Too cool?

[macatoni]

Just got myself a nice little WE4! Mostly stock only 85k and im the third owner!

Anyways going through the car and doing my best to fix or make everything the way it should be. One thing i noticed was the coolant temp never gets hot. The only thing, visible, is an aftermarket oversized aluminum radiator. No idea about the thermostat until i take things apart. Just installed a scan master and went for a spirited drive today and the temp never went above 158! It mainly stayed in the high 130's and it takes a DAMN long time for it to warm up. I was thinking maybe it had a stuck open thermostat? Anyways is there such a thing as too cool? Stock turbo and its about 60 degrees out here in the bay area. Running in the 130-160 temp seems kinda sketchy to me....Thoughts?

 

[Phoneguy]

Congrats on the WE4 !
I wont get spirited with mine until it reaches 165. I would bet that there is no thermostat installed at all.

Bryan

 

[macatoni]

Yea i figured as much! Was getting real nervous that it had a hard time heating up, guess ill just order up a 160 thermostat since its cheap enough and more then likely whatever is in there is stuck open or none existent!

 

[Phoneguy]

Check to see if the fan is constantly on. In 60 degree weather with fan on it may not get warm

 

[m3x1c0]

Beware. I've seen a car with no thermostat used to cover up overheating problems. good luck!

 

[Boost231]

A lot of use warmer climate guys don't run a tstat. I wouldn't beat on it till the oil is up to temp. The coolant temps can be low and be fine but if you have cold old then you might have some issues

 

[1KWIKSIX]

Here's my thoughts on the subject. Many will have a different view on the matter.
Unless you're racing at the drag strip or live in a hot desert area, I'd go for the 180deg T stat.......even the 160 degree thermostat is too cool for the street. After installing an ALRADCO Aluminum Radiator, I found my car ran too cool for my liking with the 160, was concerned about engine parts not warming up to full operating temperature & oil that didn't get hot enough to burn off condensation.....both not good things.
The factory T stat in these cars was a 195degree unit. What chip do you have? This controls you fans on / off set points & may need to be changed too. After installing my 180 T stat I had the fan on set point changed from 175degrees to 187degrees.
"Just sayin"

 

[macatoni]

Well i had it apart today to do an injector swap and RJC power plate so i dug into the thermostat and found this!!! Makes sense it was stuck open! Replaced with a new 160 and we will see how it runs. If its too cool ill throw a 180 in there.

 

[TRICKSIXPA]

Welcome to the 1547!!! Or how many of them are actually left! Enjoy it! Drop the tank and confirm what fuel pump is in the car and good time to replace fuel filter.

 

[macatoni]

Got a walbro pump with a hotwire kit and new fuel filter in the mail already! Just put a set of 009's and a TT chip in. Got a RJC downpipe and might bump up to a te44 but besides that im keeping all the stock parts in boxes just in case down the road i ever want to make it back to all original!

 

[cruzn57]

when I put a big alum rad into my We4, ( 2-1 in tubes) the fans never come on, I had to install a temp gauge to make sure
car was warming up. it does run 160 ( T stat is 160) but never gets above that!

 

[novaderrik]

Here's my thoughts on the subject. Many will have a different view on the matter.
Unless you're racing at the drag strip or live in a hot desert area, I'd go for the 180deg T stat.......even the 160 degree thermostat is too cool for the street. After installing an ALRADCO Aluminum Radiator, I found my car ran too cool for my liking with the 160, was concerned about engine parts not warming up to full operating temperature & oil that didn't get hot enough to burn off condensation.....both not good things.
The factory T stat in these cars was a 195degree unit. What chip do you have? This controls you fans on / off set points & may need to be changed too. After installing my 180 T stat I had the fan on set point changed from 175degrees to 187degrees.
"Just sayin"

160 degree thermostats have been the norm on these cars since people first started playing with them... people fear change... i had a 180 thermostat in my car until i got the turbotweak chip and decided to follow the recommendations and get a 160 thermostat.. but i did run it for a little while with the 180 and it ran fine other than the fan always being on.. honestly, it doesn't run any better with the cooler thermostat in it- it just just runs cooler. if i get the trans rebuilt and get it back on the road this year, i might just go back to the 180 because i like to have nice hot air coming out of the vents if i need the defroster on those cool humid summer nights.