160º thermostat - update

Alright, some of you were asking me to report back and tell you what my thoughts were on the 160º t-stat, so here it is. I got the t-stat earlier today, and installed it. The hardest thing was getting the radiator hose off the old waterneck, as it was sort of "melted" on. Other than that, installation was pretty easy, but I have changed tons of t-stats before. Never fear though, instructions were included. The instructions said to drain the whole cooling system, but I don't know why, I just unhooket the lower radiator hose, and refilled from there. I lost about a gallon and a half of coolant, so I had to buy some dex-cool (damn that shit's expensive, $11 a gallon!). After the install, I went and cruised the vistas. The engine temp now stays right between 185º and 190º. A drastic improvement over the ~212º it was hanging around before. So, I like it and I would suggest doing it if you have the means. Allen told me "The 160 stat will be ok with no retune, the engine coolant temp vs timing table will take care of that."

is there a noticeable performace difference? or is it one of those things thats in ur own head lol? i took the screen out of my MAF sensor and i think all i did was make the intake a bit louder haha. i suppose if u can actually hear the difference then there is a performance difference no matter how small. i was considering the t-stat myself too

You get about $50 worth of extra power. Also, the heat causes metal fatigue, and lowering the operating temp by 30º or so should really help out. Always remember cooler engine = more power. I also did a TB bypass a few weeks ago. GM's engineering department must have been overrun with ass clowns as of late. First, they built the friggin t-stat into the water neck, then they decided to run 212º coolant thru the the TB. Anyone ever have a coolant line running thru your old carbureted car? Didn't think so.

This is a good subject.

A subject that never seems to get talked about unless your engine overheats.

How to keep your engine cool(er) and keep it running cool(er)?????

Did you notice any power difference?? You should. A cool engine is a happy engine.

I have a 2002, crew cab with a 8.1 with about 70K. The temp gauge always reads about 195. Never varies. Always been like that since new. Never had any overheating problems.

I checked the coolant temp with a thermometer, read about 180F. This was on a hot day, + 90 degrees, and after driving in traffic. Gauge did not change, still read about 195F.

My question is, why does my temp gauge always read the same - on hot days and on below freezing days. I live in NJ, the temperature range is +95f to -5. My guage reading never varies (bought the truck new).

I had a 93 dodge, 318 - the temp ran, on the average, 170F. Sold the truck 3 yrs ago, still runing, still cool running, but at least the guage reading varied.

What does your truck temp gauge read? This goes out to all. Gauge temp reading vs. real temp.

On a cool spring or fall day, I do notice a big difference in power. Low humidity is good for power. Traffic sucks in NJ. On a summer day, the temp on the roads can reach +105F, but my guage still reads the same.

No complaints, just curious about different operating temps for various trucks and also any ideas to keep them running cool.

Thanks in advance............

Well, there are 2 things - 1) the factory t-stat on my 5.3 was a 100ºC, or 212ºF, and the temp, according to the gauge always stayed right at 212º, and 2) My new t-stat is a 160º and my temp is staying usually between 185º and 190º

This is a good subject.

A subject that never seems to get talked about unless your engine overheats.

How to keep your engine cool(er) and keep it running cool(er)?????

Did you notice any power difference?? You should. A cool engine is a happy engine.

I have a 2002, crew cab with a 8.1 with about 70K. The temp gauge always reads about 195. Never varies. Always been like that since new. Never had any overheating problems.

I checked the coolant temp with a thermometer, read about 180F. This was on a hot day, + 90 degrees, and after driving in traffic. Gauge did not change, still read about 195F.

My question is, why does my temp gauge always read the same - on hot days and on below freezing days. I live in NJ, the temperature range is +95f to -5. My guage reading never varies (bought the truck new).

I had a 93 dodge, 318 - the temp ran, on the average, 170F. Sold the truck 3 yrs ago, still runing, still cool running, but at least the guage reading varied.

What does your truck temp gauge read? This goes out to all. Gauge temp reading vs. real temp.

