I was a shop manager for a mustang shop in NY until I moved down here 6 months ago

 

I've never heard of a t-stat making any vehicle run anymore richer/leaner than the EEC is already programmed for...

Im gonna stop thread jacking,.. Let us know how it runs with the new t-stat and tune up brother!! Good luck!

 

It will Jeff. But your logic of run a 180 with a hole drilled in it does what?

 

A thermostat is simply a restiction in a cooling system to slow water down so it can get to operating temps faster and give radiator time to disapate heat from the water once it is open. So you take a 180 and drill a hole in it and you are just taking more of the restriction out right? What does a 160 do? It is less of a restriction than a 180 right?

 

95CobraSVT had this particular problem,... Remember the 17 pages, lol. After he put the 160* in his, the overheating stopped. But his car still runs at 190-200* with the a/c on. Thats operating temp for a 5.0... Correct?

 

The ECT or Engine Coolant Temp sensor needs to see 185 degrees or above to proceed into the closed loop strategy. See here for some interesting reading on this. Ford Fuel Injection Strategies

Drilling an 1/8th inch hole only aids in getting the air out of the system when refilling.

My .02 worth....

 

My new stat has a vent hole and it must be installed at the 12 oclock position, it is for venting any air trapped in the system.

I think the drilling just removes a little more of the restriction the stats frame actually has and it does let some by when it is closed.

I would not recommend taking one out completely, I think the water would flow so fast it may look like it is cooler, but it doesn't stay in the engine long enough to take any heat out of it. Water temp is down but the engine is actually cooking. I bet montitoring the oil temp would verify this.

From what I understand the stat temp doesn't matter to overall system flow when it is open, its open. 160, 180, 195 is when it opens. Once open it is nothing but a restriction and a temperature controlled valve.

I have a 160 in now and see 160-170 on open interstate driving, but once I get into traffic or at a drive thru, I can still see 200 deg temps. I believe this is due to decreased air flow. I am thinking of adding the Contour dual fan set up and see what difference that makes. I will also be going back to a 180 stat then also.