting it back together, again. Jnaki We were still driving it all over the coastline areas, enjoying the 10 year road trip history. But, we were planning to get a new station wagon for our family. For the next 5000 miles, it ran like it should and then we finally sold it to a young kid from Dana Point. He was a surfer and sailor. So, we knew it would be staying around So Cal for various usages. He was impressed with the condition of the overall El Camino at 125k. (the red color turned to a new blue paint by the young kid. I saw it locally on the road and in a parking lot…several months later…) We were sad to sell our “baby” but, it was time to move on to a more accessible, secure way to travel with a new addition to our family. YRMV
Anyone interested in large box of vintage thermostats, many from 30s-60s USA Hadee's, Thomson, brass quality. Even some early 30s Alcohol types.
The Jalopy Journal
