Just Installed the 160* Stat

[shortdog273]

Just installed it this weekend. So far, no problems with the car acting up or SES light, but my gauge reads the same(in the middle).

[navyblue2000]

i put in a 180 and mine right just to the left of 210 [img]tongue.gif[/img]

flush/refill your coolant too...if yours is anything like mine, it;s severely underfilled...
i drained almost a 2 liter bottle full of 50/50 dex/water ...the stock mix. i ended up not only putting that in after the flush, but 1 gallon of distilled water as well [img]graemlins/omg.gif[/img]

[Red2K1]

There is a lot of talk about this situation on this board as well as LS1 and other boards. What you experience is not unusual for V6's after '97.

In my 2K1 which came stock with a 195, I put in a 160, and then a 180. The guage showed little difference, about 210, whether I was running a 160, a 180, or a 195. However, in the winter I had to pull the 160 and replace it with the 180 because after about 35 or 40 minutes of interstate running the temp guage clicked, went to zero and both fans came on at high speed and stayed on. Also got an SES light. The PCM was simply receiving signals it wasn't "expecting." Engine running too cold after 30 minutes.

It seems that the 160 will work when the outside temperature is 50 or above. When it falls below 50, I have to use the 180.

[TheBeast]

definitely make a coolant mixture favoring water. also might try some "water wetter". some of the online stores sell it. dont go to autozone and ask for it or else you will get a from the clerk, lol

my 160 stat has worked fine through the houston "winter". a few days it would get down to about 20-30 and i would have no problems

[Steve Caroccia]

I am with Red 2K1. This is more of a 2001 issue that prior years. They just keep on moving the low engine setpoint higher in the PCM. Supposedly an HPP III will fix the problem, but I cannot verify.

[img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]

[pvtschultz]

Sitting around isn't going to change the temp reading much with a lower thermostat because the fans are set to come on at a certain temp. Going down the road will show a lower reading. I don't think my fans come on until over 200 degrees.

[Steve Caroccia]

You should see a little lower temperature. The fans for a 2001 turn on at 220. But opening the thermostat sooner will keep the engine cooler. Heat capacity of the fluid ... Q = UA delta(Temp) ... la la la. Anyways, I had my 160 in. I was reading about 185-195. With my 195 in I am reading 210 (on the line)!

[Ttop34]

Just curious, how do ya'll even read the temp with the gauge on the dash? It jumps like 200 degrees on one half and then 50 on the other half. On my 94 V6 I had a 180* thermostat and would always run at 170* as it looked on the dash gauge but those aren't all that acurate. With my 2000 I can't really tell where it's running. I'm almost considering putting in a 160* because with the FTRA it runs a few degrees warmer than it did before with the 180*.

[pgriffith]

Why not just remove the thermo completley. That way it is open all the time. Im sure it wont work in the winter but why would it not work in summer? I did this in my 89 camaro and it worked ok in the summer.

[shortdog273]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by pgriffith:
Why not just remove the thermo completley. That way it is open all the time. Im sure it wont work in the winter but why would it not work in summer? I did this in my 89 camaro and it worked ok in the summer.<hr></blockquote>

I haven't done alot driving with it yet, so that might be the reason my temp is still reading at 210(in the middle)

[Steve Caroccia]

The temp will read the temp immediately, there is no break in time. When the temp gets to 160, the mechanical switch opens, and coolant flows.

As for reading the gauges, I am a chemical engineer that have had to read worse measurements than the thermostat in plants and justify thousands of dollars on bad thermocouples. Estimating is a living.

[img]graemlins/burnout.gif[/img]