I have a 95 singlecab shortbed XLT w auto and A/C. My Coolant temp gauge climbs past the picure on the guage and then returns to the middle and usually sits there, if I run the A/C, or drive in Florida, which is where I live it usually runs on the right side of that little oilcan picuture. To me this just makes me uncomfortable. I'm planning on a radiator flush and changing the thermostat.

Questioon is, should I stick, to the 192 factory temp thermostat or can I use a 180 degree t stat? Will it cause my truck to get worse milage? I'd sure like the temp to sit just before the oilcan picture as on my Bronco. Makes me nervous.j.

Anything else I can reprogram with the guy at Advance Discount with his orange scanner to run a cooler t stat?\\


Chaiyz

 

Don't use a lower temp thermostat, It was designed to run at 192 deg and it will hurt fuel mileage and performance. Look for bug build up in the radiator fins and do a flush. You can get a new ratiator for about 125.00 on the internet and that may be the way to go if if you think it may be clogged. Change the hoses (on a 95 I would go ahead and change the heater hose while I was at it.) and use a 50/50 mix of antifreeze/distilled water. and you will be go to go.
No, the code reader will not "reprogram" anything.
Dave

 

You might loosen the radiator and have a look between it and the A/C condenser. My last Ranger had a large accumulation of dead, fried bugs in there.

 

You mention an "oilcan Picture", sure you're looking at the temp gauge?
SD

 

I had a similar problem (and live in Florida) -- replacing the thermostat fixed the problem

 

Pulled the thermostat today. Said 197 on it. I installed the stock 192 and it's cooling right where I want it. Wish all problems were this simple.

Chaiyz

 

I pulled one the other day and it was 197 too.. Where did you find a 192? All I have seen is 195's. Couldn't find a 197 either.
Also I would like to say here that everything in a modern engine revolves around a 205 degree internal temp! The gasoline, the oil, the expansion of the pistons and all other components NEED that temp to operate as designed.. Placing a 180 or lower in the engine and NOT changing the cam and other major parts is a mistake.
Living in Florida allows you to use srtaight ethylene-glycol in your engine. You know it will not boil till it reaches near 400 degrees? It also lubricates the coolant pump and does not allow internal rust in any part of the coolant jacket.
Big Jim

 

Hey there Jim. My cooling problem was just a personal preference. My temp ran just past the halfway point on the guage and I thought it looked high. Ran my Vin thru ford and they shot me a 192 thermostat that fixed it lickity split. Very happy and I will be looking for a milage change but it's only 5 degrees and I'm not (no pun intended) sweating it. I feel more secure when my guage is where it lives on my other vehicles. I'm wierd though.

 

When talking about cooling, there are several components. Everybody is right about the radiator getting clogged, both internall and externally. The heater core can also become clogged if you don't flush your system regularly. If you vehicle has heavy mileage on the cooling system (75k or more) then definitely consider doing the following -
Change the water pump to a high volume pump - in doing so, also change the thermosat to a hi-flow thermostat. This will remedy any future plans for towing, heavy loads, mountains, etc. Also, it is simply the best you can do for your vehicle. If you go cheap, you'll just revisit it sooner than you think.
Change the radiator hoses, clamps, and heater hoses - Buy good clamps!
Flush the cooling system, THEN, flush the heater core separately, or vice-versa. I found this on the ford tech CD. And oh yes, the final one, and most often overlooked coolant culprit, the radiator cap. Replace it if you're doing all the rest. At the very least, inspect it/test it.
In other words, do it all and get it over with. You can pay now or pay later. In the end though, you WILL replace all of these components IF you plan on keeping the car more than a few years. Cooling systems are a maintenance item,. That which you don't replace today, is bound to fail at the worst possible time, like 4th of july weekend!

Good info on thermostats:
http://www.stewartcomponents.com/tec...ech_Tips_3.htm
Coolant flushing:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/auto...t/1272246.html

 

I was going to put a 180 in my truck when i changed it, but i talked to a mechanic freind of mine thats ASE certified and all that stuff and he told me it can hurt gas milege because the computer stays in cold start mode until a certain temperature and uses more gas. It made sense to me. The gauge is always in the middle no matter how hot or whatever torture my truck is being put through. It only bugged me because my Silverado has 4 core radiator and a 160 thermostat. The truck runs at about 155 in normal conditions of on the freeway and the gauge isn't even halfway to the first 1/4 line. It will rarely go to that first line, but in in extreme heat with the A/C on and either sitting in traffic or going up a grade it will go up a little.

 

Why would you put a 160 in a silverado? EVERY part of the engine is expecting 195!
Even the motor oil needs the extra 35degrees to function properly. There has not been a 160 in a factory automobile since the 40s that I can think of.
For sure your silverado is poluting more with the colder thermostat in it. Any horsepower gain is mostly imagined with a thermostat change and the offset is the gas milage thrown away for little gain.. COLDER NEEDS RICHER! PERIOD!
If 160 was good... NASCAR would run it! THEY RUN 230 degrees... Why you ask? Because the hotter the engine the better it will run!!! Nascar is limited to PLAIN WATER as a coolant.. NO additives. If they could run coolant instead of water be assurred, NASCAR would runtheir engines at 280/300 degrees. Your engine runs BETTER hot than cold.
Big Jim

 

It's a 1978 silverado with a motor out of a 72 chevelle thats got a enough mods to kick up the power and torque but not enough to fail smog. Last year when i smogged it the numbers were below average. The numbers that test the fuel mixture and the ignition were below average, and the only number that was high was the one for the Cat and the Egr valve. It has a highflow 3 inch cat which took up the slack for the stock egr valve that probably never opens thats only on there when i smog it. You mentioned gas milege, It gets 14.75 mpg on the highway doing 75 mph with the a/c on, and it has 3.08 gears a regular turbo 350 trans and 255 75 15 tires. The old cars dont care as long as you adjust everything to be compatable, but the newer cars are really picky.

 

Trust me on this... Spend the 5 bucks and put a 195 in there... It WILL help with both milage and loooong life!
Big Jim

 

There is apsolutely no possible way to get better gas milege then i already get unless i put in a 700 r4. That would get it up around 18-20 on the highway and thats what a new silverado gets that is fuel injected. Oh i forgot to mention i only run a 10 pound cap and i drilled a 1/8 hole in the thermostat for bleeding the air and to prevent back pressure in the system. I've had other people tell me that sludge will build up running that cold but i've had the intake off and the pan off and it looks like new still even though it has 84k on it. I once used the 195 in the truck in the old motor and reused it with the new one but switched to the 160 because the motor was running to hot during the break in period and the colder thermo fixed that, and i never switched back because there were no problems.

 

I cannot see how you can argue for the positive in this matter... The 160 thermostat should not even be manuactured! Much less installed in a modern engine.
When you say it was hotter than you liked... What the heck do you know about LIKEING? The temp should be 195 period! Your likes have nothing to do with what the exhaust puts out! The colder temp puts out exhaust that does not comply. The colder temp causes the oil to be lower viscosity. Put the 195 back in there.
Big Jim