installin a 160 stat

[lxwants12's]

hey guys im goin to install a 160 thermostat...i have a 180 in there now...and i thought it was ok until i got my car dynotunes and found out that...while my temp gauge says 190 - 195....my real temp is actually always between 210 and 220...normal driving conditions... have a 347 stroker 10.5:1 comp...and afr 185's....so i would normally go against the 160 but im hoping that it will run my car in the 190''s maybe the 180's....i live in phoenix....and this is the first summer im gonna have with the stang...and it has been over a 100 last 5 days and the car is really gettin hot...i have a mark viii electric...high flow water pump from flow tech whic ill be swapping for an edlebrock....and i start the fan as soon as i start the car and it ets hot......and if i get on it i need to leave the fan on for like 10 minutes after shut down....so the question is....am i in the right thinking with this stat? or should i do somehting else first?....this was the cheapest diagnosis so i decided to try it....im currently runnin 70/30...coolant/water mix...and ill be switching to 80/30 and addind water wettrer....sorry for the long post fellow stangers

 

[90lxcoupe]

what are you running for a radiator?

 

[lxwants12's]

griffen aluminum 3 core

 

[bluevenom867]

I have ran the AutoZone replacment pump (alum. serpintine) on our old 357 with nor problems,it would stay at 160-170 on the temp gauge (Autometer) and this was with UD pullies.

Maybe you have a restriction or clog some were..

 

[HISSIN50]

im currently runnin 70/30...coolant/water mix...and ill be switching to 80/30 and addind water wettrer....sorry for the long post fellow stangers

If those numbers were respective of one-another, that's part of the issue. Coolant does not reject heat nearly as well as water (water transfers heat 2.6 times more effectively than EG coolant). But coolant is needed for lubrication, freeze protection and rust inhibiting. I would drop it down to 50/50 or as low as 75/25 (water/antifreeze, respectively) and see how things go. Do NOTE that by next time it gets cold out, to make sure you have proper freeze protection in the cooling system. It's hard to think about that now.

The 160 will be a bandaid (it'll take an extra stop light or whatever to heat up). Remember, the closer the stat rating and ambient temps are (actually the temps in front of the car - hot air raising off asphalt), the harder it is for the radiator to reject heat (there's less delta to start with).

I know what you're going through - we've been at 98 and 99*F and I'm not liking it.

Good luck.

 

[Roland69]

try more collant with your water and a new 180* stat cause they do sometimes not work accurately

 

[302RollinHard]

I will tell you this from experience. the stuff they sell in parts stores to help your engine cool down does work. However, with a 3 core and electric fan you have deeper problems. Hissin was right on. I would take your current ratio of 70 coolant 30 water and make it 70 water 30 coolant. With you running that how I would think that your thermostat is stuck open not allowing enough retention time in the radiator to cool off the fluid. You should be able to see on your temp gauge where the thermostat opens and closes. if you can't it is probably stuck open or closed. I would bet on open in your case since you haven't overheated yet.

 

[srothfuss]

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought a 160 degree thermostat was notrecommended in our cars. I was under the impression that 180 was as low aws we should go? Now I haven't ever driven a Mustang in Az so I can not comment on the behaviour of the temperature gauge in such a hostile climate. But I do think that these cars generally like to run hotter than we would like them to.

 

[vristang]

Coolant temps below 180F will lead to greater engine wear, lower fuel economy, increased emissions, and (probably) a decrease in power.

My recommendation to the original poster is to replace the Tstat, flush the cooling system, and run 50/50.
With a good pump and radiator like you have, you shouldn't be getting anywhere near 220F. Even if you were using a 195F stat.

jason

 

[HISSIN50]

There are some SD guys who still like running a 160 stat Steve. That's about the only time I might go along with it.

This is a good case where the stat rating matters not a hoot - it's the absolute temps at which LXW12's runs that matter. It's 100* again today (probably a few more degrees for him up north of me) and a 160 would have made no difference in anything today, given that the car goes right up to 190-200* (I'm betting). The asphalt here gets up around 150* and the simple fact is that the heat radiates up off the pavement and that air is what goes through the radiator. There is not much room for the system to cool down 200* coolant with 150* air.

This is the point where I noticed a difference doing all the things that Jason and the rest of the guys mention - with cooling systems all the little things add up to make a difference. I dropped about 10* at hot op. temps by using a Mr Gasket 180 (compared to a brand new parts store 180). Seal the radiator and fan shroud interface. I use stuff like weatherstrip-tape and vac line sliced lengthwise (goes over the edge of the fan shroud that hits the radiator). That way all possible air is sucked through that radiator. Ensure you have the air dam under the radiator. Jason knows I use a little bit different one than stock, and I dont have data, but I think it helps a little even over the stock piece.

