my car was overheating the other night, it would get hot, and then cool down, i think my thermostats gone, so im going to replace it with a 160, do you guys think thats my problem? and is there anything special i should know about replacing the thermostat, thanks.

 

A lower temp Tstat will only help you car run cooler at highway speed.

Could be your problem, might not be.

Does it run hot at idle/ stop and go, or running down the highway?

 

well its never been a problem, but recently my coolant has been "boiling" after i turn the engine off, it sounds like its boiling, maybe its because *I KNOW THIS IS BAD* i have been putting water in because i have no money to buy antifreeze (there is antifreeze in there, jut really watered down...BAD, i know) but yeah, um it starts to overheat about 5-10 minutes after normal use, it doesnt get to the red line, but the line under it, stays like that for a little bit then goes down, then stays down for a little bit then goes back up, so its not highway use thats causing it to overheat, its daily driving.

why do people allways talk about getting a 160* thermostat when it comes to performance mods?

 

waxx..Well it sounds to me like you have a leak some where thats problem number one. It seems like that may be the reason why your car is over heating.(look for water stains) If you have a leak on the top of your motor some where air will build up there and cause your motor to run hot because water isnt flowing across the metal like it should and hot air pockets build up there...
Usually when an old school thermostat go's out they stick shut and it will run hot and usually stick that way until you replace it.
You should always use an anti freeze/water 50/50 mix in the very least at least a rust inhibitor because water alone will cause huge amounts of rust to build up in your block water flow passages heater core and block the passages in the radiator eventually.(pay now or pay later)

The reason people want to run 160 temps is in hopes of keeping the motor cooler because hot motors perform like ishhhhhh and hi heat kills performance. vice versa

rob

 

well by the main radiator hose is stained looking and i thought that was because there was a leak due to the overheating, it does leak but i cant find out where, so should i flush out the water and not drive it untill i resolve the problem?

 

Well you could start by looking at that hose with the system full while the car is running hot and look at it closely to see if vapors or a mist is coming from it there might be a pin hole in it or it could just be a hose clamp problem. If your not too sure just replace the whole hose.

I noticed the other day that a few of the auto parts places are now selling pre mixed anti freeze/water and its half the cost of regular coolant. maybe you should consider going that route in the very least try to have some coolant in there rather than none.

you can still drive it with just water but its not somthing that you want to do for an extended amount of time with out any type of anti rust additive. a small leaks a problem you need solved before it gets worse.

 

i replaced the hose when i got the car, it blew and yeah, that was bad, anyways, i will clamp it down harder to see if thats what it is, and i dont see any vapor but i know its coming from one general area..