ignition voltage and thermostat

[hope2cwater]

I got my 55hp chrysler running and it sounds good and smooth. There is no wiring to the engine so I just ran a wire on a toggle switch from 12 volts too my ignition. My question is do I need to have a resistor in the circuit to cut the voltage down so the points don't burn out or will it be ok with 12 volts all the time?
Second question is how do I know when the thermostat opens or how do I tell if it is stuck; either shut or open?
BTW it is a 1967 55hp w/alt. model #55771 Thanks

 

[eurolarva]

Re: ignition voltage and thermostat

Chances are that thermostat is the original one. It really should be changed however doing so is usually pretty brutal. Almost always at least one of the 4 screws will sieze on you which requires a bunch of effort to get them out. You wont know if it is bad because there is a bypass so water will flow even if the thermostat is bad Good thing is once you do it you will probably never have to do it again. If the last one lasted 40 + years you should get at least ten out of the new one.

You want to kill power to the ignition if the motor is not running. On a closed point it wont take a long time before it overheats.

 

[hope2cwater]

Re: ignition voltage and thermostat

So there is no way to know if t-stat is working?
I understand that You need to turn ignition off when not running ; but I know on chrysler cars they had a resistor to cut voltage down to about 9 volts when running. Do boat motors do the same?

 

[eurolarva]

Re: ignition voltage and thermostat

No resister in the ignition system. When motor is up to running speed there should be some water coming out the telltale. Water should be hot enough not to burn but be real warm. You could use a kitchen thermometer to test how hot it is. I believe the tstat runs around 130 to 140 degrees so if water is around that temp the tstat should be working.

 

[hope2cwater]

Re: ignition voltage and thermostat

If the t-stat is stuck open will it cause any problems? or just give me poor performance and poor fuel mileage? If it is stuck shut will I still see water coming out the hole? Water comes out pretty fast now at idle. Seems to be fairly warm. I wonder if t-stat is stuck and water is just by-passing t-stat?