I had a 165 thermostat in my truck when I lived in Florida. It ran cool in the summer with the AC on, it got just around the first line on the gauge. That's probably where yours is in an Arizona autumn with no thermostat. Wait until summer when you are running the ac. When you are idling, watch the gauge climb to operating temperature. That's what mine did in Florida, I thought there was something wrong with it. When I moved to Colorado, I had no heat, so I put in a 195, and even in a hot Colorado summer, where the temp can reach 105 (not as hot as AZ, but still hot), the truck's temp still stayed the same (around the "N" in normal) as in winter. Others on this site have always reported their trucks, when running normally, as being around the "N." At the first line, there is no heat, so I know that this cannot be the correct operating temperature. So I can see that my truck was running extra cool with the 165 t-stat. I still would recommend that you run a t-stat, at least the 165.

 

>He said thve lower temp gave me a 3 HP increase!!!

According to what???????????????????????

 

The dyno results compared to my run a month before!!!

 

I also live in the desert and all I can say is we'll be waiting for your post on running no thermostat around June-July, when the coolant has no chance to stay in the radiator for cooling purposes.

What was the rear wheel hp and torque on each of your dyno sheets?

 

>What was the rear wheel hp and torque on each of your dyno
>sheets?

I'd be real curious about that too

 

I'm not sure about the thermostat acting as a restrictor. I think this is like one of those "auto urban legends." If the coolant needed a restrictor, you would think that one would just have been built in somewhere. I've never read anything that said for sure that the t-stat was needed as a restrictor (ie. that the manufacturers designed it this way). Then again, the manufacturer did not design for you to take it out either. We used to take out t-stats in Florida when I was younger and didn't know any better, some people said it would cool better and others said it would get hotter (no restriction). The bottom line, though, is that if you have a 165 degree t-stat that is working properly, then it should not in and of itself cause the truck to run any hotter than 165 degrees.

 

The horsepower I know off the top of my head. it was 327 and 330. the tourque I will have to get my papers. I think it was in the neghborhood of 365-380!

 

BlownBronco,

I will have to agree wth the people who say you do need a thermostat....

not only does it facilitate the ability for quick warm ups to normal op temps.....but it helps keep the ECU running in tune with the driving conditions.

Not running a thermostat will fool the ECU into thinking the truck needs more fuel which is pretty much running your truck on choke the whole time......

The reprecussions include early catalytic converter failure

The cooler running engine WILL score the bores sooner than an engine running at normal operating temps...

THe whole reason for warming the engine up before applying operational loads is to expand the rings, pistons, lifters, bearings etc, so that the engine is nice and tight.

Not warming the engine will cause premature wear due to the slack of the cool parts....

Now an engine sucking in cold air is a different concept.....
there is an engine in a hot engine bay.......instaloing a snorkle that pulls cold air from the outside as opposed to the hot air inside the engine bay can add some ponies...

Go to ford and get the 190 or 180 thermostat if running a bit too warm, go get an aluminum Modine radiator....

it solved all of my cooling problems!!! for $180 bucks!! w tranny cooler!!

and it bolts right in!!!