i have an 87 T/A 305 TPI, stock.
i was thinking for this summer to put in a lower thermostat. Thinking of putting in a 180 stat. If i do so would that affect the performance of the car in anyway, meaning computer wise, emission wise? or anything like that?

 

I put a 160* in mine 3yrs ago and had no problems.Some people suggest only going as low as 175*.But either way it shouldn't give you trouble.Just run a little cooler

------------------
1991 1LE Z28 355cu 5SPD (ORIGINALLY 305 BEST E.T. 14.186@99.86mph)NO PASSES ON 355 YET.MINI RAM INTAKE,AFR 190 HEADS,10.23:1cr 24# SVO INJECTORS,BBK 52mmTB,AFPR
FULL ROLLER MOTOR,1.6 rockers MSD 6AL
AUTOMETER A/F GAGUE MARCH PULLEYS,HEDDMEN HEADERS 3IN EXH NO CATS FLOWMASTER,POWER TRAX NO-SLIP LOCKER,3:42 GEARS,LAKEWOOD LOWER CONTROL ARMS HOTCHIKS STRUTTOWER BRACE,COMPETTION ENG.SUBFRAME CONNECTORS
MALLORY TACH W/SHIFT LITE
BLACK, TINTED WINDOWS, TAIL LIGHT COVERS BIG BLOCK COWL INDUCTION HOOD,SHAVED DOOR HANDLES

67RS 327cu 92K ORIG MILES.NEWER GM HEADS HEADERS,650 HOLLEY CARB,CAM, 350 TURBO TRANS W/SHIFT KIT&COOLER 12 BOLT POSI 3.73'S MUTLILEAF SPRINGS
NEW VINYLROOF&CARPET, COWL HOOD,HIDE AWAY HEAD LITES,

[This message has been edited by chiefz28 (edited August 11, 2001).]

 

Raul,

I live almost directly west of you.

I've found that a 180°F thermostat works well in this area. A 160°F thermostat will help you run cooler in the summer but is inadequate in fall and winter. The stock ECM PROM requires a Coolant Temperature Sensor reading of 176°F to enter full closed-loop operation and enable all ECM functions. A 170°F thermostat might get you to that point since the thermostat only begins to open at that temperature, and is fully opened at 185°F. However, if the thermostat capsule and/or the coolant temperature sensor are a little off calibration (like they all are) the coolant temperature may never be adequate. A 160°F thermostat will almost certainly fail to reach adequate temperature in cooler weather. Those people who are running a 160°F thermostat are probably getting the 100°F that we see in the summer, but I'll bet most of them don't experience the -25°F that we get in the winter. (Lets not even get into the 95% humidity.) Unless you want to change the thermostat again in October, the 180°F is a good year-round selection.

To take full advantage of the cooler thermostat, regardless of what temperature you decide to use, you'll have to alter the fan control as well. The electric fan is controlled by the ECM to turn on at 223°F. Because of this, a cooler thermostat does little or no good at idle and low speeds, when there is no air flowing through the radiator. I have a fan control set to 187-200°F, and my coolant never exceeds the 205°F mark, even sitting bumper-to-bumper in traffic with the AC on full (like last week).

If you plan to change the ECM PROM, you can use a cooler thermostat, but with a stock PROM around here, 180°F is a good choice in my opinion.

------------------
Later,
Vader
------------------
"Let the bodies hit the floor!"
Adobe Acrobat Reader

 

thanks Vader and chief,
i forgot to mention about the location i live in, our area does run cold and hot weather...
and that's true of what you said (vader)about the climate and regional area.
-my car doesn't have a problem at idle
infact it run cooler (around 180) then running at highway speeds, for this reason it is because I run both fans simutaniously...
and since i don't have the front spoiler and my lower deflector is broken, it's hard to get air into the radiator and the car does run very hot at highway speeds and when the air temp is over 90 degrees, the car would run past 230...which i end up venting by putting the heater on...
i was thinking about putting like the jet fan switch which would help as well..
thanks for the input guys..

 

Replacing the air dam and it's components would be the wisest move you could make. It is extremely critical.

 

as much as i wish i could replace those components, too bad nobody on the classifieds has the parts i need!!! their either broken off or not avaliable...
and if went to the dealer, which i did end up asking, it would cost me a bit too much:
this would have to include the front fascia
and ground effects.
not what i really need, all i need is the front spoiler and front center deflector.
oh well, just gotta keep looking...