Thermostat

[The Slider]

I JUST got my Bronco II back from having a new engine installed. They changed the T-STAT in it, and i believe its a 195 Degree. Im in south Texas (SAN ANTONIO) and its hotter than hell here, TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPS! what is the lowest degree T_STAT i can put in the truck without hurting it? that 195 is alomost in the RED and overheating.

Thanks
Chaz.

 

[IMenriched]

I JUST got my Bronco II back from having a new engine installed. They changed the T-STAT in it, and i believe its a 195 Degree. Im in south Texas (SAN ANTONIO) and its hotter than hell here, TRIPLE DIGIT TEMPS! what is the lowest degree T_STAT i can put in the truck without hurting it? that 195 is alomost in the RED and overheating.

Thanks
Chaz.

180 deg T stat has been done before...suggested in the tech library even.

hate to bring this up....but the 2.9 has been known to crack heads. you might want to check to make sure that hasn't happend.

 

[The Slider]

Its brand new. not even 30 miles on it. got new heads... ive been down this route before with the 195 t-stat. I want to say i put in a 160 but might be mistaken. and it worked great after that..
CHaz.

 

[HndMeDnBroncoII]

id be inclined to take it back for warranty i think the guys that did the work would know better or maybe the coolant blend isnt correct i know the 195 is what is specified for the motor though either way it shouldnt get that hot .

 

[armyets2003]

The temp listing of a t-stat is just the temp when the t-stat opens, but it still should flow the same at full open unless the hole is just physically bigger and/or it opens wider. My Ranger handles the triple digit temps here in OK just fine (yes its a 195* t-stat), even with the a/c kickin in town. That wasnt always the case but my situation turned out the be a partially clogged radiator. In any event it sounds like a colder t-stat may be masking another problem in the cooling system.

Shawn

 

[IMenriched]

agreed with HndMednBroncoII if this a new installl return it to get it checked.

Should of mentioned it before ...is this stock guages or a good set of mechnical guages??

the sending unit for the guage might be toast...meaning you might not be really running that hot. Was it boiling over??

 

[AllanD]

no matter how many ground wires you have the guage will not work correctly if the ground wire between the wiper motor mounting stud and the back of the driver's side cylinder head is not properly connected.

I just went through that myself.

AD

 

[The Slider]

It is a stock gauge!!! Im gunna hook up a REAL gauge to it and check it out...

 

[jaymegriffiths]

Wait a sec, this doesn't make any sense. A thermostat only controls minimum temperature, no?
perhaps returning it or an aftermarket gauge is something to look at.

 

[RustedRanger]

Jayme,yes,the thermostat gets the engine up to operating temp faster and keeps it from running to cold. Running cool is good.....up to the point of not heating the oil enough to burn off the stuff from the gas that gets in it. If it's to cold it will start building up sludge and will get worse gas mileage and less power.

 

[MagnaV30]

1986... How old is the rad in that vehicle?
Do a quick check of the coolant to make sure its of the proper proportions, but I have the nagging feeling that you may need a new rad.
The thermostat only controls how cold the engine can get.
Also, try to get ahold of an infared thermometer and find out what temperature the thermostat housing is when the guage is reading high.

 

[The Slider]

Radiator is about 5 years old... im going to do a flush on it and see how that goes....

CHaz.

 

[Area 52]

After confirming your gauge is accurate...they may have put the thermostat in backwards. Is the fan clutch working?...try to spin it cold (engine off)...it should only turn about a half turn. I must also assume it has a new water pump??? If there has been no maintenance on the cooling system, the 5-year old radiator 'may' be marginal in flow capacity. No blockage from the front of the radiator...bugs, dirt, cats, dogs & hogs? Hose it out from the back. Lower radiator is not kinked or soft enough to collapse under high flow?

 

[The Slider]

fan clutch.. OK
water pump.. NEW
Radiator.. always keep the fins clean
lower Rad hose.. OK
T-STAT.. Im gunna check that out, but if it was backwards it would flow at all wouldnt it???

CHaz.

 

[AllanD]

If anyone wants a 180deg Thermostat Go to your local Advanced Checker/Kragen/Shucks and ask for a Stant 13958.

This is an exact fit T-stat.

the POINT to a cooler thermostat is that it open sooner and in HOT conditions
particularly when running A/C, towing or driving at altitude if you let the temp
get to 195 you can experience a thermal "Runaway", where you'll be forced to
turn off your A/C, slow down even park and idle to cool off the engine.

Now if you do something really silly... like say Tow at altitude while
running the A/C you'll be grateful for the cooler T-stat.

AD

 

[The Slider]

Well, i just took it back to the shop who put the engine in... i had antifreeze leaks around the New water pump and on top on the iontake manifold. he can fix the running rich thing too... SIGH! I shoulda just did it myself!!!!

Chaz.,

 

[robertc1024]

Sure that rad's clean?

Chaz,

I'm just up the road in San Marcos and my '88 was running pretty hot. I finally freaked out about it and pulled my radiator - even though the fins were clean as far as I could see, there was all kinds of gunk stuck in it. $2.25 in quarters at the local car wash moved my temp gauge from the top of "normal" to the bottom.
- Robert

 

[The Slider]

I have a power washer i use to keep mine clean.I know about the gunk buildup! been there done that!!! sopmeone told me about that trick a coupl eof years ago on here. GREAT piece of advise!!!!!!!

Chaz.

 

[HndMeDnBroncoII]

slider will that be covered under warranty i believe it should

 

[The Slider]

Im having them look into it.... But just incase i do have a 180 t-stat here.

CHaz.