Thermostat ?

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GMJ91

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Sep 7, 2005

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Maryland

Feb 13, 2006

#1

• Feb 13, 2006

• #1

Even though this thread has been brought up I'm still not sure what temp rating to use. The car has GT40 upper and lower and GT40X heads. 125 shot, cobra 3 core radiator, and electric fan with adjustable thermo. No A/C. FM underdrive pullies are installed. couple other small bolt ons. Right now I have 160 and everyone is telling me that is tooo cold I thought the colder the more fuel the computer gives but I decided to up my temp but to what? Some people say stock 195(for the computer) and alot like 180. Also underdrive pullies. worth it or no ? The car hasn't overheated but it is winter. The voltage does drop even with a 3G. This is a street car with track racing on week ends. Any advise or opinions is appreciated. Thanks

 

HISSIN50

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Feb 13, 2006

#2

• Feb 13, 2006

• #2

IMHO, it does NOT matter what stat you choose; it depends upon what temps the motor runs at. And if a motor runs hotter than others, until the issue is fixed, a colder stat can be useful.

I agree about the cold stat theory. An interesting little tidbit is that the puter can actually go lean on you around 170*F (motor temps). The motor is hot enough to not need choking, but the puter wants to get the car up to temp. And when the puter leans it out, it raises the temps.

I agree that a 180 is a good all purpose stat to run. I have the feeling you run a stock gauge only, so you can only guess as to what temps you are at (my stocker read ~35*F cooler than the actual temps, once the motor was up to temp).

Mr Gasket stats are the way to go IMHO.

My two cents. Good luck.

 

onefstsnake

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Nov 25, 2005

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Northern VA

Feb 13, 2006

#3

• Feb 13, 2006

• #3

Im running a 195* thermostat and I havent seen more than 200-205* using an autometer gauge.

takes about 10-15 min to warm up.

 

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skip nay

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Apr 15, 2005

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Chambersburg Pa

Feb 13, 2006

#4

• Feb 13, 2006

• #4

180 for me my car ran with stock thermostat Autometer gauge. 195-215. So I put a 180 in it and it ran 180-190. By the way. At over 200 your oil is starting to try to cool the motor down also. This is hard on your motor and oil and makes hp go down. Go with a 180

 

bill302

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Nov 2, 2005

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alabama,gadsden

Feb 13, 2006

#5

• Feb 13, 2006

• #5

180* stant super stat or mr.gasket is the only brands i would use 180* is the cooldest i would run with your application. you may have problems with a cooler thermostat as listed above and in my opinion cooler thermostats 160* may cause carbon and oil sludge buildup along with emissions problems...

 

willys1

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Dec 2, 2003

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New Jersey

Feb 13, 2006

#6

• Feb 13, 2006

• #6

Just put in a 190 stat because I got new cats and Im sick of having black exhaust pipes!!
Thought stock was 190,I would have put a 195 if I knew.190's close enough!!
UD pullie? they treat each car differently,I had em.It wouldnt charge at idle but I have 410's so once I gave it gas it wasnt a problem.After a run at the track it took alot longer to cool down.I took them off because I dont think the extra worries are worth 10 HP!!

 

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fox_bodies_rule

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Apr 17, 2005

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Feb 13, 2006

#7

• Feb 13, 2006

• #7

195 is stock, a 180 is a good choice as well but stick with Mr. Gasket, they are incredibly stable and are within a degree or two of rating. The computer likes 180 or more but no less, see the above posts. However, as it has been pointed out time and time again, the stat will not fix a sick cooling system. Once that stat opens it is up to your cooling system to keep things in check. As for running pulleys, I pulled mine as well. I like my AC and don't like watching my battery voltage start to fall off while I am waiting for the stop light to change. Even so, my temp guage runs about 10 degrees higher with the headlights on, I love the Ford electrics on our foxbodies. I think they went to the Lucas school of automotive electrical engineering for recruiting engineers back then.

 

HISSIN50

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Feb 13, 2006

#8

• Feb 13, 2006

• #8

fox_bodies_rule said:

I think they went to the Lucas school of automotive electrical engineering for recruiting engineers back then.

Click to expand...

at the POD reference.
The headlight circuit, for one, is reminiscent, isnt it? I have Healey stories for another time (the infamous unfused taillight that allows the engine harness to catch fire when the bulb goes).

 

willys1

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Dec 2, 2003

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Feb 13, 2006

#9

• Feb 13, 2006

• #9

I know Lucas,but never heard any 5.0 stories!!

 

HISSIN50

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#10

• Feb 13, 2006

• #10

willys1 said:

I know Lucas,but never heard any 5.0 stories!!

Click to expand...

Adding a fog light circuit (rated for 15 amps IIRC) to the existing headlight circuit, with no relay, was not real cool.
Continuing to run an alternator that really was designed for carb'd demands (no big FP draw, no puter, etc etc) wasnt real great.
Little stuff like that is mildly annoying, though certainly nothing like the old Brit' issues. That was what gave the old stuff its 'charm'

 

Black1987Stang

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Aug 22, 2004

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Feb 13, 2006

#11

• Feb 13, 2006

• #11

Dont believe if anyone says you dont need a thermostat or to use a 160. Right now I have a 195 and with my Autometer temp gauge its EXACTLY at 195 too (Stant tstat btw), this is with H/C/I too and with the Stock 1 row radiator , mechanical fan and shroud and all. I have tried running with no t-stat cuz i had a cooling problem last year and the problem was my t-stat and without a tstat it actually overheated, since the water was flowing so fast it didnt have time to disipate the heat. And ive tried the 160 and the heat wasnt that great in the winter, along with the computer and emissions not liking it. I think 180 is a nice all around temp if not a 195. If ur going to the track alot maybe go with a 180 but if its just a daily driver and occasional race i would get a 190 or 195 temp. And as you know the stock gauge arent that accurate

 

vristang

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Mar 31, 2005

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Seattle

Feb 14, 2006

#12

• Feb 14, 2006

• #12

Here's a tidbit I have posted before

Unless you have some odd-ball combo the 160F (or lower) stat will do more harm than good. The lower cylinder temps will increase bore wear, engine oil will not get up to temp, and power and economy will most likely suffer due to poor combustion. Depending on the source, ideal coolant temps will be anywhere from 195F to 220F.

Basically, don't go below 180F. There is no upside to the cold temps. As Hissin mentioned above, tricking the computer is not a realistic goal.

I have read some SAE papers that discussed the effects of bore/coolant temps on engine life and the effect is exponential (it gets real bad, real fast). The colder your coolant goes, the shorter the life of the motor. This is not brought up as often as it should be.

With the stroker in my sig I am running a mangled stock fan shroud, flex fan, stock 2-core rad, and a 197 stat. I have had no cooling issues at all. I have not seen temps above ~210F, even when I have tried to heat things up. My point is that I don't think most of the cooling upgrades are really necessary for most combos.

my thoughts
jason