Which Radiator

[TheJeanyus]

Nate resize that monstrous signature!

[Purple1995Pony]

Originally Posted by natedawgg94

I wondering if i'm missing something here my car has right at 220k on it still with stock cooling except for a 160 degree thermostat. my ? is why aren't you guys running the 160 degree thermostat since you have cooling prob. cause my car in the summer heat doesn't get above the O in normal and in winter it barely makes it across the line. oh by the way this is my 94 gt i'm talking bout.

I've got the radiator made by fluidyne. Looks exactly like the
AFCO one picturesd in this thread. I'll be putting a 160 thermostat in duriong the swap-over for extra insurance against overheating

[89 Hoss]

Will that thermostat also work on fox bodies? maybe a dumb question to some of you but i need to know. My coupe operates around 184 - 188 while the gt operates around 186 - 190. What is the quote unquote textbook operating temp. for these motors and will the 160 work for all? Do any mods that have been done to the motor effect the operating temp?

[Purple1995Pony]

well all I can say is WHEWWW!!! the running temp has gone down considerably (at least 30 degrees) after installing the new radiator and 160F thermostat this past weekend.

[vristang]

A word of caution about low cooling temps.

Coolant temps below ~180F will accelerate cylinder bore wear quite a bit. It is also likely that your are losing power, increasing emissions, and losing fuel economy.
Temps below ~165F or so (it changes depending on the EEC-IV programming) will cause the car to stay in warm up mode. This means excess fuel.

The lower coolant temps will decrease the thermal efficiency of the motor.

The ideal temps (for all of the above mentioned characteristics) seems to be around 195-210F.
If you live in a very hot area it may be difficult to control temps at the higher temps. It is in high temp areas that the 160 is appropriate. Other than that, I suggest staying away from the low coolant temps.

Personally I am cooling a 408w with a stock 2 core replacement rad, metal fan (no clutch), and flowcooler water pump.
My 197F T-stat sticks open once, so my coolant temps (as read from the datalog) never leave the low 190s. I have never been over 200F in a datalog.
I will be replacing the stat soon to try and get the temps back up where they should be.
Mr. Gasket is supposed to very good and reliable.

jason

[Purple1995Pony]

Originally Posted by vristang

A word of caution about low cooling temps.

Coolant temps below ~180F will accelerate cylinder bore wear quite a bit. It is also likely that your are losing power, increasing emissions, and losing fuel economy.
Temps below ~165F or so (it changes depending on the EEC-IV programming) will cause the car to stay in warm up mode. This means excess fuel.

The lower coolant temps will decrease the thermal efficiency of the motor.

The ideal temps (for all of the above mentioned characteristics) seems to be around 195-210F.
If you live in a very hot area it may be difficult to control temps at the higher temps. It is in high temp areas that the 160 is appropriate. Other than that, I suggest staying away from the low coolant temps.

Personally I am cooling a 408w with a stock 2 core replacement rad, metal fan (no clutch), and flowcooler water pump.
My 197F T-stat sticks open once, so my coolant temps (as read from the datalog) never leave the low 190s. I have never been over 200F in a datalog.
I will be replacing the stat soon to try and get the temps back up where they should be.
Mr. Gasket is supposed to very good and reliable.

jason

well considering I was running at 220-230, I'm in the zone with the combo I have now. having a 160 t-stat does not necessarily mean that the engine is running at that temp, it just means that the t-stat opens at a lower temp to allow coolant flow through the main radiator hoses sooner than a 180 or 190 t-stat which helps reduce the operating temp and maintain it better.

Oh, and btw, the install went smooth exept for one thing. The bracket for the anti-lock brakes module??? (I think) on the inside of the passenger side frame rail was a bit of a squeeze to fit the much thicker radiator core and tank though.

[vristang]

Originally Posted by Purple1995Pony

well considering I was running at 220-230, I'm in the zone with the combo I have now. having a 160 t-stat does not necessarily mean that the engine is running at that temp, it just means that the t-stat opens at a lower temp to allow coolant flow through the main radiator hoses sooner than a 180 or 190 t-stat which helps reduce the operating temp and maintain it better.

Oh, and btw, the install went smooth exept for one thing. The bracket for the anti-lock brakes module??? (I think) on the inside of the passenger side frame rail was a bit of a squeeze to fit the much thicker radiator core and tank though.

Glad to hear the install went well.

What are the air temps in your area?
220-230F is a bit too high.
I agree that using a 160F stat does not mean that cooling system temps will be in the 160F range.
What is crucial is the temperature of the coolant, not so much the rating of the T-stat.

Hope the new setup works out.

[Purple1995Pony]

it's been in the high 80's or 90's here lately with relative humidity in the 70's+ but I drive in heavy traffic in the afternoon too so it's a lot of hot, slow, stop & go traffic fo 1-1/2 hours or more