Thermostat trick...?

[joshwilson3]

ok i'll drain it...
how about from the throtle body hose?
..the end of it is well away from the opti spark and there is no crawling under....
will it work?

I'd drain it from the radiator. As that is the easiest way to drain the coolant. You don't have to crawl under there. There is a plug at the bottom that you unscrew. I stick my under under the fender wells to access that plug while I look down from the top.

You really don't want to take a chance and get coolant on the Opti. It would also be a good idea that after you dump the coolant in the radiator. That you place a wrag on top of the Opti just in case a little bit of coolant trickles out when you replace the Thermostat.

And those hoses don't just come off. You may have to cut the throttle body hose as I'm sure it is stuck. If you do drain it via the throttle body hose, you probably will get coolant on the Opti.

 

[bucket]

I'd drain it from the radiator. As that is the easiest way to drain the coolant. You don't have to crawl under there. There is a plug at the bottom that you unscrew. I stick my under under the fender wells to access that plug while I look down from the top.

You really don't want to take a chance and get coolant on the Opti. It would also be a good idea that after you dump the coolant in the radiator. That you place a wrag on top of the Opti just in case a little bit of coolant trickles out when you replace the Thermostat.

And those hoses don't just come off. You may have to cut the throttle body hose as I'm sure it is stuck. If you do drain it via the throttle body hose, you probably will get coolant on the Opti.

......

i was thinkin the end near the radiator..it's a new piece and isnt stuck yet..as is the top hose for that matter..

 

[joshwilson3]

......

i was thinkin the end near the radiator..it's a new piece and isnt stuck yet..as is the top hose for that matter..

I'd just drain it from the drain plug that is in the radiator. That is what it is there for, to drain coolant from the radiator. And is the easiest way and will have less mess. No point in pulling hoses off to drain the radiator. Especially hoses near the Opti that could get it wet.

 

[bucket]

I'd just drain it from the drain plug that is in the radiator. That is what it is there for, to drain coolant from the radiator. And is the easiest way and will have less mess. No point in pulling hoses off to drain the radiator. Especially hoses near the Opti that could get it wet.

..
perhaps if i'd have ever seen it i might use it...lol
its at the bottom no doubt..
drivers side?
passenger side?
front
or
rear?

 

[roger longman]

Hi all, the thermostat does not control the running temperature, it just effects the amount of time it takes the engine to reach that temperature. taking longer just increases wear and tear. Someone convince me I'm wrong. Thanks. Roger.

 

[joshwilson3]

..
perhaps if i'd have ever seen it i might use it...lol
its at the bottom no doubt..
drivers side?
passenger side?
front
or
rear?

Its on the passenger side below the radiator hose. You just unscrew the plug. You don't have to take it out. Just unscrew it to get the coolant dumping. And put a pan or something under there to catch the coolant. You will see a hole in that area in the frame below the radiator where the coolant will drain from. That is the correct way to drain the coolant in the radiator, and so happens to be the easiest. You could get by with just dumping half of it if all your going to do is replace the thermostat. But since you'll have to get coolant anyways, might as well change all the coolant out that is in the radiator.

Though, mine has an L98. Yours probably has that pressure tank by the windshield. I'm not familure with that set up if there is something else you need to do.

At that point. I'd also dump the coolant from the block to flush it if it hadn't been done in a long time. But that is alot more work, you have to get under there, and it will be messy. So, it is something you probably wouldn't want to mess with if you only want to replace the thermostat.

 

[JAKE]

One another Forum, I recently posted basically the same thing: An engine running too cool increases wear, hurts gas mileage, decreases the availability of cabin heat for winter-time operation, etc..

If I could, I'd want my coolant to run at 240F and my oil at 220F all the time. But that's just me and, since I have the "Christmas Spirit", I don't wanna fight over this.

