Not sure about the newer cars, but my cig lighters are hot all the time. Not on the retained acc power timer.

As far as warping is concerned, I'd think it would only be possible with heat. Like RAISING the temp that the fans come on. Probably need to talk to Zoomer about this. Alot of GP'* are running this setup.

No, the Cigar lighter is on the 10 minute timer because my radar detector is plugged into it and turns off after 10 min.

Hey, I just had a thought. Maybe the power is always on but the ground cuts out. I might try to tie the switch ground into the lighter ground instead of the positive dash ground it is now connected to.

I think Will is right about the warping issue. Discretion and care should always be used when controlling the fans manually.

With this mod there is no warping issue. As Will stated its temperature rise that warps, this mod only lets you turn on the fans not off. So all you can really do is turn them on sooner than the pcm.

With our cast iron heads and cast iron blocks, warping is going to take alot of effort. Even a blown head gasket is extremely rare in the 3800 family.

Are you sure it'* 10 minutes and not 20? I coulda sworn something said 20 in my manual for something staying on. Grounds shouldn't be swtiched on and off. Maybe the detector is sleeping itself?

my cig lighter is the same, 10 minutes then off.

Originally, I heard that the problem is becuase the PCM is set to turn the fans on at say 212 degrees. The stock thermostat opens at 194 degrees so that is only 18 degrees diff (if my numbers are right, and good chance they are NOT). When you install the 180 degree stat the PCM is still turning the fans on at whatever temp it is programmed to (212?) so now there is 32degrees of difference (almost doubled). Again, I KNOW NOTHING, but what I heard was that this greater difference can cause the warping, and turning the fans on manually should help alivieate it, but if you dont want to do it manually you could have problems with the 180degree stat warping something, what I don't know.

Is there anyone that can back up these claims, or substantiate them?

So, in conclusion, for my sake, I am planning on buying a Hypertech Power Programmer when they are available. The programmer re-programs the PCM/ECU to have the cooling fans come on at a lower temperature (among other things) specifically for a 180 degree thermostat. So, I am not going to spend the money on a manual switch now (and go through the headache that 2000SilverBullet did) only to have it redundant after the computer is reprogrammed.

Doesen't sound right to me at all. I would expect the opposite to be true. The 180 will still allow your car to reach the 212 fan temp, it just takes a few minutes longer. And cold can't warp heads.

If you did the OPPOSITE, and put in a 225 degree stat, it might be MORE possible, but not very likely. Good luck finding THAT thermostat!

Fan speed is controlled by the PCM. At approx. 223 degrees f, both fans operate at low speed (series operation via relay control). At approx. 234 degrees f, both fans operate at high speed (parallel operation). The PCM also monitors A/C refrig pressure as an input to regulate fan speed in series or parallel. This post just for general info, hope some of it helps. I prefer not to have manual control of fans, but that'* me.

Thanks for the info. Temps seem high though. I will try to never let mine get above 195.
The manual switch set-up is automatically over-riden by the PCM if required, so the only risk is forgetting to turn it off and draining the battery.
It'* a 3 position switch, low, high and auto. If in low and other variables require higher speed, the PCM takes over and goes to high automatically.