160º T-stat harmful?

[BlenderWizard]

I recently installed a 160º t-stat in my '02 5.3. My engine temp stays between 185º and 190º, according to the temp gauge in the dash. I think this is a tolerable operating temp, but I could be wrong. A lot of people on another board have been poo-pooing the 160º t-stats, saying they can actually cause the engine not to run right and whatnot. Here is an article that a member there cited:
http://www.speedomotive.com/cooling%20hints.htm
and here is the entire thread from the other board:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/...ad.php?t=448272
Is there any truth to any of this? Do I need to put my stock t-stat back in? Maybe Allen can lend his opinion in here.

[GMCwantsLS1]

Mine runs the same temps as yours and has no problems.

[bud8fan]

on all my motors the normal temp with the 160 is 178.i installed 160 thermos in all my motors with no problems..its hot as hell down here in south texas.i just cant see for any reason why they think my motor needs to run 200 210 all tha time

[RedHeartbeat]

I think it's the feds that want us to run hotter to burn up more fuel and emissions. They just don't understand that heat kills HP.

[jethro_3]

One of the comments was that until atleast 185 the engine will wear prematurly and also have condensation. Then without getting hot enough you will cause the oil to become acidic and then prematurly destroy the block. That was their comment not mine....

So that being said, just how long do you wnat a block to last? I change my quality oil, I wonder if they do????

[gearheadnate]

I'm a ASE master mechanic and this is how I see it. These newer engines run so much hoter that they did in the past, condinsaition is not an issue any more, except in really cold climates. If you use a good quality oil and change it regularly there should be not reliability issuse.

[chrisj6]

My truck runs right at 174*, which is where alot of people say is the "sweet spot" of these LS-style motors for power. Allen actually recommended the 160 stat when ordering my tune.

Chris

[SlammaDingdong]

Great feedback already, but yall know Slamma coudn't leave this one alone

No doubt there's been some all out "T-Stat wars" on other forums, and lots of opinions elsewhere.

My take on it: With so many variables - cooling capacity, operating conditions, climate, engine type, engine size, vehicle weight, FI vs. NA, clutch fan vs. e-fans, etc etc - to state that a t-stat wth temp rating X will cause an engine to run at temp X is erroneous. It may or it may not.

Setting everything else aside, there's at least four basic facts:
1) The temp rating of a t-stat is ROUGHLY the temp at which it begins to open.
2) Auto t-stats ROUGHLY follow the "rule of twenty". A 160* t-stat will be fully open at about 180*.
3) T-stats, at best, are calibrated to plus-minus 2*.
4) The temp rating of a t-stat does not imply the engine will operate at that temp.

Here's a graph i found a while back, not sure of the original source. It suggests a 175-185 engine operating is the best balance of "ideal performance" and "ideal overall".



The bottom line: If you're running a 160* t-stat, and overall operating temp is between 185* and 190*, no problem.

[BlenderWizard]

Originally posted by chrisj6@Aug 25 2005, 10:55 PM
Allen actually recommended the 160 stat when ordering my tune.

Chris

same here

[GMCwantsLS1]

I think the main concern is the oil temp being hot enough. I'm shure the oil temp is much hotter then the water temp.