What thermostat?

[SoFloG]

Man I haven't ever run a thermostat. Mine stays between 180 -200.

 

[pontiacgp]

It's in the intake. And at the time, the mixture in the rad was 50% tap water, and then 50% premixed 50/50 coolant and water. A few days prior I pitched a fan belt (first time) due to a pulley misalignment and it knocked the lower rad hose off. Was far from home and didn't have any cash on my to buy coolant. Just borrowed a garden hose filled it up and went on my way. I'm fairly confident they're correct.

with that mixture the boiling point at 15 psi is still close to 260°

 

[MrSony]

Its in the hole next to the thermostat housing above the slanted one.

 

[MrSony]

with that mixture the boiling point at 15 psi is still close to 260°

welp it was burbling May not be exact on the amount of water vs coolant, but I know there was way more water than coolant due to the lower hose getting knocked off. I heard it burbling over the engine. Gauge read 230+ when I got out to check it.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

160 is way too cold. Ideally you want the engine operating around 200 to 210 degrees. Running a engine too cold will increase wear. Ford figured out back in the 60s that a 195 t-stat increases engine life at least by 30%.

 

[Clone TIE Pilot]

160 is way too cold. Ideally you want the engine operating around 200 to 210 degrees. Running a engine too cold will increase wear. Ford figured out back in the 60s that a 195 t-stat increases engine life at least by 30%.

 

[pontiacgp]

160 is way too cold. Ideally you want the engine operating around 200 to 210 degrees. Running a engine too cold will increase wear. Ford figured out back in the 60s that a 195 t-stat increases engine life at least by 30%.

where did you read that ford used a 195° thermostat to increase engine life? Back in the 60's some car manufactures used the 195° thermostat to increase engine temperature to attempt to increase fuel milage

 

[olds307 and 403]

It is true, new motors run hotter, no doubt for improved mileage and emissions. The new GM trucks must have a 205 degree thermostat, they run 100 C plus. My 70 S threw a new belt this summer, only tightened twice, new belts seem to need 4 times. Gauge floored and boiling in the overflow, same 50/50 mix. That happened nearly every day on the 88 with the 403, which leads me to this, do not buy the Mr Gasket high flow thermostat, would flow at low speeds then shut at highway speeds,took me a while to figure it out. The Robert Shaw 180 high flow thermostat is going my 350, I like the EP Stewart modified version but it has gone up in price, double the price of the RS for 3 balance holes, too much. A 195 is too warm for my liking unless it is a winter driver, I would like a 205 for my Dakota but could only find a 192 temp.

 

[Bonnewagon]

I used to get decades of service from a thermostat. I don't know why but the current available thermostats suck. I test them all in a pot of boiling water and many open at the right temp but take too long to close. That causes cold running. And yet when once in the motor- they don't work right at all. I can't figure out why. I even drill a tiny hole in every stat so air can vent when I fill with coolant. I run a 160* in summer because I use the AC. Even with an aluminum radiator it gets too hot in slow traffic without good airflow. The 160* works well in that situation. But in winter I like a 195* because a station wagon has a LOT of space to heat especially the rear glass. A 180* is OK for Spring and Fall, but in the dead of Winter a 195* is better. I hope you are using only a distilled water/coolant mixture with that aluminum radiator. Tap water will cause electrolysis between the different metals.

 

[MrSony]

I used to get decades of service from a thermostat. I don't know why but the current available thermostats suck. I test them all in a pot of boiling water and many open at the right temp but take too long to close. That causes cold running. And yet when once in the motor- they don't work right at all. I can't figure out why. I even drill a tiny hole in every stat so air can vent when I fill with coolant. I run a 160* in summer because I use the AC. Even with an aluminum radiator it gets too hot in slow traffic without good airflow. The 160* works well in that situation. But in winter I like a 195* because a station wagon has a LOT of space to heat especially the rear glass. A 180* is OK for Spring and Fall, but in the dead of Winter a 195* is better. I hope you are using only a distilled water/coolant mixture with that aluminum radiator. Tap water will cause electrolysis between the different metals.

At the time, tap water is all i had on the side of the road. It's all 50/50 mix now.