Lower temp. thermostat

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turboscrew

New Member

Jun 23, 2004

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Aug 3, 2004

#1

• Aug 3, 2004

• #1

Are there any power gains to be had by switching to a cooler thermostat, say like a 180 deg.? i think the stock ones are 210 deg. Right? I put Autolite 764s in Sat. Would that hurt or help with a cooler therm.?

 

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AREJAY

Founding Member

Jul 2, 2002

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Snohomish, Wa

Aug 3, 2004

#2

• Aug 3, 2004

• #2

It helps. Particularly in hot weather. Cooler is better. I would also dump a bottle of Amsol Waterwetter down the radiator when you do a flush and replace the coolant.

 

stangman

15 Year Member

Jul 10, 2003

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in a 3 bed, 2 bath

Aug 3, 2004

#3

• Aug 3, 2004

• #3

192 is the stock thermostat. your car will benifit from running cooler obviously, but to take advantage of the cooler thermostat you need to get either a electric fan switch, or have the fans tuned on at a earlier temp. by way of a chip or tuner

 

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billyfe390

New Member

Aug 18, 2003

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Aug 3, 2004

#4

• Aug 3, 2004

• #4

If you get your fans set lower a 180 is great but never under any circumstances go cooler than 180.

 

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turboscrew

New Member

Jun 23, 2004

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Aug 3, 2004

#5

• Aug 3, 2004

• #5

Does the computer have the set temp. to turn on the fans?

 

stangman

15 Year Member

Jul 10, 2003

2,690

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in a 3 bed, 2 bath

Aug 3, 2004

#6

• Aug 3, 2004

• #6

turboscrew said:

Does the computer have the set temp. to turn on the fans?

Click to expand...

yes

 

propellerhead

New Member

Apr 13, 2004

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"but what's with the but shots?"

Aug 4, 2004

#7

• Aug 4, 2004

• #7

From http://www.mustangworks.com/articles/misc/StangFAQ.html#5

- Change (or remove) the factory thermostat

This is based on the fact that cooler air is denser, so the less you heat the air coming into the engine, the more air/fuel mixture you can pack into each cylinder. An old shade-tree mechanic fix, but it's got several strikes against it. First, you never want to remove the thermostat completely. The cooling system has been designed with the thermostat restriction in mind, and removing it will actually _hurt_ cooling. Second, cylinder wall wear increases as operating temperatures are lowered. The stock Mustang thermostat is set for 196 degrees Fahrenheit. Dropping to 180 will increase wear somewhat, and dropping to 160 or 140 will increase wear dramatically.

On EFI cars, cooler thermostats are rumoured to increase performance because the engine will run richer at temperatures below 180 degrees Fahrenheit. True, the EEC-IV will richen the mixture, but staying in "warm up" mode entails more than just a richer mixture. The EEC-IV will be more conservative with the timing curves, and will never get into "closed loop" operation (where it uses the oxygen sensors to fine-tune the mixture). The result will likely be poorer drivability and _decreased_ performance. Also, catalytic converters can be damaged over time by an engine that's continually running rich.

VERDICT - Don't remove the thermostat entirely, and don't use a thermostat below 180 degrees Fahrenheit on an EFI car.

 

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kawasakizx7r

New Member

Jan 9, 2004

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Aug 4, 2004

#8

• Aug 4, 2004

• #8

Need some help,please.
I was going to lower my t-stat,but for now iam running stock.

What should the car run for temps at the gauge "NORMAL" mines at
"M" right now and seems to be hotter then it should and thats at normal driving and 70-80 degree weather.

Would like it at the "O" but having a hard time doing so,any tips??

I recently flushed the cooling system and new thermostat.

 

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billyfe390

New Member

Aug 18, 2003

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Aug 4, 2004

#9

• Aug 4, 2004

• #9

kawasakizx7r said:

Need some help,please.
I was going to lower my t-stat,but for now iam running stock.

What should the car run for temps at the gauge "NORMAL" mines at
"M" right now and seems to be hotter then it should and thats at normal driving and 70-80 degree weather.

Would like it at the "O" but having a hard time doing so,any tips??

I recently flushed the cooling system and new thermostat.

Click to expand...

Thats probably normal because the stock guages arent very accurate.

 

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kawasakizx7r

New Member

Jan 9, 2004

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Aug 4, 2004

#10

• Aug 4, 2004

• #10

You think so?? I just bought this car,so iam trying to figure out
whats up,so the seller can dish out some money,if its something major.

My next step was to change the temp sending unit and see what happens,
maybe i will just buy a new gauge also?? Probably not,but iam desperate.

I have a "95" gts and it sits at "N" all day long,hot or cold!!!

Thanks.

 

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billyfe390

New Member

Aug 18, 2003

573

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0

Aug 4, 2004

#11

• Aug 4, 2004

• #11

kawasakizx7r said:

You think so?? I just bought this car,so iam trying to figure out
whats up,so the seller can dish out some money,if its something major.

My next step was to change the temp sending unit and see what happens,
maybe i will just buy a new gauge also?? Probably not,but iam desperate.

I have a "95" gts and it sits at "N" all day long,hot or cold!!!

Thanks.

Click to expand...

you could just go to a shop and have them see how hot the top radiator hose is but most of them run around 200 degrees and that seems to register pretty high on the guage.

 

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wickedgt70

New Member

Mar 5, 2003

178

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San Jose, CA

Aug 4, 2004

#12

• Aug 4, 2004

• #12

Kawasaki, try some Water Wetter if you haven't already. That stuff works pretty good. Follow directions on the bottle. As long as you're not in the high range or fluctuating from low to high all the time you should be alright.

 

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kawasakizx7r

New Member

Jan 9, 2004

17

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0

Aug 5, 2004

#13

• Aug 5, 2004

• #13

hooked up a scanner,its reading 200-205 at "R" and 210-218 at "M",so i guess its normal,still want it under 200,but i might have to change the stat for that or get a better radiator.