Anybody ever run too cool?

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rednesss

rednesss

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I swear I cannot understand why my coolant isn't running at least at the thermostat temperature, but it isn't. I have a 180 deg high flow thermostat, and when it's cold out, running down the highway, it will just get to 160. Once I stop, and maybe putt around a parking lot, it will eventually get up to 180. I'm thinking about putting a piece of plastic or something in front of the radiator and blocking some air flow so that it actually stays at 180 going down the road. I have a pretty stock 340, an aftermarket Champion 22" radiator, and a Flow Kooler water pump. I'm actually wondering if the high flow water pump is somehow overcoming the t-stat and pushing too much water around. I'm irritated though.
 
Where is your temp guage reading from? should be in the intake in the stock location, below the thermostat. I did have a 318 in a volare cop car, big rad, big fan, shroud etc. i ran it for a bit with no thermostat. it never got warm enough to burn moisture out of the oil and the oil went milky. Reinstalled the tstat and it went back to normal, the oil cleared up.
 
I'm not going by the stock temp gauge, too unreliable even when brand new. I have the FiTech system which uses a temp sensor in the intake runner just like the stock sender. I also use a laser temp gun too. It is really too low, not just a false instrumentation error.
 
I'm having the same issue. Can't hardly get temp in it.

Let me know know what you figure out.

No matter what, you should be able to get the engine to the temp of the thermostat regardless of ambient.

It has me stumped and pissed. I drive my junk year round and I need a heater.
 
good question, and quite common. maybe cheap made in china thermostat? we have found the way to go is a regular genuine mopar 195* thermostat. I slowed down my water pump with a smaller crank pulley
 
I always check my tstats in a pot of water on the stove with the turkey thermometer . ...might be worth checking where yours is actually opening .
 
I would not trust the Fitech temp gauge. Mine reads at 165 while the real temp is 195 confirmed by a trusted gauge. My intake has 2 temp ports by the thermostat, 1 for the Fitech and 1 for my old trusted mechanical gauge.
 
flow restrictor under the stat or in the hose? Or the old trucker bib in front of the radiator....
 
I had the same problem with a high flow thermostat. Swapped it out for a stock type 180 degree stat and it was fine after.
 
Thermostats often have a small bleed hole to bypass, but other things might keep the thermostat from closing. Things like improper use of sealer, dirty sealing surface, bent surface, gasket on wrong side .... Visual inspection, and test of thermostat in pot of water with thermometer should sort it out. I always check them first.
 
If the thermostat is working properly a high flow water pump or larger radiator should not make a difference unless it NEEDS MORE cooling. I would guess that your thermostat is opening either too early or too much at its RATED temperature. I will agree with the above suggestions to try a warmer thermostat first. After that possibly your sending unit or gauge is incorrect. An infrared thermometer can be used at the upper portion of the radiator or the hose just above the the thermostat to double check the temperature. Doing that has shown me that mine is very accurate.
Yote
 
KitCarlson said:
Thermostats often have a small bleed hole to bypass, but other things might keep the thermostat from closing. Things like improper use of sealer, dirty sealing surface, bent surface, gasket on wrong side .... Visual inspection, and test of thermostat in pot of water with thermometer should sort it out. I always check them first.
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Thermostat is not shutting all the way.
Flush system of any debri try hotter stat and check coolant mixture.
 
Have you tried testing the actual temperatures with an IR thermometer? They are not that expensive, and they are VERY handy. Check the temp at the thermostat housing, and compare it to the temp on the gauge.
 
A hotter thermostat will not change jack dammit. The thermostat's job is simply to allow the engine to heat up quickly by being closed. Then open once the coolant reaches the thermostat's opening temperature. Period.

Most older non computerized vehicles used a 195* thermostat. This has zero to do with how hot the engine runs. It only aids in quick warm up.

If you have a high flow thermostat, you might try a standard one. That could have some effect on it.
 
I've had a few thermostats that were fine when new but after a year or two began opening at a much lower temp, hurting mileage, heater performance and making warm-up take longer.
Usually they started opening 15 degrees below the proper temp.
 
RustyRatRod said:
A hotter thermostat will not change jack dammit. The thermostat's job is simply to allow the engine to heat up quickly by being closed. Then open once the coolant reaches the thermostat's opening temperature. Period.

Most older non computerized vehicles used a 195* thermostat. This has zero to do with how hot the engine runs. It only aids in quick warm up.

If you have a high flow thermostat, you might try a standard one. That could have some effect on it.
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are you saying he is running at 160 with the thermostat closed?
 
I am saying I am not getting what Rusty is saying, cuz a thermostat will open and close and open and close if need be
 
I'm running a Mr. Gasket high flow 180 deg thermostat. I tested it in a pan of water on the stove with a thermometer before installing it, and it was opening and closing when it should. I was running a little bit warm during the summer and swapped out the regular style stant for the high flow, but maybe I'll swap it back in and see if it helps during the winter.
 
Marcohotrod said:
I am saying I am not getting what Rusty is saying, cuz a thermostat will open and close and open and close if need be
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Assuming it's working correctly, yes. I personally don't believe it's working correctly. A standard flow stat could allow allow the coolant to stay in the engine longer, increasing the temp.

But really, the first option should be to change the thermostat. The one in there now, for whatever reason, isn't working. Thermostats only control minimum engine temperature. This one is controlling that temp at 160 or not at all.

It's really a no brainer. A correctly working 180 stat will limit flow until the coolant reaches 180. If your engine can't hit 180 with a closed thermostat, you are in an amazing situation where you can just remove your entire cooling system and run air cooled.
 
rednesss said:
I'm running a Mr. Gasket high flow 180 deg thermostat. I tested it in a pan of water on the stove with a thermometer before installing it, and it was opening and closing when it should. I was running a little bit warm during the summer and swapped out the regular style stant for the high flow, but maybe I'll swap it back in and see if it helps during the winter.
Click to expand...


What is "a little bit warm"?
 
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