I am constantly failing thermostats and on top of that they fail and stay closed and cause severe over heating.... What could it be? What causes thermostat failure?

My head gasket is fine, I don't have leaks, my fan is on a manual switch and I keep it on, I run distilled water and water wetter

I'm using a password jdm half size triple core radiator with 14 inch zirgo high performance fan (2700 cfm) pusher

Ps. When I run an open thermostat it only overheats on the hwy after about 30 min that's why i think I need a thermo but they keep failing within 2 miles of driving

Edit: it's an integra with a b18c1 darton mid sleeved 84mm with copper sprayed head gasket, samco hoses and im also running coolant lines from the front of the block to the turbo and back to the top of the radiator


Any suggestions and help will be greatly appreciated

 

This is highly unlikely. Have you check to see if water is actually circulating. Possibly faulty waterpump?

 

When I'm bleeding the radiator the water flows fine, I use a lisle bleeder funnel. And when the car is reved the water mixes and raises. I'm not running a heater, I have the hose ports blocked off as well as the port for the throttle body to the IM.

Is there a certain way to check the water pumps

 

Ahhh ha! Figured out my issue....

Come to find out, the place I had bought my hondata intake manifold gasket hadn't sold one in so long that when I bought mine, it was still the old design that did not have a thermo bypass hose. Come to find out I wasnt even running one, which would explain everything. I wasn't having bad luck with thermos not opening, they just didn't know when to open cuz of the lack of a bypass hose

 

The problem is fixed? Have you drove the car since?

 

I dont think that will fix it. When you turn the heater upto hot and put them on full blast does it lower the coolant temp ?

 

Not running a heater... And yes I drove it all afternoon today in 95 degree weather, got on it a few times and it never got above 193 according to my datalog..... Without the thermo bypass hose coming from the intake manifold, the thermo never new when to open thus causing "thermo failure" when they weren't failing at all, they just weren't opening cuz they didn't know they had to

 

I thought the thermostat opened based on temps from lower radiator coolant

 

^^ I thought the same, but in actuality the bypass hose circulates water through the block and head and thermo housing untill temp is reached, and then when the thermo opens it blocks the entrance from the bypass hose letting all water circulate though the rad ....

 

Fair enough....

 

Good info to learn, thanks