Thermostat chat, Ranger temp obsession (let's split some hairs)

[ford4wd08]

If the thermostat is on the upper rad hose you use the higher temp
If thermostat is on the lower rad hose you use the lower temp

Many 4cyl engines and transverse mounted engines use lower radiator hose thermostats

Radiator has no circulation until the thermostat opens a bit, doesn't matter which hose it is on

I put a 195 on mine on the lower. I don't guess there is any harm other than the heater getting warmer in the winter lol

 

[8thTon]

So that's why the temperature gauges on all three of my Fords all point to a lower point on the gauge than normal center. It's not working as well. LMAO!

All three used to point dead center. Now the Lightning and Ranger are noticeably below center, and the Mustang which used to point center is now well left of center. And don't tell me the gauge isn't accurate. It goes from below C to operating range within five minutes. Then shut it off for ten minutes and it's considerably down. So if the gauge needle is pointing lower, the engine is running cooler.

You guys do what you like, I'll keep doing the same. It's never hurt a thing on any of my vehicles. Ranger has had the 180 since like March 2000. One of the first things I did after buying it. That and the MAC intake. Same with the Lightning, same with the Mustang.

Ultimately it doesn't matter - if you ever actually ran the things hard enough to make the thermostat open fully the temperature would be exactly the same.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Ultimately it doesn't matter - if you ever actually ran the things hard enough to make the thermostat open fully the temperature would be exactly the same.

yeah, that...

Automotive is easy, you guys should try figuring out marine engine coolant plumbing with inlet thermostats and coolant filled exhaust manifolds... that'll make your brain hurt... If anyone is going to try the argument of boat engines running cooler thermostats that's for a very specific reason, Coast Guard regulations, everything in the engine compartment (if not open to atmosphere) has to be below 200F surface temperature under normal conditions.

As said earlier, the wiggler is for air bleeding, adding a 1/8" hole in the thermostat if they don't have that is just fine too, saves lots of headaches... If your engine is running hot, there's an issue be it airflow or coolant flow or something else mechanical.

My '90 Ranger has had a big Explorer radiator in it for a long time, took a while to warm up but works well when running hard at low speeds, no idea at the actual coolant temperature, it just does its thing, running stock 192F thermostat for a '90 Ranger 2.3L... The '97 Ranger on the other hand runs cold, in the winter I got no heater at freezing and the coolant temperature was like 60C tops (I have my Torque app set in C for whatever reason, I'm used to metric in some temp zones coolant wise for work...). Now that it's warmed up it gets up to 80C which isn't near the 88C that I think 192F is so the thermostat still isn't doing a lot and the radiator has a super easy life even being the 1/2" thick stock jobbie without a shroud just a fan guard on the top if I remember right. Next winter I'm just going to block off most of the radiator so I can hopefully get some heat, I put in a Motorcraft 192 thermostat so that isn't the problem.

 

[RonD]

Yes, the 2.3l Limas don't generate alot of extra heat, in the winter many cover at least 1/2 the rad, if not more, but this is to minimize air flow in the engine bay
And some even add the foam water pipe insulation on the heater hoses to minimizes heat loss

Also flush out the core this summer to makes sure its got good flow in BOTH directions

And they do make a 205deg thermostat for these 2.3l/2.5l Lima engines, lol

 

[1990RangerinSK]

I'll just go on record here and note that splitting hairs would be EXTREME torture for the rabbit. Please don't!

 

[97RangerXLT]

I'll just go on record here and note that splitting hairs would be EXTREME torture for the rabbit. Please don't!

I'll just go on record here and note that splitting hairs would be EXTREME torture for the rabbit. Please don't!

how do you prepare them for grilling then?

AJ

 

[1990RangerinSK]

how do you prepare them for grilling then?

AJ

You don't. If you check the tag on their ankles, you'll see that they are not meant for grilling. Or stewing. Or fricaseeing. Or roasting, baking..... Essentially, they are not meant for any means of preparation to be eaten, because they are not meant to be food.

