1998 ls1 temp question.
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1998 ls1 temp question. My thermostat went out when i got the car it over heater on me one day in town so i replace the thermostat and now its sits below or right at 160 deg. unless im in town and sit at a red light then it goes up to 210 but then right back down soon as i take off on a straight strectch i have no idea whats wrong any help would be great. tonight when i parked it sounded like my fan was on but temp was still reading 160 so any1? please help
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Joined: Oct 2008
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From: Wheaton, Illinois
What thermostat did you buy? Also, you're in normal operating range temps and doesn't sound like much of a concern. Check to see if your fans are running when you're parked. When you want to hear things you may be 
Best thing to do is see them spinning.
Best thing to do is see them spinning. My thermostat went out when i got the car it over heater on me one day in town so i replace the thermostat and now its sits below or right at 160 deg. unless im in town and sit at a red light then it goes up to 210 but then right back down soon as i take off on a straight strectch i have no idea whats wrong any help would be great. tonight when i parked it sounded like my fan was on but temp was still reading 160 so any1? please help
These gauges are not accurate. But if you are just going up to a true 210 degrees when sitting in traffic that's not bad at all.
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The 160 stat will hover around 172-174 f at speed. You will hit 185-210 in traffic or stop/go due to your stock fan settings and conditions. The 98 guage is actually a decent indicator but dont take its readings as "true" but more of a check for yourself. You need a tuner to adjust fan settings to work with the stat you use.
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Thanks alot for all the responses but i just bought a cheap thermostat from autozone for like 12 dollars lol... but my question was why is it reading so low my temp gauge dosent move from the lowest setting unless im running the car hard or sitting in traffic. like the other day i was messing around running it kinda hard having fun with some civics and it hardly moved one bit before it would sit on 210 and when i would drive it would overhead.. now all it does is sit on the lowest setting.. unless in traffic
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it's not normal to it run on 160 is it cause thats as low as it goes i figured it wasnt right but just wondering if anyone else has had this problem cause it always moves in traffic it will move past 210 and cool down quick once i get going.
If a tstat starts to stick partially open.....sometimes when it finally pops full open the coolant will cool down fast and the needle will drop fast.
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Addict
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Just to let you know, on the dash, 172 is like right beside the lowest reading on the gauge. I'm talking like barely 1/8 of an inch away from 160. You'd think doing the math, it would be half way b/w the first mark and the 185 mark, but its not exactly calibrated. The "185" mark is actually around 195 and b/w that and 210 is just way off but 210 is really actually... 210 lol I checked what HP Tuners said versus what I see on the dash.
I'm using the SLP 160 stat, but from the looks of the SLP one, its as generic looking as a autozone part.
I'm using the SLP 160 stat, but from the looks of the SLP one, its as generic looking as a autozone part.
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There's something else wrong if you have no heat in the car. It's like 30F right now and on my drive home I had too much heat from max heat and low fan setting aimed at feet/defrost that I kept cracking the window open. 160F stat runs 172F at highway speed which is plenty warm for me. I've been in the negative temps and had no problems with a 160 stat.
12 Second Club
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From: Bucks County, Pa.
SLP makes 2 different 'stats for LS1s (as does Hypertech/MotoRad, etc.) depending on what year, and WHICH actual OEM/factory water pump you have.
ALL of the earlier ones were only available permanently mounted in the alloy housing, whereas the latter ones (Vette/GTO and last year f bodies) looked like any old 'generic' T-stat, which was separate from the alloy housing.
ALL of the earlier ones were only available permanently mounted in the alloy housing, whereas the latter ones (Vette/GTO and last year f bodies) looked like any old 'generic' T-stat, which was separate from the alloy housing.