I've got a 1981 ke38 wagon! It's got a 4K and weber carby! Just been registered for the first time in 6-7 months! Drove it about 2km and got back and it's was still running cold! Let it idle for about 10inites since getting back and it went up to just above the cold line, then went back down below cold line. Was wondering if anyone knew what could be the problem?

Check you actually have a thermostat in the thermostat housing.

Somebody has most likely removed the thermostat.

Yeh think that could be it :( cheers guys

Ill have to check! Might need a replacement :)

If it has a thermostat, make sure it is closed when cold and opens in hot water at whatever temp it is marked with. Maybe it is jammed open.

 

If the problem is still there, take off the radiator cap before you start it one day and put a thermometer in the top. Idle it without the cap for 5minutes and check the thermometer against the gauge. It might actually be warming up but the sensor is broken.

Just swap the thermostat. I wouldn't even bother testing it, by the time you've pulled the old one out, you might as well just chuck a new one in for 12 bucks.

What is the normal running temperature for a 4K engine?

82˚C - 88˚C

Alright :) thanks heaps :)

Just wondering! Would it be possible to use gasket paper to replace the gasket on the thermostat housing? Or is there a certain gasket I should get and how much should it cost :) cheers

You can use the gasket paper to replace the gasket but I'd recommend using RTV sealant with it.

What would be the correct gasket?

Just make one... They will be around, but you'll probably need a parts place who supply garages with their bits, like my local Mid-State Spares, rather than Repco or Supa-Cheap. I could walk in there with a sample and go out the back to look through all the stuff they carry to find one.

 

Rub the top housing on some wet 'n dry sandpaper on a flat surface, and do the same to the housing on the motor where the gasket sits. They should both come up with a flat clean shiny surface. If the top bit looks shitty, buy another one, they corrode away over time and never seal very well.

There is no available gasket for the k series thermostat housing, so that's what I was told a few years back when replacing my thermostat in my ke70. So I did the next best thing, bought some gasket paper and cut out a rough piece slightly larger than the surface area of the removable piece and with a ball pained hammer I tapped on the gasket paper to stencil out the basis for my gasket.

 

Once that was done, with a blade, scissors or whatever I just tidied up the holes for bolts to fit through etc, etc. Then I make a second gasket for god measure so I could bond the pieces together. I put everything back together and it's god as gold.