On a cool spring or fall day, I do notice a big difference in power. Low humidity is good for power. Traffic sucks in NJ. On a summer day, the temp on the roads can reach +105F, but my guage still reads the same.

No complaints, just curious about different operating temps for various trucks and also any ideas to keep them running cool.

Thanks in advance............


Maybe your temperature sending unit is bad?

Maybe, but again, it has been like this since new.

I like the fact that your running cooler (according to your temp guage).

Did you ever check with a digital?

Maybe your temperature sending unit is bad?No, that is not it. The temp gauge on the dashboard has been described to me as being "an idiot light on a stick". If you will notice, with a stock OEM thermostat, once the engine is warm, it never moves. That is not realistic because the coolant/engine temp will vary with ambient air temp, driving conditions, etc. It is likely that the computer is monitoring the "real" temp and makes fuel/spark adjustments accordingly.

My old truck was a 2000 Z71, 4.8L. I put in a 160 thermostat from Hypertech along with reprogramming it. Running the truck at a cooler temp, over time caused a carbon buildup and it would ping under hard acceleration.

I agree that heat is destructive however todays engines are designed (machine tolerances, mixture/combustion, etc) to run at higher temps.

I do want a cooler running engine but I don't want the carbon.

Been thinking about a 180 thermostat, maybe less carbon???

I never thought of carbon build-up, good point.

I know a tech from dodge. He claims that engines are designed to run about 190 degrees. This is for heating, sensors and I suppose for burning carbon out of the cylinder heads.

In the old days, we would just take it on the highway and get to about 120 mph the quickest way possible.

Anyway, my point is the guage readings should vary as driving conditions change. Mine doesn't.

Is there any preferences on after market guages that are accurate and will not screw with the computer?

Or just live with it??

well ,my gauge varied before I changed my t-stat. 212ºF is pretty high, so if the cooling system is full of coolant, I cannot imagine it getting much hotter than that, being that 212ºF is the boiling point for water. But if you watch the gauge, you can tell the moment the t-stat opens up, because the temp will begin to move somewhat rapidly. Also, when I installed my t-stat I had a gallon of 50/50 dexcool water with me, which I assumed would be enough... Wrong! You lose almost 2 gallons when changing the t-stat. Anyway, so after all my parts were in, I put the gallon I had in the reservoir and got in to go to the auto parts. The auto parts is about 1/2 mile from my house, so I figured I would be ok to get there, and I might even get there before the t-stat opened up. Wrong again. It was about 5:30 p.m. and traffic was backed up so bad that it took me about 4 times longer to get there than normal. The engine began to build up heat and the temp gauge got about 3/4 of the way to the red mark before I shut it off (see, it works). Anyway, point is: make sure you have 2 gallons of dexcool mix before you install the t-stat

My temp gauge goes up then never moves off the 185. Even coming through Fort Worth today at 101 outside and stuck in traffic it never went up thanks to the electric fans.

Mines the same way. Truck heats up to about 190, then sits right there no matter what. And I have the factory clutch fan. I really wish I had electric fans.

sorry my computer is a piece and i cant even begin to describe the trouble its givin me right now, but if this post shows up like 3 times in a row, read this one only lol!
anyway im not sure carbon will be a problem. the t-stat in my old truck is not near 212, and it doesnt fill up wit carbon. as far as i know u can spray a little water(like out of a windex spray bottle)into the carb or throttle body and it helps clear it.
as far as the throttle body bypass, i agree, i dont want that stuff runnin thru my AIR INTAKE hahaha. but i asked about this on the camaro forum before and the moderator made a good point when he mentioned frost. in colder climates where it actually freezes in the winter (u texas guys shouldnt have a problem) small amounts of frost can form on the metal from moisture in the air. its just not somethin u want. on the other hand, ive had a few fuel injected cars and this pickup is the only one with coolant goin thru the throttle body i think. im pretty sure my mustang didnt. and i had a K&N intake on it and it still never froze. and it got pretty gosh darn cold here this winter lol. id say do it, and if it freezes, undo it. o yeah and the t-stat being part of the water neck is definitely an engineering brain fart.