I would do what Jason and everyone mentioned (you really could go leaner on the coolant - try 30% coolant vs 70% distilled water), the stat and checking over some of the other stuff.

We're all guessing anyhow - if you run hotter at slow speeds vs on your wonderful freeways (or vice verse) that suggests other issues. More info from you will help.

Good luck.

 

[lxwants12's]

thanx for all the advise guys......the temp here is 100 at least now on a daily and will get to 117 or 118* by end of june and july and will be like that until the end of september....i will try to run the 70%water and 30% coolant....my shroud is sealed pretty good against the radiator.....and i couldnt tell you what temps the pavement is but i know that its gotta be blazing!!...ill not put the 160 in just yet and maybe get a prestone or mr gasket 180* stat.....also the car is at the same temps highway and street........ohh by the way i have a/c and i havent been able to use it cause the one time i tried the temp shot up like 20* more so i stayed away from it till i fix the problem...and i will use the water wetter...it says up to 20* cooler....so im hoping for just 10* from it and hopefully 10*- 20* from the stat and flush and refill.....this will make me comfortable....i will also be buying a temp guage cause i dont trust the stock one at all anymore.....again thanx for the help..i can always count on the fellow stangers....it is greatly appreciated....

 

[mattmcdan]

water wetter reccomends like 70% water 30% coolant anyhow, I just added it to my system (south florida) it made a small improvement maybe 5 deg. max.

 

[91lxttrim]

Hey lxwants12's! I'm going through the same thing here in AZ too. I just had my a/c recharged today and had to drive to the airport. The stock gauge was at half way all the time and some times went higher. Usually it's down at the second mark. It's not fun to drive when it's that hot. I'm going to change my fluid to 70/30 and add some more WaterWetter. If that doesn't help, I'll have to get a new rad. I heard the alum. 3-core from Summit is affordable and works well.

Good luck lxwants12's... Let me know what works for you. Let's hit another cruise sometime.

L8

 

[Blk91stang]

One of the best Radiator/fan/Shroud setups I have ever seen are from Ron Davis. I would say if your serious about cooling and can spare the cash, this is the BEST way to go.

This is the optimal way of sealing the fan to the radiator using a shroud which encloses the ENTIRE fan. This way ALL of the air HAS to come from in front of the radiator. Mounting the fan on the front like 99% of us do works but not nearly as good as this setup.

I'm no rep for them, just impressed by their radiator/fan setups!!

 

[91lxttrim]

I just checked out the Ron Davis website and they're located right here in Glendale, AZ! They must know what they're doing.

 

[lxwants12's]

hey 91lx..did you get to see how much that setup was...and how many cfms those fans are pulling??.....i have drained my coolant and refilled it with 70/30....water/coolant....havent done the stat yet....just wanted to see what this would do....i also added the bottle of water wetter....tomorrow will be the first day i drive it since the change....ill fill you in on any changes....it just sucx i thought for sure the mark viii fan would cure the hot temps....but i guess the heat out here really is killer....it was 108* today!!!!


and def if you hear of any cruises just lemme know...im usually off on weekends....the last one was ok wish there were more people though.....did you guys end up racing though?

 

[lxwants12's]

well there wass no change when it comes to temp when i switched over to a 70/30 water/coolant mix and water wetter..car was still running around 215*....so i think ill go ahead and install a new mr gasket 280* sytat this week and see what happens from there...if its still the same i will swap it for a 160*

 

[91lxttrim]

I just drained a good portion of my coolant and refilled it with water, then added about half a bottle of Water Wetter. My temp started to rise again but not as high this time. Of course the real test will be this Thursday when it reaches 105 again here. I have a feeling it will be the same.

There's a red LX in the new 5.0 Mustangs from here in AZ and he's runnning over 800 hp. Does he have cooling problems? They don't ruin the article with details like that. How does it just seem to work for some while others seem to have the right parts but no results?

I want to upgrade to a 3-core but my S/C crank pulley is about 3/4" away from my electric fan shroud. There's no way a bigger rad will fit. Any suggestions?

 

[302RollinHard]

I would check to make sure you have pressure in your cooling system when hot. Lack of pressure as a function of temperature will put the hurts to you. Get it hot and make sure your radiator hoses have some pressure in them (squeeze) You may have a small leak that isn't letting your system pressure up, but not leaking fluid. Throttle body spacer coolant lines come to mind.

 

[91lxttrim]

Yeah I was reading another post and they pressure tested the system. I'll have to find that post and try that.