Adam1203

iTrader: (5)

alright so i was at work the other day and i was talking to some of the guys about cars and i mentioned i was considering switching to a 160 t-stat. I got a reply from a guy the it would create condensation and water contamination in the oil and then lead to oil slugging. i called bs and it turned into a pretty lengthy discussion. i could be wrong i have never heard or seen it.

me and my father ran a small buisness for a while with several trucks. the only time i have seen engine slugging was in the tbi 350 trucks we had more specifically the two 92 gmcs and i figured it was from the trucks working so hard. as i understood it engine slugging only came from extreme heat breaking down the oil. i know that when water and oil mix you can kinda get a white puss like substance but thats not what we are talking about.

so what do you think? do you guys say bs?

FirebirdSS

iTrader: (7)

I had my doubts about a 160 thermo until i tried it. Even with it my engine still sits at 170 on a real cool night and 180s on hot days.
160 is just were is starts to open, not where it sits.
edit: this is on a ls1, didnt read the section but shouldnt be much different.

shbox

You have nothing to worry about with an LT1 and a 160° thermostat. If you live where it gets real cold, you can easily swap back to a 180° in the winter.

speed_demon24

iTrader: (6)

You want the oil to get hot enough to burn off all the moisture in it. My oil temperature with a 160 degree thermostat still hits 210-220 under normal driving. I forgot what it gets to in the winter, but we don't have a real winter in florida so...

robsquikz28

iTrader: (246)

ADAM you will be just fine.

Wyocattech

Yeah wont have any problems with it. Mine runs around 175-180. My oil samples show no water in them. Oil temp is usually warmer then water temp anyways.

projectX

iTrader: (51)

If your really worried about it get a 180 or just have a tune to turn your fans on at 160/180.

SSweet97

iTrader: (7)

I've had one on my SS for seven years now with no problem whatsoever. I'm here in Fla. and you know how hot it gets, my thermostat is peged at 180*

wrd1972

iTrader: (12)

I have a 160 stat and my temps are 194-200 all the time.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Peopl;e who think bad things about a 160 stat in a LT1 are applying old school knowledge to a newer cooling system design.

A 160 stat in a early 90s TBI motor would not even allow it to get into closed loop operation and DID cause problems. Ask your friend what the stock stat was and I bet he SWEARS it had to be a 195.

Because of the reverse flow cooling a 180 stat in a LT1 results in similar cylinder temps as a 195 in a gen 1, so running a 160 in a LT1 is nowhere near as drastic as a 160 in a gen 1, the cylinder calls and bottom of the block still stay nice and warm but you keep the heads cool.

All that said I am not convinced the 160stat is the wonderful mod it is claimed to be on the forums. The more I learn the less faith I put in "conventional wisdom" and popular parts or vendors.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Based on datamaster or the dash??? If the thing reads 194+ with a 160 stat and a mechanical waterpump there is a problem somewhere. If you have an electric waterpump that is just the low flow showing up.

My cars always ran 195-200 with a 180 stat.

killagt

iTrader: (3)

Here I what I alway do, 160 for summer, and 180 for winter. But im thinking running 160 year round, if you drive your car hard and long, you wont have problem with those thing you worried about.

speed_demon24

iTrader: (6)

In the summer my car gets up to 190 in the city with a 160 thermostat and a becool radiator.

wrd1972

iTrader: (12)

^ Scanmaster. Could have something to do with the DC of the fans.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Must be a difference in airflow across the b-body and f-body radiators, b-bodies don't run that warm with a 160 stat even with a potent motor.

l 95 Trans Am l

iTrader: (5)

Id like to get into this topic a bit, but i think itd be thread jacking Anyways my 95 Trans Am seems to get real hot, its around 80-90 degrees here in PA right now, and in stop and go, it gets almost to the line in between 210 and 260, then when i get it running and air flowing it gets to 210 but shouldnt it still be lower? I plan on geting the computer tuned and get a 160 just to be safe.

speed_demon24

iTrader: (6)

I just found out my radiator cap was never sealing at the top so I'm sure that has something to do with it. My radiator is 4-5" below the top.

Nomind

Are you basing this on the dash gauge, as that could be inaccurate? My 95 T/A gets pretty warm, real quick in stop and go traffic, I believe it's just a function of the airflow over the radiator design, and a slightly larger stall. However, when I get going again, it cools back down to the lower, middle line. This has been in the 90+ days in KY. I'd check for obstructions in the radiator. When I had to replace the opti in mine, I took an air hose to the fins on the radiator, to try and get some of the crap out of it. Lots of sand, dirt, and small debris. May also want to replace the radiator cap.

Adam1203

iTrader: (5)

go for it.

Adam1203

iTrader: (5)

on the highway you should run about 160 with a 160 stat. but in the city its all going to depend on what your fans are set at and what there capable of cooling.

the late year lt1s have a better fan set up. in 1993 and 94 they had one high speed fan and one low speed fan. in 1995 and up they changed it so both fans ran and were both able to do low and high speed. i read that on shbox.com


im curious to know if it could create engine slugging.