Engine temp?

[Black Sun 5.0]

Since the cold weather has set in, my car has been having trouble reaching operating temp. I have a 180* t-stat installed, but it will only go about as high as 170*, if I'm lucky. Is there a possibilty the t-stat is stuck open? I would think that the engine would reach at least 180*, then the t-stat would open/close when necessary to maintain temp. What exactly controls the t-stat's opening and closing?

 

[Black Sun 5.0]

WOW! Such a bump here. C'mon, someone has to have detailed knowledge of the cooling system in a Mustang. I'm trying to avoid a trip to the shop.

 

[1BAD89GT]

WOW! Such a bump here. C'mon, someone has to have detailed knowledge of the cooling system in a Mustang. I'm trying to avoid a trip to the shop.

Yeah Sounds maybe like a bad stat to me..im having same problem now since im running a elec water pump and elec fan on 3 core rad.....Im gonna start with replacing my stat.

 

[jerry beach]

Spend a few extra bucks and get a high quality stat. I buy them at Napa usually, along with electical and fuel parts. I have heard real good things about the Mr. Gasket stats. I have a car with a 160* Napa stat that is not breaking 135* on a cool night in Florida. We are talking 40's, thats cold here. My stang has a Napa stat too, it takes a bit longer to heat up, but its still coming to 160* like it does in the summer. So maybe I need to look into the Mr. Gasket stat too.

 

[Black Sun 5.0]

Excuse my lack of knowledge, but I was under the impression that the t-stat would not open until the engine reached operating temp, along the lines of when the car reaches the right temp, the t-stat would open to allow more coolant to flow into the radiator. Assuming I am correct about this, if the stat were working, the car should be stable at ~180*, vs. if it is stuck open, it would keep the temp too low as I have described.

 

[plucka-plucka]

Thant's right. But if it opens one day and never closes, that's when the car stays cold.

 

[HISSIN50]

every car i have ever had runs like yours in the winter (grew up in alaska). i'd say the stat is fine. even in tucson, (80* today. whahoo), its gets down to around 50* at night, and the new 180 Mr G. runs at around 170 (much like Jerry's experiences).

the coolant stays relatively cool, and as soon as the stat opens, cold coolant makes its way in and really cools things off. i cant even get heat out of the eclipse after i drive for ten mins at 40 MPH. gauge will read "cold" on it. just let the thing sit and see if it will heat up.
cars with mech fans have even more challenge with sitting and testing, as the coolant in the rad stays even cooler.
as i recall, the intake where the sender is can indicate cooler than the stat actually is (i.e., the 180 stat is actually just trying to open, while the sender reads ~170).

as said, every car i have been in when it is real cold out does this. need some cold weather people to chime in. i'd run the car with the cap off and see if you see water running from pass side to drivers side (indicates stat opened) if you are worried (and see that it doesnt run when the car is warming up).

hopefully some of this rambling makes sense. good luck.

 

[NKau]

During winter in WI, most of the local rednecks (including me ) would just zip-tie a nice sized chunk or cardboard in front of the radiator to get our winter beaters to warm up quicker and stay warm.
Oh, and don't worry about the t-stat. It's probably fine; 302's/5.0 are really actually fairly cold blooded engines, it becomes more apparent when you see really cold weather.

 

[Black 93 Fox]

Im having the exact same problem. I even have the same T-Stat. Im gona get around to changing it.

 

[Black Sun 5.0]

I'll probably put the stock stat in, it sounds like the best thing to do. I think it's down to 5* here in N.Y. tonight, not including wind chill.