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What are your running temps?

Hpiracr28

Hpiracr28

New member
Just curious on what everyone else's normal operating temps are. Today being a very cold day here (-15 degrees with the wind chill) my needle is half way between 160 and the next thick line. My guess 185? But ive heard these temp gauges are ot correct. My car seems to always run in this temp. I'm still running the factory dexcool.
 


scan the obd port for the temp, like a t app works.

if your tuned with lower fan temps its gonna run cooler, i run a 195 t stat fans at 185, i dont pass 195 pretty much in the winter. summer time i dont care what fan or t stat you run, 210 is gonna happen.
 
Mine never goes above 185 in the winter, but until the engine has been running for at least 45 minutes it'll sit right at or just below the first thick line on the gauge (160 I think?)

I've gotten it to warm up fully within 15 minutes, but that's by leaving the engine/trans heaters plugged in after I start it, turning the heater fan to it's lowest setting, and switching it to recirculate. I've got 4 separate heaters in that engine compartment... lol

I've also got the radiator fans set to come on at 185, and I don't felt like going in and changing it. This is my last winter in Alaska, and I'm already halfway through it.
 


Agree on the thermostats being inaccurate. I've been through two in five years of ownership (Coincidentally 13 months apart, thanks GM service warranty - sarcasm)
 
First of all get that crap Dexcrud OUT. If you want a long life coolant look for G-05. Its Fords extended life coolant but doesnt destroy the plasticcooling system parts or cause crud in the system.
The stock thermostat is set to open 192-195 Oem. With no mods you do not need to lower coolant temps and it allows for less wear.
As for the system it cycles from around 200 off range, and anywhere from 219-230 depending on the year/make/model and written into the software.
The biggest issue in the cooling system is keeping it full,flush out the dexcrud, and install any good ethylene glycol antifreeze.
Make sure both fan work properly and dont make noise.
As long as the fans cycle properly and you have no leaks your good to go, the thermostat will keep engine temps up and fans will cycle it down.
 
Mine seems to run around 185 too hpiracr28. Brother has a 98 which always runs hotter, at least by 10 degree's. One thing that was interesting awhile ago it through an engine code saying something about engine temp and thermostat. It was super cold that day, and it was on a longer hwy trip. Anyone have any idea's. Maybe i just need a new thermostat.
 
The dash temp gauge isn't real accurate, so as long as it isn't hovering really high you're fine.

As far as the code goes, post what it was. Could be thermostat, could be flaky engine temp sensor. The wiring to it gets cooked/brittle over time and can cause weird stuff. Sometime just removing the connector and cleaning it out and reconnecting can cure it. Worked on my 00 GT.
 
Lol forget what i said....i looked at it and it's running lower than that! it's running below the tick between 210 and 160 which i assume is 185. I dont remember what to code was and it's gone so:confused:. I think im going to get a thermostat for it and be done with it. What thermostat should i get because i have seen 180 F and 195 F. Keep in mind i have no mods. I want what is best for the engine.
 


GT2000 said:
Lol forget what i said....i looked at it and it's running lower than that! it's running below the tick between 210 and 160 which i assume is 185. I dont remember what to code was and it's gone so:confused:. I think im going to get a thermostat for it and be done with it. What thermostat should i get because i have seen 180 F and 195 F. Keep in mind i have no mods. I want what is best for the engine.
Click to expand...

Personally, the only thing the temperature gauge is good at is telling you when it spikes so high your engine is definitely overheating. It's incredibly inaccurate. I've rebuilt my engine from the ground up, literally every part of the cooling system from the heater core to the radiator and block are brand new, and after porting my coolant passages, blocking off throttle body passage, all new oem acdelco parts and no coolant leakage whatsoever and completely verified to be flushed correctly is running on a normal day around 204 with a 195 thermostat. I'm not bragging at all, but this is probably the closest you can get to a true baseline on stock temp.

The only way to know what your temperature is truely is to have a scanner hooked up. The "optimum" temperature for fuel efficiency is around 210-215, so if you're running lower than that, you're fine unless you are going racing.

The other misconception is that getting a cooler thermostat will lower you engine temperature significantly. A lower temp thermostat only opens up sooner, so yes, initially it will stay colder, but after it's been running for a good bit, it's really based more on your cooling system as a whole, plus, colder isn't necessarily better since your mpg is tied in with engine temp, and so is increased wear, so choose your poison!
 
So wait? If i run it warmer will that wear my engine out more but give me more fuel efficiency? And if i run a little colder it won't wear as much but my MPG will suffer?
 
GT2000 said:
So wait? If i run it warmer will that wear my engine out more but give me more fuel efficiency? And if i run a little colder it won't wear as much but my MPG will suffer?
Click to expand...

So this is again very generalized so don't think this is 100% true on all engines in all cases, but as a rule of thumb, your engine is most efficient mpg wise in that 210-215 range and suffers less wear at that temperature. Anything outside of that affects mpg and wear on your engine. This is why on modern fuel injection vehicles, it's actually better to drive them as soon as you start them so they come up to temperature quicker and thus suffer less wear. Your bearings suffer the most wear when the engine is cold, and when cranking your engine.

Running the entire engine colder means that while you are potentially warding off k/r and detonation, you are increasing the wear on your engine and you mpgs will suffer. How much? Probably not a ton, which is why a lot of guys running high boost tend to opt for colder thermostats. What I'm saying is that without supporting mods to your car is that the base temperature will be the same roughly even with a colder thermostat, the only thing a colder thermostat will do is potentially keep your engine colder initially which is great for short runs on the track, but doesn't do much for daily drives since your temperature will come up to around the same temp anyhow.

If you're talking running colder all the time, that requires supporting cooling mods such as changing your fan times, upgrading your fans, thicker radiator, porting cooling passages, and such. All of those things with a colder thermostat will keep your engine colder all the time which would help decrease k/r.

All I'm saying is that there are other mods that help reduce k/r which while may not be as cheap initially, do a lot better job of reducing k/r, and don't affect engine wear. Just choose wisely!
 
So what your saying is that since i have no mods and just drive as a daily driver, i should get the 195 thermostat to warm up faster for better mpg and less wear.....
 


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