In a recent 500 mile NASCAR race held in TX one of the driver's reported he was running 260F coolant and the commentators responded "Oh, that's fine". Went on the say he had nothing to worry about with that temp.

Then another driver reported he was running too cool and told his pit crew to prepare to add tape to his grill to restrict airflow to the radiator. He didn't mention the "too cool" number though.

Both guys were turning 9200 RPM near the top of the straight.

A couple of years ago, when the stat in my 96 LT1 stuck closed, I just layed a few layers of terri-cloth rags over the Opti, then removed the housing and swapped in the new "Fail-Safe" stat. I then burped the system and it was a done deal.

Jake

West Point ROCKS! Nation's TOP COLLEGE per Forbes Magazine!! Graduation Day Parade 20 May 2010!!!

 

[joshwilson3]

I've got a 195 degree Robertshaw stat in my 89. I checked it on the stove and it starts opening right at 180.

I know driving around my temp is around 175. It guess it cools too good. I know I did have all 3 pieces of the air dam removed. And I didn't notice any increase in temps.

 

[bucket]

I've got a 195 degree Robertshaw stat in my 89. I checked it on the stove and it starts opening right at 180.

I know driving around my temp is around 175. It guess it cools too good. I know I did have all 3 pieces of the air dam removed. And I didn't notice any increase in temps.

..
i'm shaving mine air dams down a little at a time
all these numbers are regional and case sensitive..lol
if i were a nascar engine i'd also be running 6 gallons of 5wt oil with it's own cooler.
i like the throttle response at around 160 to 180..
it seems to have a few more newton meters...

 

[jonszr1]

Hi all, the thermostat does not control the running temperature, it just effects the amount of time it takes the engine to reach that temperature. taking longer just increases wear and tear. Someone convince me I'm wrong. Thanks. Roger.

ok i will convice you . corvettes typicly run 14 deg. higher than the thermastate opening . if your cooling system is upto par a 160 will run 174 . and as for why its done . a motor running 175 will make about 10-15 hp more than a car running 195.cooler fuel makes more power . your intake will be tons hotter @195. when the intake getts hot the fuel gets hot . as an example i have custom made 165 themastates in my 3zr1s and they all ran .3tenths faster and 2 miles an hr faster at the drag strip than with the stk stat. you shpould also bypass the coolant that runs thru ther throttle body . that will help keep the fuel cool.. gm has the hot stat in the car for smog reasons .

 

[bucket]

ok i will convice you . corvettes typicly run 14 deg. higher than the thermastate opening . if your cooling system is upto par a 160 will run 174 . and as for why its done . a motor running 175 will make about 10-15 hp more than a car running 195.cooler fuel makes more power . your intake will be tons hotter @195. when the intake getts hot the fuel gets hot . as an example i have custom made 165 themastates in my 3zr1s and they all ran .3tenths faster and 2 miles an hr faster at the drag strip than with the stk stat. you shpould also bypass the coolant that runs thru ther throttle body . that will help keep the fuel cool.. gm has the hot stat in the car for smog reasons .

.

wow, ..lol
thanx for the sunshine

 

[helphos]

Thermostats

Thanks, JonsZR. I probably won't spend much time at the drags, but your explanation is a good one. How do you bypass coolant going to the throttle body? Easy, hard?? Any risks?

And now for a totally off topic question (I am in the process of shopping for a C4, so I don't have a Vette Yette), 'What percent of the Corvette C4 is metric vs SAE? I'm seeing references to both types of fasteners, and wondering if there's any thread of logic behind the mixture of 3/4 for this and 19mm for that!
Thanks for this great forum!

 

[bucket]

Thanks, JonsZR. I probably won't spend much time at the drags, but your explanation is a good one. How do you bypass coolant going to the throttle body? Easy, hard?? Any risks?

And now for a totally off topic question (I am in the process of shopping for a C4, so I don't have a Vette Yette), 'What percent of the Corvette C4 is metric vs SAE? I'm seeing references to both types of fasteners, and wondering if there's any thread of logic behind the mixture of 3/4 for this and 19mm for that!
Thanks for this great forum!

