180 degree thermostat question
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From: Whitewater, Wisconsin
i see...then i'm putting in a 180 in the new motor when i get it...i was just wondering cuz occasionally i see someone mention a 160 degree t-stat, and i just wondered if that was better...thanks for the info
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From: BonnevilleHell
Originally Posted by two bonnies
Had I known my question would have started such a flame war, I would have pm'ed someone. I had no idea people would get so "heated up" over thermostats. 
Take it, learn from it, or, as Bill proposes, take your car and tune it to the other extreme end of the temp range and see what happens (say, around a constant 220 coolant temp) Post the results...and the photos of the headers glowing cherry red
I mean, I love to goof around with cars, and I have inadvertently pushed motors into the realm of too darn hot with not enough cooling capacity and way lean mixtures. (And I've turned a set of Hookers into the king-size toaster...damn near burnt a car to the ground, thank god for handy garden hoses.)
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Originally Posted by two bonnies
I don't see that anyone has gotten flamed here at all.
This is a better thread by far
Let me comment a little.. When I replaced the Radiator on the 95 SE, I ended up with a Caddy Heavy Duty Cooling Radiator... It has all of the same measurements with the exception of the core... Its 1 3/8" as opposed to the 3/4 " core I had...
Now with that said, I have increased the cooling capability of the cooling system... But it will only be as good as the thermostat installed if that makes any sense..
Some of the reasons I am looking to keep the engine a bit cooler than factory is to help buy me a little time on the Plastic Gaskets, and various seals not to mention the Upper intake..
For the longest I have kept in mind that there is a small Trans cooler inside the radiator( passenger side, you'll see the lines )... This cooler is cooled by the coolant passing over it..
Lets take an example, Say the Coolant entering the radiator on the drivers side was at 200F, say the coolant entered the water pump at 150F.. Now lets say the trans is at 200F, you are at that point cooling the trans fluid with coolant at 150F... How much heat will you wick away from the tranny fluid and add back to the engine...
I know this is not a great example, but I do feel that a thermostat 15F lower than stock does help in more ways than one..
Some agree with me others don't.. Oh well.. Thats ok, and all of you are still free to run which thermostat you like.. I like the 180F.. And truth be told I am due for a replacement.. Mine is opening a bit too early.. But I am still ripping down 20 mpg all city...
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From: Northern WV
This is a better thread by far
Anyway, both threads have been very helpful and I trust those people who have worked on so many Bonnies in the past.
My parts came today and I am getting the valve cover gaskets, elbow, and the 180 thermostat at the parts store this evening. Tearing into it tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
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From: BonnevilleHell
Originally Posted by two bonnies
snip...Anyway, both threads have been very helpful and I trust those people who have worked on so many Bonnies in the past.
My parts came today and I am getting the valve cover gaskets, elbow, and the 180 thermostat at the parts store this evening. Tearing into it tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
My parts came today and I am getting the valve cover gaskets, elbow, and the 180 thermostat at the parts store this evening. Tearing into it tomorrow.
Wish me luck.
BTW, this stuff isn't just Bonneville related. It applies to just about every liquid cooled internal combustion engine. The Ford and Mopar folks do pretty much the same thing to squeeze some more out of an otherwise stock system..drop the operating temp range below what is optimum for the cat, then re-tune fuel and ignition tables for the lower temp range.
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