i know this is a pretty dumb question but when buying a new thermostat is there a specific brand or price i should look for because a friend of mine told me that the ones that are cheaper in price are cheaper in quality. also when i looked on oreillyautoparts.com for a parts number it gave me a selection of temperatures like 180-189, 190-199, and 169 degrees and less. what does that infer to? like is it at that temp that it kicks on the fan? or something completely diff? im still a noob at this and im trying to learn the trade... if that makes any sense.
thanks - Aaron

 

Brand prefrerence is yours. You want no lower than 180 degrees. Doesn't have anything to do with fan operation though. Lower than 180 and your computer will be making the fuel mixyure too rich because it thinks the engine is still cold - you'll also not get any heat in winter months. Higher than 195 and you'll be getting too warm in the summer months.

I run a 180 year round, some swap to 195 in fall to have more heater action in winter, then swap to 180 in spring to keep car cooler in hot summer heat.

 

thanks. well i live in southern cali and winters here are not that bad so i guess a swapping isnt necessary. cool i just saw the sticky thread above and thought id check it out and turns out my answer was right under my nose lol. thanks for informing me tho and not saying search lol i dont like it when people say that cuz itll be easier on everyone if they just pointed it out lol. n e who a 180 it is. thanks
-Aaron

ohh and another question if you dont mind. is it better to get a fail safe for double the price? (11 bucks) or im better off with a cheaper normal kind?

 

I think thye FailSafe's just have a few holes drilled in the sides to allow some flow regardless of whether the stat opens or not, if you have a drill and a 1/8 bit you can make your own failsafe.

 

lol sounds like fun. alright well seems like itll be better to get the non failsafe cuz if it fails at least i know what it is since itll over heat. cool thanks alot for the help i really appreciate it
-Aaron

 

The deal with the failsafe thermostats is that they are designed so if the car overheats the thermostat will be locked into being stuck open rather than closed, theoretically avoiding severe overheating damages that may ensue