Reply To: Series 80 Thermostat: Whoa!

[Peter Williams]

Randy,

BTW, if your neck is not in need of replacing (but you should do it anyway), you can reduce the galvanic corrosion by putting a sacrificial ZINC anode inside of the cylinder head.

These are found at boat stores.

With boats, they are typically attached to the propeller shaft and need to be replaced every few years as they disintegrate over time.

With sea-going boats it is better to replace a $5.00 shaft anode every few years than to replace a $1,200.00 bronze propeller or a $1,000.00 stainless steel propeller shaft.

Galvanic corrosion is less severe in freshwater, but remains a problem.

If you pursue the sacrificial anode route, just make sure that you can access the anode and that it is of sufficient size so that it does not break loose and plug your cooling system.

Paul Jacob’s kit will eliminate the need for a sacrificial anode because of the non-metal material that he uses to cast the thermostat neck.

Peter