Thermostat vs Moroso Washer

I'll be the bad guy here and suggest that if you had engineered the swap correctly in the first place, you wouldn't be having problems. The correct way to do it would have been to modify the core support so that you could have mounted the radiator slightly forward and used an OEM engine-driven fan and a close-fitting shroud. I've seen way more electric fan installations that didn't work than I have seen that did work and the ones with the fan in front of the radiator are the worst of the lot. The factory makes electric systems work, but they have highly-paid professional engineers who know how to do it.

And in the name of all that is holy, please guys, stop installing these fosdick 160 thermostats, hoping that they will cure your improperly engineered mess. Motors need to run ~195/200 degrees in order to burn off acids and other by-products of combustion that pollute the oil. Take a tip from the OEM's. Did you ever see a 160 thermostat installed from the factory????????????

I'm with Richard on this one..... Electric fans and water pumps are great on a drag car, makes for a quicker cool down between rounds---Then, as with many other things designed for racing, someone decided they would work on the street!!!!!

IMO there is no substitute for a properly designed cooling system incorporating an engine driven fan and water pump along with a fan shroud!

I don't think you are a bad guy at all. I wanted an answer to my problem, and this sounds like the one I will go with. I was told by a so-called expert to put the 160 degree t-stat in. Should I change it to a 180?

Imo the lower temp stat gives the engine a head start in keeping the cool, but once the motor begins generating more heat than the radiator can dissipate, that advantage is gone.

Maybe plan to change it out when the summer heat reduces.

The motor's thermostat only controls the minimum operating temperature of the motor, the radiator and fan(s) control the maximum temps. Lowering the motor's thermostat will not prevent (or even help) the motor from overheating, keeping the motor cool is the radiator and fan(s) job. And at best a lower temp thermostat could only add a few moments head start before the overheating returned. As mentioned earlier, if you are using a pressure cap and the correct coolant mixture 220° at idle is well within operating temps, without worry.

Also, there are other things that can cause a motor to run warm at low speeds, incorrect ignition timing is one, voltage drop due to an imbalanced charging system is another, air escaping around the radiator and not being pushed through it is yet another (this is critical with pusher fans).

IMHO, Pusher fans while not as efficient as puller fans can still be effective for cooling if sized and wired correctly, I run two pusher fans in California heat and they cool my motor even running A/C. But beware, properly sized pusher fans draw heavy current loads and may require upgrading your charging system.

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Originally Posted by bubbiecars

I don't think you are a bad guy at all. I wanted an answer to my problem, and this sounds like the one I will go with. I was told by a so-called expert to put the 160 degree t-stat in. Should I change it to a 180?

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No, you should change it to a 195. Get a meat thermometer (kitchen tools section of the local grocery store). Drop your thermostat into a pan of water, along with the probe of your meat thermometer. The thermostat must be totally covered with water. Turn up the heat and watch the temperature where the door begins to open on your thermostat. You must do your due diligence with every part you buy, that's why you want to know for sure where the thermostat opens. TAKE NOBODY'S WORD FOR ANYTHING.

Some fellows will drill a 1/8" hole out towards the edge of the thermostat to allow air to escape as you are going through the routine of filling the system with coolant.....not a bad idea in my opinion. Put a stainless steel spring in the bottom radiator hose to prevent it collapsing and cutting off cooling water to the motor. Yes, a good water pump can suck the bottom hose flat and make the motor run hot.

And don't use some cheap-ass 3 or 4 dollar "poppet" type thermostat, no matter who made it!
Get yourself a "sleeve" type thermostat, usually priced 7 to 10 dollars, this style will actually modulate to keep the engine at a constant temperature.

The poppet style is simply open then close and cannot flow what the sleeve type can.