sorry my computer is a piece and i cant even begin to describe the trouble its givin me right now, but if this post shows up like 3 times in a row, read this one only lol!
anyway im not sure carbon will be a problem. the t-stat in my old truck is not near 212, and it doesnt fill up wit carbon. as far as i know u can spray a little water(like out of a windex spray bottle)into the carb or throttle body and it helps clear it.
as far as the throttle body bypass, i agree, i dont want that stuff runnin thru my AIR INTAKE hahaha. but i asked about this on the camaro forum before and the moderator made a good point when he mentioned frost. in colder climates where it actually freezes in the winter (u texas guys shouldnt have a problem) small amounts of frost can form on the metal from moisture in the air. its just not somethin u want. on the other hand, ive had a few fuel injected cars and this pickup is the only one with coolant goin thru the throttle body i think. im pretty sure my mustang didnt. and i had a K&N intake on it and it still never froze. and it got pretty gosh darn cold here this winter lol. id say do it, and if it freezes, undo it. o yeah and the t-stat being part of the water neck is definitely an engineering brain fart.

But, look at it this way: the coolant only begins to flow AFTER the t-stat opens up, which is usually a few minutes after the engine starts, so I really don't see as how it helps anything. I would think that the engine bay would be too warm in most temperatures where humans live to form ice of any kind after you get moving. If there's ice on the throttle body or in the intake before engine startup, that coolant line does nothing for it during and shortly after startup.

The hose going to the throttle body comes from the hottest part of the heads on the crossover pipe. From the throttle body it goes to the hot side of the radiator back to the engine bypassing the thermostat. Also the hoses to the heater core come from the block prior to the thermostat and thus give you the hottest water. Both of the hoses just need the pump pushing but do not need the thermostat to be open to utilize the pressure from the pump pushing.

The hose going to the throttle body comes from the hottest part of the heads on the crossover pipe. From the throttle body it goes to the hot side of the radiator back to the engine bypassing the thermostat. Also the hoses to the heater core come from the block prior to the thermostat and thus give you the hottest water. Both of the hoses just need the pump pushing but do not need the thermostat to be open to utilize the pressure from the pump pushing.

Touche... You're right, I didn't even think about it, but it does go straight from the head to the radiator... However, I keep looking at my truck from a somewhat old school perspective; I keep asking myself if things on my truck were on vehicles 10, 20, 30, or even 40 years ago. Like the TB coolant line. Did any of my old cabureted vehicles have a coolant line running thru the carb? No. Did the trannies have any torque management or "abuse mode?" No. Worked fine on those, I don't really see why I need it here. However, the old intake manifolds for Quadrajets and 2-jets did have radiator coolant running thru them, but olny AFTER the t-stat opened up, as the whole t-stat/water neck assembly used to be on the intake manifold (though it was 2 seperate parts back then). Anyway, I've got no problem doing away with things on the truck that I feel are really uneccessary.

i hear that. and chevy has actually done a pretty good job helpin us. theres really not too much useless stuff under the hoods of these trucks, compared to some vehicles ive seen lately. of course, when i can sit under the hood to work on the engine like my old one, then ill be happy. the suitcase lookin airbox is next to go haha.

i hear that. and chevy has actually done a pretty good job helpin us. theres really not too much useless stuff under the hoods of these trucks, compared to some vehicles ive seen lately. of course, when i can sit under the hood to work on the engine like my old one, then ill be happy. the suitcase lookin airbox is next to go haha.

Yep, I really do like how GM has managed to keep our engine bays fairly uncluttered. If you take a look under the hood of my dad's 81, there's not a HUGE difference as far as "clutter." Hehe, what you really need to work on one of these is a laptop :grinyes: Ratchets and screwdrivers may or may not be neccessary