160 stat
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It's not bad at all.....but have a bucket handy!!!!
On mine:
1. Removed hose to t-stat housing
2. Loosened bolts on t-stat housing.
3. Gently removed t-stat housing while letting a/f trickle into bucket under car. Due to the fact the t-stat is so low, you will loose ALL the a/f above the housing (in heads) You'll have a bout a gallon of a/f in your bucket.
4. I put my SLP 160 degree t-stat in the housing first and made sure the o-ring was seated and centered.
5. while holding the housing against block, re-tightend screws.
Now....afer a 13 year career in the old NASCAR Bush Grand National division and being an ASE tech from 86 to 96....the biggest problem from loosing this much coolant is getting the engine back full with NO air locks in heads.
To do this....
1. Leave the t-stat hose off.
2. Remove the top radiator hose and unscrew the coolant recovery tank lid.
3. SLOWLY pour your a/f in the top radiator hose (this requires a funnel and someone to hold it)
4. When you see water coming out of your t-stat housing...put the hose bak on and keep filling until the a/f gurgles at the top of your upper radiator hose. Then reinstall top hose.
5. Fill coolant recovery tank and drive it around for 5 to 10 minutes with the coolant recovery lid OFF. Re-check coolant tank and add as necessary. Watch it for a day or 2 and add if need.
I've had no problems or leaks and car runs 181 to 185 in traffic in Summer.
Hope this helps
On mine:
1. Removed hose to t-stat housing
2. Loosened bolts on t-stat housing.
3. Gently removed t-stat housing while letting a/f trickle into bucket under car. Due to the fact the t-stat is so low, you will loose ALL the a/f above the housing (in heads) You'll have a bout a gallon of a/f in your bucket.
4. I put my SLP 160 degree t-stat in the housing first and made sure the o-ring was seated and centered.
5. while holding the housing against block, re-tightend screws.
Now....afer a 13 year career in the old NASCAR Bush Grand National division and being an ASE tech from 86 to 96....the biggest problem from loosing this much coolant is getting the engine back full with NO air locks in heads.
To do this....
1. Leave the t-stat hose off.
2. Remove the top radiator hose and unscrew the coolant recovery tank lid.
3. SLOWLY pour your a/f in the top radiator hose (this requires a funnel and someone to hold it)
4. When you see water coming out of your t-stat housing...put the hose bak on and keep filling until the a/f gurgles at the top of your upper radiator hose. Then reinstall top hose.
5. Fill coolant recovery tank and drive it around for 5 to 10 minutes with the coolant recovery lid OFF. Re-check coolant tank and add as necessary. Watch it for a day or 2 and add if need.
I've had no problems or leaks and car runs 181 to 185 in traffic in Summer.
Hope this helps
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39 Posts
160 Degree Thermostat
AGR81: Did you adjust the fan on/off speed in the computer to get your 181-185 temperatures? If so, what did you set the fan-on temperature for. I understand 170 degrees is common setting.AGR81 said:
To answer the first question on fan speed....yes. I have adjusted the fan setting with a Predator to get these temps. My On temp is 195 and my Off temp is 185. It runs the 181 to 185 in town (in Summer) at about 35mph. On the higway, it will go down to 177 to 179 at 60 to 80 mph. (again, in Summer)
Ezzgoat...as far as the dealer...I highly doubt they'll do it, unless you're good friends with someone there. They'll give you all the usual warranty issue stuff and warn you that it will flunk a smog test...and it will. The hi temp factory t-stats are mainly for emissions. A hotter engine burns fuel more efficiently with less emissions, and it makes your converters hotter which also helps pass smog tests. In my rural (read farm land) county in NC...we don't have smog testing so I can get away with it. Even with my factory stat...mine rarely ran over 199 in traffic. I can live with that...but I much prefer the 180 range for engine longevity. But if we get smog tests in my county...I'll have to install my factory one to pass it....so be sure and save yoru factory stat, no matter who does the install.
It's really not bad at all. Just let it cool one night and do it the next day cold. It just makes a mess of a/f...but nothing hard about it.
Ezzgoat...as far as the dealer...I highly doubt they'll do it, unless you're good friends with someone there. They'll give you all the usual warranty issue stuff and warn you that it will flunk a smog test...and it will. The hi temp factory t-stats are mainly for emissions. A hotter engine burns fuel more efficiently with less emissions, and it makes your converters hotter which also helps pass smog tests. In my rural (read farm land) county in NC...we don't have smog testing so I can get away with it. Even with my factory stat...mine rarely ran over 199 in traffic. I can live with that...but I much prefer the 180 range for engine longevity. But if we get smog tests in my county...I'll have to install my factory one to pass it....so be sure and save yoru factory stat, no matter who does the install.
It's really not bad at all. Just let it cool one night and do it the next day cold. It just makes a mess of a/f...but nothing hard about it.
GTO_Gregory,
Let me explain a little futher on those fan settings. My fans are basically set for a 187 to 192 T-stat. I don't mind and engine getting in the mid 190 range, but no hotter. That's why the hi on temp. I understand (from some other LS1 forums) that the fans in our cars are not rated for continuous duty cycle. So setting them down in the 170's and 180's makes them run a LOT and they're not rated for it, and will eventually fail. Actually my fans rarely come on now...unless I'm idling in a drive thru line on a hot day. The 181 to 185 temp is running at about 30 mph...and the fans don't come on.
Hope this is a little clearer
Let me explain a little futher on those fan settings. My fans are basically set for a 187 to 192 T-stat. I don't mind and engine getting in the mid 190 range, but no hotter. That's why the hi on temp. I understand (from some other LS1 forums) that the fans in our cars are not rated for continuous duty cycle. So setting them down in the 170's and 180's makes them run a LOT and they're not rated for it, and will eventually fail. Actually my fans rarely come on now...unless I'm idling in a drive thru line on a hot day. The 181 to 185 temp is running at about 30 mph...and the fans don't come on.
Hope this is a little clearer
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39 Posts
Thanks AGR81!
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50 Posts
Every thing that is said here is accurate I just want to add a couple things that are specific to 05AGR81 said:
1. There is a radiator drain on the driver side of the radiator and that will help eliminate some of the mess. I put a clean aluminumn roasting pan underneath to drain. You will still have a mess but it can be contained by doing it this way.
2. When putting coolant back in I opened the cap filled it to the top and then started the car. Once the new thermostat opens it will pull the fluid down and you can just keep filling the radiator until it no longer pulls the fluid down. You will acctually see the air being eliminated. Also then you can put some in the overfill tank as stated above
3. The fan settings for the LS2 are completlely different than the 04. My car has been tuned by HPE here in houston with the Beta Version of LS2 edit and there is no way to actually set temps for when the fans will come on yet with this software version. The only thing that can be done is fan speeds. The fans can be programed to come on high instead of low then high. hope this helps.
LS2BluGoat.....Thanks for spelling out the diff's in the 04 and 05....makes me wish I had waited on an 05 now 
The best thing about what you said is the drain. I did not know the 05's had a radiator drain!! That would have some in soooooooooo handy during my 04 160 install.
Thanks for the info.
The best thing about what you said is the drain. I did not know the 05's had a radiator drain!! That would have some in soooooooooo handy during my 04 160 install.
Thanks for the info.
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