ok, whenever i hear the issue of using 160 degree thermostats being brought up, some dude, who's avatar sez he lives in like juneau alaska or some other place where it stays cold through the summer, proclaims "don't do it! your computer will never get to closed loop mode!"
My question is, for those of us that live in the freaking desert, does that really matter?
I mean, it seems like the engine temp will just blow past the crossover temp anyways, and that having a 160 stat will just aid in reducing the upward temperature "momentum"
yeah so tell me if I'm wrong.
or if I'm right
unless you drive your car somewhere the ambient temp never maintains above 100
thanks in advance

 

I have use one for several years. In the summer out here you'll be fine. In the winter if you do a lot of highway driving the engine will stay pretty cool. So much in fact that the heat in your car will only get a little warm and not really hot. But I have never had a problem of going back into open loop.

If your worried about it, change t-stats in October and April. It's like a 20 minute job, tops.

 

My car never gets over 197F and I have a 195 degree stat.

The minimum coolant temp to go into closed loop (stock AUJP bin) is 113F. Under 132F it'll pull out timing in certain manifold pressures (mostly part throttle), and will reduce the duty cycle of your EGR. The computer won't command the correct (as GM intended) idle RPM until you hit 175F.

Personally, I think 160 is too low. If your car gets too hot during the summer, fix the problem. A 180 stat would be more realistic IMHO.

 

Tell me, how do you prevent your coolant from getting more than 2 degrees over the stat?

Forgive me if i sound incredulous, because regardless of it all, I do apreciate everybodies 2 cents.

"egr duty cycle" ?? I don't even think my EGR works

 

Set the fan turnon temp to 199F in the chip and have an aluminum radiator. With the stock radiator it never got over 201F.

 

Cool, I read your website and saw that you have an alum rad, and a specialized water pump (i dunno if specialized can be correct terminology, nonetheless it isn't stock like mine).

By the way, I set up some manual fan switches. So right now everything is good. But last summer, even when I turned them on as soon as I fired up the car, it didn't seem to make a difference. Ultimately

Thanks for your suggestion though

 

Then it would seem to me that you have some issues with your cooling system in general. Like someone said, using a 160 stat to "bandaid" other problems isn't a good idea. I tried one on my 85Z28 when I had the HSR setup and I didn't like it running so cool. I switched to a 180 stat. I liked it much better.

 

I had a 160 in my car even back in Wisconsin and it got into closed loop, just took a while, out here I've never had a problem with it staying in open either.

 

Got a 160 stat in my car, works great, car gets to operating temp REALLY quick, never even comes close to overheating (at least, now that I've replaced 80% of my cooling system).

 

Glad to hear that rad is still working for ya.....

 

i tried to bandaid my cooling system with a 160 stat.. like bruce said above worked great after i replaced ALL of my cooling system.. even then my car still would get hot..
Now i am replacing the engine so i think my heads were the problem maybe warped or something.. IT can be so many problems.. just know that... oh yeah never use radiator stop leak

Shawn

 

It's working BEAUTIFULLY!!! Still can't thank you enough for that. I just wish the rest of my car wasn't falling apart around it Ohh well, can't wait to be driving my new TBI'd vehicle in a couple weeks!!

*cought* 454 *cough*

 

lol, freakin burban... 454 tbi... pleh... jerkface...

 

I thought it was "slowface"

 

Nope, thats you and your 4 cylinder firebird

 

lol, that was pretty funny...

 

Hehe

 

 

I dunno guys... these cars just tend to run hotter than most no matter what you use. I went thru all of the thermostats before deciding that the 195 kept it the coolest.

I think using the 160 on a pretty much stock motor is a crock of if you really want an opinion.