Which is better 180* thermostat or the 160*

A

Andres2882

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#1

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• #1

Hey all, just swapped in a 180* stat and the car seems to be running a little hotter than normal. Living in South Florida, would it be better to keep with a 160* stat instead? Whats the advantage of running the hotter stat?

 

2000xp8

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#2

• Aug 29, 2004

• #2

My guys always suggest the 180, the 160 will nearly let your coolant flow constantly. Sometimes the 160 has an adverse affect on things since the coolant isn't in the radiator long enough to cool it off. Not to mention it can trigger the check engine light.

 

RydeOn

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#3

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When the engine is run too cool the motor wears itself apart at a significantly faster rate. You want to keep the engine in the 180-195 range for best durability.

 

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SmockDoiley

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#4

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A 160 will not make your engine get hotter because its flowing faster. People always bitch because they say it doesnt sit in the radiator long enough, but its also not in the engine long enough either. You dont want to run a 160 because its too cool. It creates sludging in the engine and the motor doesnt burn efficiently. Stick with the 180 and youll be fine. Besides, 160's should only be used with a modded chip otherwise you can run into timing and or pinging problems or a check engine light.

 

HISSIN50

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#5

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Andres, i would wait to put that gauge in before deciding what stat to run.

i dont buy the 160 allowing coolant to flow too fast theory, either. the stat is still acting as a restrictor plate. an open stat is an open stat. when guys run 180 stats, the 195 guys dont say that the coolant will flow too fast. just does not make sense to me.

 

A

Andres2882

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#6

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Sounds good to me, I was told that my temp might be reading a little higher too cuz I put water wetter in the radiator. Anyone have any experience with that?

 

Ray III

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fixin Boomhower's John Deere in Troy, NY

Aug 29, 2004

#7

• Aug 29, 2004

• #7

What exactly do you think is "hotter than normal"? As long as it stays under about 220 it isn't overheating; you can let it get up to 270 max with a stock engine but it runs like crap as it starts to get too hot.

 

green

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#8

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id stick with the 180

 

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JB66

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#9

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Just FYI... The thermostat sets the MINIMUM operating temperature of the engine, not the 'normal'. The actual cooling capacity (ability) is a function of radiator size and efficiency and the various other parts of the cooling system (as they relate to flow, etc.) You also need to know that the EEC-IV computer keeps the fuel enrichment circuit energized untile engine coolant temp reaches 160*-165*. Anyway, just FYI.

 

NKau

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#10

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Ray III said:

What exactly do you think is "hotter than normal"? As long as it stays under about 220 it isn't overheating; you can let it get up to 270 max with a stock engine but it runs like crap as it starts to get too hot.

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If you don't want your heads to warp or your block to crack you really shouldn't let you engine come CLOSE to 270 degrees. As soon as you start hitting 220-240, you should be off the road and shut down.

 

willys1

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#11

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NKau said:

If you don't want your heads to warp or your block to crack you really shouldn't let you engine come CLOSE to 270 degrees. As soon as you start hitting 220-240, you should be off the road and shut down.

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I agree NKau--good to see ya

 

Ray III

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fixin Boomhower's John Deere in Troy, NY

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#12

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NKau said:

If you don't want your heads to warp or your block to crack you really shouldn't let you engine come CLOSE to 270 degrees. As soon as you start hitting 220-240, you should be off the road and shut down.

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If you mean with ALUMINUM heads you are correct; I wouldn't see past 250 myself. Of course I would never use aluminum heads to begin with, but anyways. Your owner's manual will verify that 270 is the safe cut-off temp for the stock motor.

 

fox-gt

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#13

• Aug 30, 2004

• #13

I just replaced my radiator and stat, went with a 180. It makes me nervous when I am in traffic with the air on and that needle gets pretty close to the last white mark on the temp gauge The guy at the parts place tried to sell me the 192, I figured the 180 might be best for the hot summers we have in TN.

 

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mooktank

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#14

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• #14

i have a 160 in there now should i swap it out? it came in the car when i got it.

 

Legendary

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#15

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I have a 160. My electric fan switch is set to 190 on/170 off. So my fan kicks in at 190 and cools it down (around 3 mintues) to 170 and the fan cuts off. When I'm on the freeway my fan is never on as long as traffic is moving. No matter how hot or how far the drive. I've drove a whole hour in the summer (cali) without the fan coming on and the temp stayed at 170-180. I love my cooling system. The warm ups are fast, the cool downs are even faster.

 

HISSIN50

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#16

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mooktank said:

i have a 160 in there now should i swap it out? it came in the car when i got it.

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it really depends upon the condition of the system. when new, the cars ran at proper temps (per Ford) in idle tests in the desert. with nearly 20 years on the components, they may not be as efficient as they once were. most folks running cooler stats are doing it to bandaid other issues. if the system is not as efficient as it once was, a 160 stat might work. it really depends upon where the temp gauge (and i mean an aftermarket one) sits at in day to day driving, in all seasons (do you need heat in winter, etc).

a 160 might actually have the motor see temps of 190 in traffic in summer - not bad. it is a compromise/bandaid for the system, IMHO. if you find that you are running too cool, step up to a 180 (or a 170). just depends.

Ray, i dont pretend to know about the safe temps for iron heads. i use the puter cut offs (timing backed off at ~226*, a/c cut off at ~242*, IIRC) as guidelines. if one was running 270* water temps, the oil would easily be over 300* - not something i would want to do with dino oil for sure - and not really something i would want to subject synthetic to. not debating you (i said i dont know) but i am just pointing out other considerations.

good luck to all.

 

BelueLX

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#17

• Aug 30, 2004

• #17

install the 180 stat. ill show u what headgaskets look like after you drive your car when it gets to 270 degrees. they're pretty half baked looking.

 

88 Fox GT

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#18

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• #18

For some time, I ran my 302 with no thermostat (was having radiator problems). It cooled fine, but ran TOO cool. The thing took FOREVER to warm up and dropped down to 140-150 degrees going down the highway. That's too cool, but it never had any ill effects. I then installed a 180 in it and will be using a 180 on my 5.0 engine also. Stays steadily at right around 180 the whole time where it's supposed to be.

 

HISSIN50

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Speed_Demon1965 said:

For some time, I ran my 302 with no thermostat (was having radiator problems). It cooled fine, but ran TOO cool. The thing took FOREVER to warm up and dropped down to 140-150 degrees going down the highway. That's too cool, but it never had any ill effects. I then installed a 180 in it and will be using a 180 on my 5.0 engine also. Stays steadily at right around 180 the whole time where it's supposed to be.

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goes back to the restriction imposed from a stat. you could have been flowing quite quickly (though the motor and radiator).

 

super302

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#20

• Aug 30, 2004

• #20

put in the 180*, it's around the ideal engine operating temp...just make sure it doesn't get to 210+, the water will boil away