...
although the C4 is the least expensive, i would recommend a 99 or newer, based on my research and conversations with PROFESSIONAL mechanics...
like dyno tune guys and engine rebuilders etc..
otherwise lower miles is your way in
stay away from anything older than the LT1 equipped cars..

 

[jonszr1]

therre are many opinions on what year of vette to buy . one needs to consider what one whats from the car.. i like c4s because once your in the car it wraps around you like being in a fighter jet . i like the zr1 as it is the most unique vet ever built .twin cam motor thats very quick in almost stk form. most are afraid of them ( think parts arent avail)and the prices are unreal cheap for a car that to me is going to be part of vet history.20k will get you a low mile car. there isnt anything that sounds like them at full throttle . the lt1-4 are good cars .but think about this you can buy a 89-91 c4 in great shape for 8-10-k. put a 472 scott sharoff 472 in it for 9500 and have an 11 sec car for 20 k that will get 20+ MILES PER GALLON .guess i am c-4 biased .if you want to see and hear a couple of zr1s at the strip . go to utube and type in joeshmoe12301230 for a list of vids of my white callaway zr1 475supernatural and my 90 that has only ported inj housings and plenum and headers and a corey henderson tune . if that doesnt excite you a little ........oh welll .very merry xmas to you all !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jonszr1]

on the t body bypas just buy a longer hose to connect the 2 hoses that go into either side of the t body .

 

[JAKE]

My roadster use to run 175+ MPH in the quarter and I never left the line with the coolant under 180F. Performance and engine longevity were both considerations, especially when I knew that if I ran off a tenth I'd be out of the program.

So, in my experience low coolant temps weren't the answer. Staying awake was.

Jake

West Point ROCKS! Nation's TOP COLLEGE per Forbes Magazine!! Graduation Day Parade 20 May 2010!!!

 

[1963SS]

Wow, this might be too heated for a forum newb but I'll risk the abuse. I think the Vette has a 180 degree thermostat stock. My Impala was 195 and now it's 160. I had to have the ECM reprogrammed to utilize the 160. It does keep the heads cooler and we all know that cooling the heads first makes higher compression possible. Cooler temps will decrease the tendency for knock and the necessary spark retarding that will follow. The temp also affects the fuel tables. If you put in a 160 stat, the ECM thinks the engine is not up to temperature and it will allow it to run richer and add fuel because it thinks the engine is still cold.

I do put a 195 back in the Imp in the winter and tune the ECM accordingly. The 160 freezes me half to death and takes forever to get warm inside. I'm certain that I'd never like my engine to run at 220. Only bad things could happen. Hotter heads, oil, pistons and all that would equate to lowered thermal efficiency. Of course, as always, IMHO.

 

[vetteboy86]

If a corvette owner wishes to put a cooler thermostat in their car, all the power to them. Other owners prefer not too. Lets leave it at that. Both owners could present very good arguments.

Now, with that said, putting a cooler thermostat in, in order to benefit, would require modifying the cooling fan on temps.

 

[joshwilson3]

If you ran the car cooler like at 180, would that reduce the chance of getting a headgasket leak compared to running it at 200? Or would it not matter? I know the mid-late L98's tend to get head gasket failures at the back of the block.

 

[helphos]

Hot Topic of the day- Thermostats

I must say that this is one of the most civilized forums I've been on. Many different opinions, and no flames. Also some interesting points of view. The question about hotter temperatures and head gaskets is a good one. The only time I've had head gasket problems was when my electric fan malfunctioned and let the temperature go way up. Could a cooler thermostat mitigate head gasket problems, or does the thermostat only affect the time to get to operating temperature? I'm starting to believe that once the car is at operating temperature the thermostat is open for business and has no more effect on the temperature.
Your thoughts?