I run that lower thermostat in chicago where it gets pretty chilly only thing i can say i seem to get better performance. I tried other but seem to like this one for performance reasons. Probably just my mind thinking its better though. Besides its a truck its not a damn limousine to be nice and toasty.

 

i guess i wanted to add to the information about Tstats. i have a question.

1. doesa 160 t stat mean it will open when temp reaches 160? and then close once its 160 again? so really operating temps could be 160-170 right?

2. where is the temp reading coming from on these engines? the intake?

the reason im asking is because i have a stock t state which is the 195 but im always between 195-205. so thats why it leads me to think thata 180 t stat would run from 180-190 and a 160 would run from 160-170.

as im writing this that doesnt make any sense...

3. new question does a Tstat work like your house a/c, keeps it under 160 no matter what? so the operating temp couild be 155-160?

sorry just trying to understand.

 

Tstat only opens and closes at the specified temp. How cool the vehicle actually runs depends on the radiator efficiency and the ambient air temperature.

I am currently running 2 electric fans on my vehicle and they cool way better than the stock fans ever did. It'll pull the temp to just about 180 sitting in backed up traffic all day long. Highest I ever saw it was about 195* in105* heat when an acetylene refilling station caught firehere in Dallas earlier this year and backed up traffic for 3 hours. That sucked.

Now, back to the popcorn...[sm=popcorn.gif]

 

160 means it will open when coolant temp reaches 160 (or so). You can test what temp it opens and closes by putting it in a pan of water, and watching it open or close as you heat the water on the stove. Yes, even with it open, temps could reach 170 or even 180, 190, 200, etc. Just because the t-stat is open, doesn't mean temps will automatically come down to 160. That has more to do with the effectiveness of your radiator, not the t-stat. If the radiator can't cool hot coolant down to 160 degree, then it doesn't matter what temp your t-stat is, your radiator is going to only cool the coolant as best as it can. The t-stat is really just a device that determines at what point yout coolant starts running through the radiator, and when it doesn't.

 

i feel dumb now lol.. i knew that but for some reason i thought it MADE it get colder...as dumb as that sounds lol.

aim4squirrels, do you have any pics of you fan setup?

 

This has all been very entertaining. Love the little popcorn dude.


Indy-- I know what you are saying about the heat. I installed the 180 in my 99 and the heat seem to take forever to work. Especially on those real cold days.

Silver-- I understand the open/closed loop. Like the mass air sensor that requires air temp for fuel mixtures, how does the ecu/m use the engine temp as a perameter.Why throw a CEL for cold temp? The thing will work unless the block is froze, right? I am just trying to get a better understanding of how this is all tied together. Depending on how it works you can consider this a performance mod?!

Damn computers.

Calvin-- your radiator is not an air conditioner.

 

The PCM uses coolant temp because it is not a mass air engine (i.e. no mass air sensor), it is a speed density system. In fact, it uses a combination of sensor inputs to determine things like fuel curves and open/closed loop modes among other things. I don't think you will actually get a CEL from too cold of a t-stat, but many people get a stored code.

I do not consider the t-stat change a performance mod. It might help other performance mods you have by reducing the likelyhood of pinging caused by those mods (like advance timing you might have from a PCM performance mod for example). But by itself, it is not a performance mod.

 

On engines with a "speed density" type of fuel injection, the MAP sensor also helps the PCM estimate airflow. Problems here may cause an intermittent check engine light (light comes on when accelerating or when the engine is under load), hesitation when accelerating, elevated emissions and poor engine performance. The engine will run with a bad MAP sensor, but it will run poorly. Some PCMs can substitute "estimated data" for a missing or out of range MAP signal, but engine performance will be drastically reduced.

Coolant Sensor Strategies: The coolant sensor is a pretty reliable sensor, but if it fails it can prevent the engine control system from going into closed loop. This will result in a rich fuel mixture, excessive fuel consumption and elevated carbon monoxide (CO) emissions - which may cause the vehicle to fail an emissions test

Plus the only way that you would get a CEL cause it did not warm up quick enough .. to much time in open loop..

 

Here's what I got:



[IMG]local://upfiles/68540/433267378D4B4730A20864F785F18A2C.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/68540/2912BD7B855C4EE9864FB818930BBD4D.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/68540/2BEAB85EA71740CE9D64D2979ABCD2F6.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/68540/A24C09C84C404A04946BAF17FCA9206C.jpg[/IMG]

 

Lets talk about 160 stats OPEN,,! hot day,,! traffic, !AC on,! thermo opens ,stays open all day cause its TOO low? Engine cant cool water circulates too fast, passes through the radiator too fast.? like no stat at all.! Stockstat is best,, do some fan changing.! Any thoughts ?