Indigo thermostatic control valve cooling system users

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  • ArtJ
    • Sep 2009
    • 2175

    Indigo thermostatic control valve cooling system users

    I have a indigo thermostatic mixing valve control which I have had for some time, butnever installed.

    Does anyone have any experience with the use, issues
    with this system?
    I know of 2 caveats stated by Indigo :
    1. Must be sure engine is full ofcoolant when installing.
    2. Do not let the engine become boiling as this
    will damage the valve.

    What are some experiences of those who have used this thermstatic valve control?
  • capnward
    Afourian MVP
    • Aug 2012
    • 335

    #2
    Indigo thermostatic control valve

    Art, this is a reply to your thread made four years ago, I hope it's still relevant.
    I installed one of those in 2003, almost ten years ago, and it seems to work as Indigo describes. My engine has no thermostat to worry about, as the re-builders in the late 90's recommended not having one. A few years ago I changed to one of the Moyer heat exchangers, and mounted the valve next to it. It seems to work the same. I built a bracket to keep me from bending the heat exchanger where the valve is attached, when I'm dumb enough to try using the valve and adjoining fittings as a handle, or when I'm leaning against it to access something else near the engine.
    My experience is the engine warms up much quicker than it did with no thermostat at all, which is to be expected. The main advantage to having one of these valves is to be able to control your engine temperature by turning a dial. Before the installation my temperature gauge was reading 160 or so, and I had read that with fresh water cooling the optimum temperature is 180. After the installation i just turned the dial until the temperature could go to 180, and left it there. I have been happy with it.
    But there is another cooling issue lately which could be related. When the engine has been running a while, is warmed up, and temperature looks like 170 or so on the gauge, sometimes I shut it down without running it at lower RPM and off load or both, so it cools down a bit. Then, if I start it up soon afterward, my newly installed temperature alarm goes off, although the temperature gauge reads OK. The two sensors are next to each other on the same t-fitting on the head near the old thermostat housing.. The engine coolant gets too hot for the alarm sensor when it sits uncirculating in a warmed up engine, while the gauge and its sensor, also new last year, show no problem.
    I have in the past, before installing the alarm, turned off a warm engine, and seen hot water with some steam bubbling up from the heat exchanger into the overflow tank mounted above the exchanger. I don't think this damaged the valve, as it still seems to work as before. I try now to cool the engine off a bit before shutting down.

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