Temp question..

**silverWS6** · 12-03-2009, 09:38 PM

Okay so with the accident in my 02

I had to get plates and all for the 98 and start using her but I'm a little worried cause no matter for how long i drive the temperature never goes above like 170 degrees so my question is this alright? Is it hurting my engine running that cold all the time? I know its probably no problem but the weather has been getting colder here and I'm a little worried about it the car never really getting warm. And the car did get "tuned" so i guess my "tuner" guy did that.

**35th-ANV-SS** · 12-03-2009, 10:01 PM

Do you have a 160 degree thermostat? If not, I am not sure why it would be at that temp. Stock temp is around 205-210 if I remember right.

**c5z28** · 12-03-2009, 10:14 PM

getting a cooler thermostat only turns the fans on sooner. A manual thermostat would tell you exactly what is going on.

**silverWS6** · 12-03-2009, 10:25 PM

I have not even touched my thermostat since i got the car ad before the "tuner" dude got a hold of her she would run at 210 so i'm pretty sure my thermostat is still the stock one unless he messed with it. God i've grown to dislike this guy

**35th-ANV-SS** · 12-03-2009, 10:28 PM

Originally Posted by c5z28

getting a cooler thermostat only turns the fans on sooner. A manual thermostat would tell you exactly what is going on.

A cooler thermostat would open at a lower temperature which would allow your coolant to flow more rapidly to the radiator, cooling the engine down to maintain the desired temperate of the thermostat.

A cooling fan is run off of a circuit, which opens and closes through a switch signal (engine coolant sensor).

Or am I tired?

**basballny2** · 12-04-2009, 01:22 AM

a 160 thermostat opens when it reaches 160 degrees but it runs slightly hotter than the 160 thermo, so the 170 temperature would make sense....not sure a tuner can program ur thermo to open sooner though, i could be wrong, its 530 in the am

**SSTODD** · 12-04-2009, 07:38 AM

Even with your 98' gage being more reliable than other years I would still get a scanner or something that will tell you the actual temperature. And a tune will change the fans turn on/off settings so make sure he does not have your fans running all the time. It will be fine at that temp. anyway.

**PFM** · 12-04-2009, 07:49 AM

So your comparing a 98s temp guage to a 2002s? 98s had the same 3 connector water temp sensor that was on the 97 vette are are very accurate. 2002s were 2 connector and are more like idiot lite guages. Not very accurate at all. My 98 never gets up to 210 unless I'm running at the track or if I'm sitting in traffic on a hot summers day. Most of the time it reads around 170-180.

**JaycenK** · 12-04-2009, 08:13 AM

Thermostats are mechanical and gages are electrical. Thermos keep the engine at a minimum temp once the engine has come up to temp. Programming and fans have nothing to do with the actual thermostat. they cool the coolant to a set value and then turn off. Some one could have put a 160 thermo in the car and reprogramed the PCM to turn the fans on at a lower temp than stock. cooler engine temps means more power.

On a side note to all of that you could have a thermostat that is stuck open. If the outside temp is 60 or below and the car dosen't sit for any period of time running, but is always moving the temp will never make it up that high because the thermo is always passing water through the radiator and it is always being cooled. Fans on or not it wont matter. If it's stuck open the only time the temp willrse is if the car is running and parked. Once it reaches a certian temp the pcm will turn on the fans to cool it back down.

**c5z28** · 12-04-2009, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by 35th-ANV-SS

A cooler thermostat would open at a lower temperature which would allow your coolant to flow more rapidly to the radiator, cooling the engine down to maintain the desired temperate of the thermostat.

A cooling fan is run off of a circuit, which opens and closes through a switch signal (engine coolant sensor).

Or am I tired?

I have a 160 and my car still runs at 205ish.

Find a diff tuner op

**V8MUSCLE** · 12-04-2009, 09:27 AM

if your thermostat is sticking open it could be doing running a lot cooler. i think i read somewhere on here saying that our gauge is a dummy gauge, getting warm, warm, to warm.

**SOMbitch** · 12-04-2009, 02:25 PM

You are fine. As stated earlier 98 temp guages actually work and are accurate. When mine was bone stock it ran just under the second mark like yours.

**silverWS6** · 12-04-2009, 06:29 PM

Hmm Its been a while since i actually drive this one for long distances but i could swear before the gauge would go to 210 and sit there but oh well if that temp is good then i wont worry about it, Thanks guys!

**TA98** · 12-04-2009, 06:46 PM

98 is the only year for a real temp guage. The factory thermostat is 186. All other years have a dummy guage meaning you have a warm up reading, at temp, and hot reading. Its more of a switch than a guage. just how ford oil pressure guages dont move, if you have pressure its reads, if you dont its off.

**Smittro** · 12-04-2009, 08:14 PM

Mine usually ran between 200-210 and stayed there. I recently changed to Castol 5w-30 and have noticed she's running cooler @ about 180-190 and stays there.. 10w30 was the manufacturers recomended oil. Motor seems to have smoothed out @ idle and right up throgh the power range too with 5w-30..

**gnomee** · 12-06-2009, 08:24 PM

My 98 originally ran right around 200 if I was sitting for a while.

After I replaced the thermostat with a 160 it runs at 170-180 always. There is nothing wrong with it running at those temps.

Also if you had it tuned, the tuner could have your fans kicking on earlier and that will keep the temps down.