fnaramore
POWEEERRRRRR
Until I am otherwise told, I'm gonna say that 220-230 is my concerned range since the factory has the overheating mark at 250
The 180 (or even a 165/160) can be used in winter to open the flow sooner and get heat to the heater core and the passengers. It can take a loooong time to get a 190 t-stat open on a very cold winter day with the car zipping down the road in all that cold air, and with a low HP, large surface engine like a 170 or 225.
The misconception being used here is the thermostat opens to provide the heat. It doesn't. It opens to allow the water to flow throught the radiator to cool the engine down. Even when the engine is ice cold it's circulating coolant through the heater core(as regulated by the heater control valve). The thermostat does NOT close off the flow through the heater hoses. By installing a lower temp rated therostat you actually are reducing the heat process by allowing the heated coolant to flow through the radiator sooner. A higher temp thermostat(like a 190*) would keep the coolant from flowing into the radiator until it reached the higher temp so that the coolant flowing into the heater core would be allowed to reach a higher temperature. However it doesn't make the coolant heat up any faster(from cold until say 180*). It just causes it to be heated longer before it's allowed to be cooled by the radiator after the t-stat opens up.
Think about it, a car with a t-stat that's stuck closed will still produce heat but will cause the engine to overheat. While a car with a t-stat that's stuck open takes a lot longer to produce heat & may never get very warm on a cold day.
For most of our classic A-bodies running on the steet a 180* t-stat is just fine. If in the cold winter you feel you don't have adequeate heat then maybe try the 190*.
I hope this helps.
Man, I don't mean to be a hater, this is getting a little too cerebral, what's wrong with the stock one? Nothing. End of discussion, no need for 2 pages of bored dudes backyard engineering an answer. I swear y'all would argue over a fart in the wind.
Now that you write it out, I realize I was wrong to think and post my info; I thought through a couple of car heater systems I am familiar with, and can't think of one yet where the heater core is not bypassing the t'stat. My apologies if I misled anyone; BS (accidental or otherwise) is not what makes this site so good! Just when I thought I knew something.....The misconception being used here is the thermostat opens to provide the heat. It doesn't. It opens to allow the water to flow throught the radiator to cool the engine down. Even when the engine is ice cold it's circulating coolant through the heater core(as regulated by the heater control valve). The thermostat does NOT close off the flow through the heater hoses. By installing a lower temp rated therostat you actually are reducing the heat process by allowing the heated coolant to flow through the radiator sooner. A higher temp thermostat(like a 190*) would keep the coolant from flowing into the radiator until it reached the higher temp so that the coolant flowing into the heater core would be allowed to reach a higher temperature. However it doesn't make the coolant heat up any faster(from cold until say 180*). It just causes it to be heated longer before it's allowed to be cooled by the radiator after the t-stat opens up.
Man, I don't mean to be a hater, this is getting a little too cerebral, what's wrong with the stock one? Nothing. End of discussion, no need for 2 pages of bored dudes backyard engineering an answer. I swear y'all would argue over a fart in the wind.
this is getting a little too cerebral, what's wrong with the stock one?.
I'm not sure how the other poster's feel, but I'm going to continue on the high road, trying to help,
But I'll continue to watch you muck about, demonstating your, hmmm.. intelligence (?), (for the chuckle factor).. lol
Hahaha Grant
I hear you man. I mean that's what I was trying to say earlier, this is not a worried about overheating problem, simply where am I gonna make more power. Iv sat in traffic in 90+ degree weather surrounded by cars and it never even touched 205 and in it's entire life it's never touched 210.
I sell parts for a living. The current overseas supplied t stats,don't even touch the quality of a actual Stant stat from ten years ago. I warrantied,so many the last 3 or so years.My recommended: Mr Gasket,or a Robert Shaw 180 "fail safe " stat. If it fails ,it fails with an opening.
I'm not sure how the other poster's feel, but I'm going to continue on the high road, trying to help,
But I'll continue to watch you muck about, demonstating your, hmmm.. intelligence (?), (for the chuckle factor).. lol
Hahaha Grant
Good to know, thanks for the tips!
Oh boy, you guys are just baad to the bone on the internet aren't ya? :thumbup:
They call me Billy the kid on this here forum
The "too fast thru the engine" theory is frequently debated on forums all over with no resolution. I contend that's not the problem at all. Water is an excellent coolant, it both easily picks up heat and dumps it. Hard for me to believe it can be flowed thru the contortions that make up a coolant jacket too fast for it to accept only a very small amount of heat.Dead wrong.
190* opens later & closes sooner= hotter heat. Not exactly what you want in summer driving sitting in traffic. Even a 190* t-stat won't give you heat any quicker, just more consistant hotter heat on cold days.
As other have posted the thermostat temp rating has little effect on maximum(peak running) temperature. However running the engine without one can cause higher temps because the water flows through the engine too quickly & doesn't allow for the necessary heat transfer from the engine into the water.
180* t-stat should be fine.
I sell parts for a living.
.My recommended: Mr Gasket,or a Robert Shaw 180 "fail safe " stat. If it fails ,it fails with an opening.
Sorry, I see nothing in a small hose that supports the "too fast" theory. I see it better supporting my own theory. Search out "white papers" on the topic of block pressure in coolant systems. I didn't arrive at this conclusion by accident.
I just bought a new one. It's a milodon. Good/bad?
I'm using the term "partial pressure" to distinguish that a portion of the system is running at a pressure above the radiator cap rating. Without a restrictor or a t-stat this won't happen and the boiling point of the coolant, even though elevated due to the cap pressure rating, will be lower than with a restrictor or t-stat, and localized boiling will occur. To run without a restrictor means that the cap pressure will need to increase, and the rest of the system is probably not up to that greater pressure.