O.K. Guys - I swapped out my idiot lights for an instrument cluster.

My temp gauge is reading a hair below the 220 mark. IS THAT NORMAL / O.K.?????

I have a 305 N/A. Engine. 24K original miles. I did of course have to change the sensors (oil press & Coolant temp) - I changed the thermostat 2 years back - a 190 was stock, so I kept it there because I was not sure if the lower temp thermostat would mess up the closed loop operation.

What do you guys think? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Boomer

 

220 is normal, thats how the car came from the factory due to emissions,.. id swap the stat for a 170* and put in a hypertech fan switch.. you wont have to worry about closed loop, you will still reach it.

 

Right, that's about normal, no cause for alarm. It's the factory's emissions setting though, not optimum for power. But there's no harm in it.

You can modfy the cooling system as Ron described with no ill effects, especially if there's no smog inspection where you live.

Make sure there's a good lower air dam on the car, otherwise it will tend to run hot on the highway. That's a black plastic piece nounted directly below the radiator, it's the thing that always scrapes on parking bumpers and curbs and such. Without it the radiator won't get enough airflow when cruising.

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

 

Thanks guys - I really appreciate the feedback.

We have emissions testing here in the greater Cincy suburbs, so I can't really modify too much. The air dam under the nose is in good shape - I'll keep a close eye on it.

So, without a different fan, would it make any difference if I dropped to a lower thermostat?

tx,
Boomer