l98 88.....i got a hypertech 160 stat and a 170 fan switch. question is, where exactly does the fan switch go?? i believe its on the driver side head towards the front. the instructions said it was on the pass side. hence my quandry. also, how difficult is it to change out the stat???
looks relativly easy, but looks can be decieving. do i need to pull the throttle body??? etc.
thanks in advance. james

 

The fan switch goes into a hole in the left side of the block below #1 & #3 spark plugs. If you do not have the Aux Fan option you will need to to first remove the plug that occupies that hole...good luck with that one.

There is a C4 Tech Tip on how to easily wire that switch to control the main fan.

I found it easier to remove the TB to access the rear T-stat housing bolt. Use care when removing the EGR Solenoid vacuum lines; they may be brittle and break very easily.

 

Red, think about a 180 stat. 160 is to cold. it will still work fine with the chip.

 

I agree.

 

im not too worried about the 160 being too cold, as it gets pretty hot in fresno, and we dont drive it when the weather is bad.

 

I have an '88 too and changed my thermostat last year. I did not have to pull the throttle body, but one housing bolt is a little crowded. I think I just used a regular end-wrench to get at it. Maybe I used a wiggle socket, I don't remember. And I did split one of the vacuum lines. Mine were brittle on the ends where they connect to the outlet. Fortunately there was enough give in the line to stick it back on after I trimmed the brittle part off (barely). Whole job was about an hour. Be sure to let some water out of the radiator to get below the engine block level or it will go all over the place when you remove the radiator hose. A little will still drain out of the hose. Just enough to be messy.

I live in Redding, north of you about 350 miles where it gets very hot too. I used a 160 and did not change my switch. No problems and I love it in the summer. But the car does run a bit cool the rest of the year. Eventually it warms up to about 10 degrees above engine oil temperature (like 175) and in the heat of summer, 195-205. I only hold my breath now with the air conditioning on and slow traffic.

One negative with the cooler running engine: I lost 2 miles per gallon fuel consumption. Our L-98's like to run 190-200. The 180 degree might still be a good idea. This is just anough to be annoying but not enough to get me to change it to 180. But when my new engine goes in someday, a 180 is going into it.

 

thanks for the help and advice guys. the install was pretty simple and straight forward. car runs between 170-185. perfect.