If it works for you I glad each to there own...... tstat I will say,I m quite glad it works maybe I will try a 180 tstat just to see who knows maybe the books are wrong.But a 160 tstat I really beleive that is to low.

 

I know it's kinda late by X2 ON THE HOOD VENTS AND RADIATOR.

 

Help us out and post up some titles/authors proving your point. Until then, I'll stay with a 180F t-stat and continue to get mid teens city mpg and low 20s hwy mpg.

 

I have a missing shroud for my rad fan, and i noticed that my elec fan kicks around a lot of hot air.....is it because of my missing rad fan shroud or is it just normal for XJs?

 

The more air it kicks around/moves, the better. It would be a good idea to replace the shroud, this insures that air passes through the rad, thus removing heat.

 

djb383 your beyond help lol full of it too

 

YIKES!

 

You can say its a myth and give me a thousand facts to why it is not true but I have personally seen both of my jeeps(94 99) overheat due to a theromstat being to cold.
This isn't a fact. I know for a fact that 05-10 mustangs V6 and GT use a 195 along with 04-09 F150 5.4s. These two I know because I own both...
Ask ANY S197 owner that has tried a lower tstat how their car ran. It messes with fuel management in these vehicles IT IS A FACT!

 

So you're saying you put in a higher temp t-stat and coolant temp peaked at lower temps?

 

I believe all the t-stat does is control when the radiator fluid is allowed to travel through the radiator. Once it is open...it is open...and I don't think it closes again until the engine is shut off and cools down. I might be wrong - maybe they open and close all the time, I don't know, but I don't see how a gas engine could drop below 180 degress once it is at op temps.

Also, the engine must run at a specific temperature in order for the metals in the block, pistons, bearings, etc., to expand to their engineered size at operating temp. The goal of the cooling system is the maintain that temp as best as possible.

For example, Duramax diesel pickups have a "fast idle" that kicks in if the truck idles for too long. This is to keep the cylinders at operating temp so that the rings don't shrink and allow fuel to wash the oil off the cylinder walls. This is why commercial diesels have idle controls, too.

 

The t-stat is the least critical part to the cooling system, its only point is to let the engine get up to operating temps before opening. Like CAEMI said, engines are engineered to run at a certain temp because of the thermal expansion of metals. Too cold and there is too much slob in the bearings.

I run a stock replacement water pump, stock rad, stock t-stat, taurus fan and stock aux fan and mine never goes above 210, ever. It most stays around 190-200 even in georgia heat.

 

Yes. I tried a 180 in both of my jeeps thinking the same thing a few people in this thread think. But before the tstat 190-210 was the average with 195 with 180 it would hang at 240.

 

Polar,

I know what you mean with that heat radiating in the legroom area. What would be the easiest way to vent the hood? Are there special hood mounting brackets you can get that raise the back of the hood? Can it be done in a way that prevents a ton of water getting in?

Thanks!

 

If the thermostat isn't cycling during normal operation, why does the engine temp remain fairly constant? Whether idling or driving, the engine remains pretty much at the same temp. The thermostat is really the only component that could be controlling this, right?

-E

 

Yes. Contrary to other's beliefs the tstat does move while driving after running temp as been reached.