Quote:
Originally Posted by ian2000t
So... am I just very unlucky and have gathered 3 waxstats that are all faulty? Were they that bad a design?
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Yes they are faulty. The pistons should extend far further than 2mm, and nearly impossible to push back in until cooled to ambient.
Bad design? Probably not a bad use of technology of its day, but one could imagine a better design (better for the overall long-term health of the engine) using the opposite orientation: cold-start lever normally held in non-advanced position when thermostatic actuator has failed, instead of failing to the advanced timing position.
The brass actuator is held in by a collar which unscrews from the housing as you can guess from the threads. Inside the brass actuator is a small reservoir of hydraulic (brake) fluid (or similar) that when heated, actuates the highly-polished piston which slides in the brass bore, sealed by a o-ring. Life expectancy dependent on manufacturing tolerances, and corrosion or damage to the piston which could tear up the bore/seal. Severe overheating could also probably damage it.
It appears to be soldered together, not very user friendly for DIY reconditioning.
Where did you try fastening the manual cable and what type of cable did you use? I have one from a lawnmower that I have set aside to use when the actuator on mine fails.