Has anyone ran a 160 thermostat with their TBI setup, the chip instructions say 91+ octane with stock thermo, so if i run a 160 i can runn like mid grade right??i just wanna no before i seal my thermostat......Thanks gang!!

 

Please tell me you didn't purchase a hypertech chip....

 

i run a 160 , but i had burn my own chip with that, with a 160 t-stat, and the stock chip, it will never get into closed loop. trust me, i datalogged with the min closed loop temp, set at several diffrent places, to get it to run like i wanted, and to keep it in closed loop while driving around with the 160 tstat

 

Nope I didnt pucrchase a hypertech chip just a tbi chip form brian for a cop car caprice,so whats the lowest temp thermostat that i can use with out any problems, so does the octane of the fuel have anything to do with the thermostat or temp of the engine??This is what he states in the ad

"Also, this is a performance chip. You must run either 91 octane with stock 195 thermostat or you can run 87 octane with a colder than stock thermostat like a 160-180 degree stat".

 

it has to do with the advanced timing, at cooler temps you can run more timing without detination. but at higher temps, with the same timing, you need to run higher octane gas to avoid detination. the problem you are going to have with the cooler tstat, is that if you are just sitting, your car will heat up, you and you will have knock. if you are going to do a lower tstat, you should also get a lower temp fan switch, to fan comes on and off at a lower temp to correspond wiht you new tstat.

this is the exact reason i am not a fan of pre-made performance chips, you just don't know what is going on, and every engine is diffrent. when you get to burn your own, you can do what you engine LIKES, my engine like to run about 170* with 4* initial advance. so the 160* tstat, with a closed loop min temp of about 154* works great for me, it stays in closed loop on the freeway on a cold day, and in the heat, it stays in its sweet spot for temp. that kind of thing is something that no one can predict without spending time driving the car, and looking at datalogs.

 

ok guys with a 160 t-stat i will have to set my min temp for closed loop at 154 like you did but what else i want to know is what did you set your idle rpm vs temps at?? i set mine lower so the car will idle the same as it would with a 195* in it.. otherwise my car was running at like 800 or so rpms at 160* i lowered the idle rpm vs temps up the scale from 600 rpm up to like 1200 rpm lowering the temps by like 30* should i have done this.. reason i am asking is cuz i am getting a surging idle and sometimes stalling untill the car warms up.. then it is steady no problems what so ever.. so i want to know if you did this first of all and second of all what your rpm vs temp is. i also lowered the fan temps by 30* too but i dont think that is the problem.. please help it is driving me nuts

 

please note i have a 350 tpi not tbi in an 87 gta running a 730 ecm out of a 1990 trans am..

 

I'll have to check on what I have have for the min idle vs temp stuff. I don't really have the same tables you do. Most of my idle is done via two constants (closed loop commanded idle, and Closed loop commanded idle A/C on).

What are the motor specs? Once i put the cam in my car, i couldn't get away with the 600rpm idle anymore, it would surge a bit. I had to pump that up. You might try setting the idle at 850 or so, and see where that gets you.

 

i run that same chip and 160* is TOO COLD for it... i never get it out of open loop... when it does heat up enough to get into closed loop, the timing goes way off and i get a "Low voltage at ESC" code...

 

What is closed loop and open loop. I put a 160 tstat in my 305 without any chip reprograming. So does it stay in one of them and hurt my performance.

 

i really haven't done anything to the motor besides a tpi air foil, k and n air filter, ecm change over from maf to map.. to eventually run ram air through my louvers.. i have a msd box but it isn't hooked up yet i just finished a serpentine belt setup of an 89 headers, high flow cat, flowmaster 80 sreries muffler. the t-stat was the only other thing i did or atleast have hooked up right now. other than that stuff nothing though. i hope someone with a tpi like me reads this so maybe i can figure out their tables cuz i am sick of it surging and like i said after it is warmed up it is fine for the entire length of the car being on. even after you shut it off if it is still warm later it will run beautiful.. oh yeah and open look seems to be a state that the computer stays in till the car warms up. when you enter closed loop mode the ecm starts pulling fuel out of the mix to make it run clean so i guess open loop would be like a choke mode or something from what i gather. i could be wrong or partially correct i dunno..

 

Closed loop is basically when the ecm begins using the feedback from the O2 to control the fueling. I wouldnt run anything less then a 180 with a computer controlled car.

Id personally just run a stock t-stat. The stock cooling systems suck and in really hot weather can usually only get the coolant as low as 210 or so in traffic. I had a low temp t-stat but I got tired of the hot all summer/cold all winter deal. I switched back to a 195 t-stat and just set the fan on-off temps so it run around 210-220 all the time.

 

My car runs at 105 celcius. So would a 180 stat be better. I tseems my car runs better in open loop before it is warmed up. I think my car is not getting enough fuel.

 

do you have any idea where to get a lower temp fan switch??

 

Both Hypertech and Jet sell lower temp. fan switches for our cars for around $40, which you can find at Summit Racing or Jegs, but you can get pretty much the exact same thing for $13 here, part number 609-106: http://www.madvet.com/shop?frame=1.138.944

I have that exact fan switch and it works perfectly. It's a direct swap.

 

I disconnected my A/C so if I just switch on the AC in my car it turns on the fan. Fan Switch!

 

What about mechanical fan types. I have been looking at increasing timing and running a lower stat. Stock is 194 degrees, correct? I was looking at a 180 as a compromise to keep it off a high octane diet. Mine is a big heave car (Caprice), so It would be more apt to knock on acceleration due to increased load I'd think. And don't knock me because I don't drive a third gen. My family is single income (wife is a fulltime mom), with a three year old, a child on the way, and I am just about to leave the navy and become a high school teacher. In short, I need 4 doors and can't afford a project car.

 

its a thirdgen caprice right? j/k... as long as its TBI, we really dont care.. lol, but running a mechanical fan that connects to the water pump robs horsepower... electrical fans are more efficient, more powerful and they dont take any horsepower away from the motor. is your caprice currently a mechanical type? if it is, i would consider switching, if its electrical, why would you go mechanical? 180 should work pretty well, i wouldnt figure much would change in the electronics side of things so im sure a new chip wont need to be burned.