I recently had a dyno tune and ls1 edit. The tuner reset my cooling fans to come on at lower temps. He said I needed to change the thermostat. Which one do I use and where should I get it? Thanks in advance.

 

Oh F(*&! not another one of these threads....what temps are your fans programmed to come on at?

 

Sorry, I didn't know this question has been beat to death, I think he programmed them to come on at 160 (does that sound right?).

 

if he set them to 160 then you tuner doesnt know what he is doing. You better have him raise those temps. the lowest stat you can buy is a 160, and with that, your fans will stay on constantly and they are not designed to stay on all the time.. I'm not posting in thread again.. someone else can take on the battles.

 

Spoke with the tuner,, 1st fan set 175-184, 2nd fan 185-194 or close to that. Sound better?

 

I have a 170 state in mine. Keeps me in the 180 on the freeway. Air conditioning turns on the fan so I kick it in at 200 in town.

Dan

 

Yea there has been many posts on the topic, but it's all good. Me personally I would go with a 160 stat but you will get some different opinions. I have a Vararam, so those two cooling ducts in the nose that otherwise would be open to feed air in the engine compartment are used up by the vararam. That's why I like the 160. Even in the winter my temps will get up to around 180. Not sure what it gets in the summer since I just had the car 4 months.

 

I believe it's in the latest issue of Car and Driver in the Tech Tidbis column - he claims using a 160 thermostate CAN BE HARMFUL. I'll sit back and let you guys have at it. I'm SURE there are NO previous posts on THAT.

 

Can you be more specific....harmful in what way? Poor emissions, not cleaning the oil.....what??

Thanks

 

170* here and car runs great.

 

Hypertech 160 deg here..no problems. my temps are 180-181 while cruising but in traffic it gets to 190-192

ECS reprogrammed my fans with LS1 edit.

 

Sorry I said " Car and Driver" but it was either Road and Track or Vette and I've already given both mags away.
Best that I can recall his point was that modern engines are programed to operate most efficiently at , I thinK he said, about 190 and so if you use a 160 you can not only decrease efficency but also build up deposits.
I think all this stuff about thermostats is BS - as far as I know the temp of a stat determines at what point coolant is allowed to enter the block from the radiator - the stat operates like a temperature sensative switch. THAT"S IT!
Once that thermostat opens IT"S OUT OF THE LOOP. It dosen't turn on and off or close down partially to control the temp of the coolant. If it's a properly operating stat once it reaches its' operatinng temp it fully opens and does nothing more untill you shut the car off.
It DOES NOT mean that if you have a 160 stat your car will run at 160 - I mean, follow that thinking to it's logical conclusion - if you use a 0 thermostat (NONE AT ALL) then your car should ( if the thermostat controls operating temp) not heat up at all. In fact in Ohio you could then run your car and use it to make ice cubes.
As ET said the temp your fans are set to come on , the speed your traveling, the amount of air passing over the radiator, the gear your running in ,your rear end ratio, the type of coolant in the car and the "openess" of the coolant path through the engine are some of the "really" important factors.
Don't believe it ? Next time you flush your coolant fill your car with plain pure water and go for a ride - note your running temp. Now drain the water and put you 50/ 50 coolant mix in and all the other protective additives you like to use and take a ride. What's going to happen ?? Operating temp will go UP - with the very same thermostate. Why ?
Sorry, that's not what you asked and I got off on a rant. I'm sure one of the members will chime in with some quotes from the article - I'm really suprised I'm the first to mention it - when I read it I was sure it would cause a stir.

 

Fans are set to low. They'll still be running all the time (almost).

Bob

 

Ill try to make this short...
the difference in trying to keep a C5 cool between 160 F and 210 F is a lot easier to maintain, then it is to keep a C5 cool between 190 and 230, with the ambient temperature at say 90F... the sweet spot on a C5 is 190/200 coolant and 200/210 oil temp.. keeping it close to the sweet spot is the job of the radiator, in combination with the fans.. having the fans come on earlier can only be done if the coolant is circulating sooner. The only down side to a 160 stat is running a tight clearanced, synthetically lubed C5 at 160 for long periods of time. If it is cool out side ( 50 F ) and your doing 80 on the interstate at night with no ground heat, Your coolant and oil temps at ( 160 F ) can cause carbon build up, increased combustion ratio, the need to do the famous GM de-carbonization process, engagement of knock retard and loss of performance.That's why I run two stats in my car here in the North east. 160 in the spring and summer,with fans adjusted and stock stat in the fall through early spring, with stock fan settings.

 

You can also make it adjustable...

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...73_76_full.jpg

 

Whatever temperature you go with, make sure you get the 2004 thermostat as it is a different setup than earlier model years.

 

Is that the adjustment screw at the top of the housing?

 

haha! yes.
The screw is a M4.
I just add or remove the shims (tiny gaskets) to set the temperature I want. It needs gaskets to avoid leaks through the thread.
I first installed a 180F Hyper**** that did open later than my stock thermo (WTF!).
So I reinstalled the stock piece with the screw.
It goes from full open to 200F