160 stat. still running hot - Page 2

ClockworkC5 · 09-12-2008, 01:13 PM

glad to hear everyone else runs that hot at times. what signs do the ls1 water pump give when there about to take a dump

davekp · 09-13-2008, 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob88

A 160 stat will not make your car run cooler. It will only delay it getting to maximum temp as it opens earlier and allows circulation, thus delaying warming up. Make sure your radiator is perfectly clean and your fans are working properly. I've used water wetter before with good results, about a 10degree decrease in temp. You may want to try that.

Do you have a 160 in your car? Or are you guessing what will happen?

ClockworkC5 · 09-13-2008, 01:40 PM

i have a 160 stat. was driving and the car got up to 230. it was 100' outside according the the ext. temp sensor. and i was sitting in traffic. ac on full blast. im going to drain some coolant today and replace with water and a bottle of water wetter.

**Rich Z** · 09-13-2008, 03:39 PM

My C5Z used to get that hot, and hotter, during the summer months. After going with the aftermarket radiator, 160 degree thermostat, and having the fans reprogrammed, the temps rarely get to 210, no matter what. Normal driving temps hover around 185 degrees.

davekp · 09-13-2008, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClockworkC5

i have a 160 stat. was driving and the car got up to 230. it was 100' outside according the the ext. temp sensor. and i was sitting in traffic. ac on full blast. im going to drain some coolant today and replace with water and a bottle of water wetter.

A 160 stat will keep the temp lower at cruise, but in traffic it doesn't help- you need to reprogram the fans. Water wetter didn't do squat for me, and I'm running about 30% dex-cool/ 70% water.

ClockworkC5 · 09-13-2008, 07:53 PM

fans are tuned to turn on at 180. going to drain some dexcool, add water and water wetter. we'll see

Bob88 · 09-14-2008, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davekp

Do you have a 160 in your car? Or are you guessing what will happen?

I have a 160 stat in my car now. I put it in when I did all my mods. My car runs at almost the exact temps it did with the 180 stat, just takes a little longer to get there.

98 softtail · 09-14-2008, 11:06 PM

Any comments on removing the thermostat? This is Florida...not a freeze zone.

**Rich Z** · 09-15-2008, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 98 softtail

Any comments on removing the thermostat? This is Florida...not a freeze zone.

I read somewhere that some people claim this will actually make the engine run hotter. The argument being that the coolant rushes through the engine too quickly to allow heat to transfer to the coolant, and in the same vein, the coolant moves too quickly through the radiator to allow the coolant to shed the heat into the coils and fins of the radiator.

That being said, I am not sure I believe it. I would think the coolant would have to be moving awful damned fast for this to happen. And it seems to me that if I am overheated from working outside and jump into a cold shower, the faster the water flow the better to cool me down.

But bear in mind, that this is a cooling SYSTEM. The thermostat is only one part of that system. It is designed to regulate the amount of coolant that can pass through the engine based on the temperature of the coolant. If your entire system will not allow the coolant to drop down below 195 degrees, then a 160 thermostat isn't going to do much beyond opening sooner then your engine goes from cold to hot. Once it reaches full operating temperature and the coolant never drops down below 195, because it CAN'T, then the thermostat is completely out of the picture until you shut down the engine and the coolant cools down enough for it to close.

Now, if you add a hi-cap radiator and/or make other modifications whereby the operating temperature is more like 180 degrees, then replacing the stock thermostat with a 160 WILL drop the temp of the coolant during regular operation. Whereas if you had done those same mods with something like a 200 degree thermostat, then the thermostat just would not allow the coolant to drop below it's opening temperature. Because if the temps DID drop below it's opening temperature, it would begin to close, restricting the flow of coolant, and cause the temps to RISE. Not sure how good this would be for a thermostat to be constantly cycling opened and closed, but I would imagine that premature failure of the thermostat may be in your future that way.

Now, with no thermostat at all, I guess you would be able to see what the running temperature of your engine stabilizes at, and perhaps use that as a guide as to whether just adding a lower thermostat will be worthwhile for you or not.

In my opinion, of course.

ClockworkC5 · 09-15-2008, 02:11 AM

i took the thermostat out of my lt1 and it overheated. coolant not able to shed the heat. i ended up putting a 160' thermostat in. as previously stated with fans hard wired i never went over 170'. i drained dexcool, added water, and a bottle of water wetter. we'll see this week. just out of curiosity at what temp does the pcm come out of closed loop?