 

[97RangerXLT]

You don't. If you check the tag on their ankles, you'll see that they are not meant for grilling. Or stewing. Or fricaseeing. Or roasting, baking..... Essentially, they are not meant for any means of preparation to be eaten, because they are not meant to be food.

I want my Rabbit Hosenpheffer!

AJ

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

confessed owner of a 180 high flow


On a bone stock engine, listen to these guys.


But, um.... resident crazy person. unwrapped headers and passive electric cooling fans stuck in August traffic. Open cowl to engine and blower fan. No ac. 5 spd. Parkway on greentree hill inbound. Coveralls.


You'll thank yourself when you put the big ass low temp thermostat in. Combined with small single core (there's method to this) rad, makes for fast thermal cycling, and fans come on enough to keep the stank blown off er. makes for a slightly less tortuous ride

So, has purposes elsewhere if nothing else. The 12° makes a difference

If i could have found a 190 high flow, probably would have gone with it.


Sort of a poor man's workaround to a bigger rad; if you want to cool it easier, pump water faster. Just make sure your fans can handle it.









And if you want to keep your motor really cool. like. Fonz level cool, spray washer fluid in your intake at WOT. hot summer night on tuning run with driver, your upper will have condensation on it when you check on things up front.

Proven science. BMW M4 comes with it from the factory now.

 

[cbxer55]

Ultimately it doesn't matter - if you ever actually ran the things hard enough to make the thermostat open fully the temperature would be exactly the same.

You have no idea how I run my Vehicles. What's the point of owning a much modified Lightning if you're not going to use it? What's the point in the modified exhaust, MAC intake and chip on the computer on my Ranger if I'm not going to thrash it like a rented mule? What's the point in the custom exhaust, WeaponR intake and 93 octane tune on my Mustang if I'm not going to beat it like a red-headed step-child? I may be 58 years old, but I still like to drive rather aggressively. Maybe too much so. I don't have a Suzuki B-King for no reason. And YES, I know how to ride it! LMAO!

 

[scotts90ranger]

That's not exactly the point, unless you are on a track where you can drive hard for hours or tow a load up a hill for many miles or drive in sand for an extended period, it's hard to build a bunch of heat in a car/truck... Most people don't understand why you can't just throw a high performance car engine in a boat as is and expect it to live. In a high performance car, you can't drive WOT for 4 hours straight due to lack of road, corners, and other obvious reasons. In a boat, you bet your rear you can peg it for hours as long as the river is straight enough to not slow down to turn... tuning an engine to not melt for that mess is different than most automotive applications... In the jet boat world things are even more exaggerated since it's not as efficient of a method of propulsion so the top speed is lower compared to the horsepower and weight, but there are other advantages...

 

[cbxer55]

Hence, B.O.A.T. Bust Out Another Thousand. And the reason I will never have one.

 

[Dirtman]

My butt itches

 

[Eddo Rogue]

Lower temperature thermostats do not make the engine run cooler nore will they protect it from overheating. Use an oem thermostat and don't think about it anymore.

I HAVE SPOKEN!!!!

Fine I will leave the oem motocraft 195 in...but arent you running a 180 in yours?

 

[Eddo Rogue]

The jiggler is there to allow any trapped air to purge. It’s not really a fail safe.

The whole engine management system is set to look at a specific temperature range to regulate everything. Emissions, timing, idle speed, transmission shift timing with automatic transmissions, etc. on newer vehicles it is best not to mess with the temperature range of the thermostat. The newer the vehicle, the more critical it is.

If you are worried about over heating, it shouldn’t be an issue if the cooling system is functioning properly.

For the above reasons, I stuck with the factory thermostat when I changed mine. The old one was starting to stick a little bit. I knew that only because my Scan Gauge II is setup to display real time engine temperatures.

Now, this is my experience in Southwestern PA. We sometimes get into the 90s and the humidity can get pretty high.

Your experience in Southern California (at least I think that is where you are from) might be a bit different. Higher temps but lower humidity.

I meant the jiggler and fail safe feature are 2 different things, and prefer my thermostat have both. I do worry, even though I don't have cooling problems lol