tininjun68

I wanted to go to a 160 degree thermostat in my 89 305 T/A. Do I have to change the fan switch as well, to work in conjunction with it?

RB83L69

Probably so... the stock fan switch will turn the fan on at around 230° and back off at something like 210°, so even with the cooler thermostat, your temp will still hang around the upper half of your gauge when sitting still... of course, on the highway, the motor should run pretty close to thermostat temp, but then it will just do what it's always done when you stop.

People say that a fan switch set to cut in at about 200° and out at 180° works out well with the 160° stat.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

Stuart Moss

I wanted to answer your post, but since you put ATTN: RB83L69 I presume your question is intended only for him and you don't value or want others to respond.

Just a suggestion - when you want a response from RB83L69, e-mail him. That way, your correspondence will remain private (relatively speaking), and it'll probably be faster.

8Mike9

I wonder if Vader is getting jealous over the past few days with the questions directed at RB? BWAAHAAHAA!!

tininjun68

Hey Stuart, didn't mean to stifle any responses you or anyone wanted to send. That was not my intention. I know a few things about repairing cars but when I had first posted a problem on this site, RB answered fast and correctly. As a former parts changer(read: mechanic), I appreciated RB's quick and informed response. I was under the assumption from that post that RB is possibly an ASE tech.

tininjun68

So I can get this "different"(turns the fan on at 200° and off at 180°) fan switch at any parts store or is it a dealer or aftermarket part?

Stuart Moss

I don't even bother with the auto stores/dealer. Unless you give them a specific year/make/model, they're often "lost". It used to drive me up the wall when I had a Chevy SB 350 in a 1977 Toyota Land Cruiser, and whenever I went for a part (somewhere south of Mexico), they always demanded to know the type of vehicle it was in, even when I said it didn't matter, only giving the year of the engine. So when I gave them the Chevrolet/Toyota combination, they knew why I said it didn't matter.

Anyway, to answer your question, I would call Summit at 1.800.230.3030. I like talking to a live human being, and all my experiences with them have been positive. They seem knowledgeable, and have parts that aren't listed in their catalog.

I got mine a couple years ago from them, p/n JET-60600 (200° on, 185° off).

The problem with parts stores is that they often do not know the temperature that they turn on or off. They are often only listed for a specific year/make of car. Even if you did determine the operating temperatures, you'd still have to match the thread size, ensure that the sensor does not protrude too deep and the electrical connector will mate with the factory wiring. So unless you get someone very knowledgeable, well... you see where I'm going, don't you?

[This message has been edited by Stuart Moss (edited August 06, 2001).]

tininjun68

Thanks for the info Stuart.

I ROCK

Something else you may want to consider - I changed my fan switch to come on at 203 but since the computer doesn't switch on the primary fan until 215 (on mine) the secondary doesn't come on until then either.

SSC

I know this is off the topic specificly RB and Tin's tech thermostat swich part.

Stuart brings up a good laugh that can be shared with all thirdgen and any other engine swapers around the globe. The auto parts guys "i'll exclude a few cause some do know thier stuff" semm to have the world cruble in front of them if they cant use their computers . Go into autozone and ask for a pre 87 sbc valve cover gasket set. Simple enough right? SBC is what SBC does, Can they just pick a year at random? NO! I need the year and engine size sir. Ok then, 86 camaro 350. UHHHHHH you mean 305 5.0. NO, 86 350 5.7. We dont seem to be showing an 86 350 we have a 2.8, 305, 305ho. Are you sure you have a V8? Uh Yea! . you must have a 305 sir. Uh NO! You can see the the hampster falling off the wheel now so you cut the poor guys some slack. Its a 350! But ah. Shhh, its not the original engine but the 305 valve covers will work because its a SCB pre 87. Five, ten min later he comes back with the gaskets and says here they are, Gee they fit alot of chevys look at all the engine sizes on the back. Hmm, could it possible thats why I told you SBC pre 87
Its good for a laugh the first few dozen times but eventually it gets old and I just say 305.
Heh land cruiser with a 350, I bet that was fun getting chevy parts for .
SSC

[This message has been edited by SSC (edited August 10, 2001).]

Guest

LOL!
I used to sell parts, and no I was not the moron. 'Modified' was my middle name. SBC valve cover gasket? Perimeter or centerbolt? Rubber or cork or the new fancy not supposed to dry up and wither away $$$$ cork one? One VS 12869 coming right up....

Try getting parts for my mustang sometime... about the only thing thats actually the year of the car is the body. It never even came with the tranny thats in it. Or the rear brakes... I even have a GM CS series alternator in it off a Sunbird LOL!

As for your fan switch dilemma, theres little out there in the way of 'factory' replacements that turn on at a decent temp. IIRC the lowest I found (around 200 IIRC) was for a late 80's early 90's Chevy pickup truck. I have heard of a turbo buick sensor as well, but I think thats like in the 160 range although I could very well be mistaken. If you wanna go the parts store route to get one, you have to find one that has a Buyer's Guide... and someone that knows how to read it.

[This message has been edited by madmax (edited August 10, 2001).]