Running temp 160, good?

[99'Subourbon]

My truck, idle or highway, a/c or not, sits at 160 on the temp gauge. I thought I read somewhere 195 is best for our trucks. Is this just the gauge reading incorrectly, or would this be signs of a bad tstat?

Thanks,

 

[Big D]

might be stuck open or its missing.

In my personal opinion, cars and trucks run the best at there recomended operating temp. 195 is the factory thermostat for 96-99(classics) as far as im aware of. I dont know about 88-95 TBI trucks, but its probably the same.

 

[99'Subourbon]

They are cheap enough, I'm just gonna replace the tstat and the coolant temp sensor.

 

[Big D]

I like the Fail safe T-stats. when they fail, they fail stuck open which is way better then stuck shut.

 

[95Z71Mike]

Mines the same way, I think its just a bad sensor between the plugwires. I'm going to get one soon.

 

[96C1500]

My gauge doesn't go above 160, but if I pull up the coolant temp in Torque on my phone it reads 190-194 all the time.
I realize you probably have figured out the issue by now, but just in case you haven't I figured I'd mention it.

 

[99'Subourbon]

Thanks, haven't yet addressed it. Have a tstat and coolant sensor sitting on my worktable. Trying to find a gasket for the housing as I have yet too. Summit and AutoZone both show an o ring instead of the usual flat type.

 

[kennythewelder]

A lower temp. thermostat (160) is a performance up grade. I run a 170 degree in my 97 5.7 L. , and would have put a 160 degree in if I could have found on at the time. My truck runs better on a colder thermostat. Cold air helps gas to atomize better. That why there is such a big market for cold air intake system (K&N, ect.) A long time age, drag racers use to make a coil in the fuel line and put in a can of ice so that the gas was cold going into the carburetor. Today they use Nos. , it is mush more effective. On the gasket, an o ring is what is in there , not a flat gasket. There is a grove in the top housing that the rad. hose is on for the o ring to fit into. A 195 degree thermostat is what came stock in the truck, when it was new.

 

[df2x4]

Not trying to start anything here but I just figured I'd relay what I've been told by Justin at Black Bear Performance. When I got my tune from him I specifically asked whether going to a lower temp thermostat would be beneficial or not. His answer was a very firm "No" unless there was something else involved like a forced induction setup. He's under the impression that these trucks run the best with the factory t-stat and I'm inclined to believe him.

 

[kennythewelder]

Thanks for the info df2x4. It is good to have knowledge, and I'm sure that a pro. tuner knows what he is talking about, All I know is what I have experienced in my truck. I live in south Louisiana where it is very hot and humid in the summer and a lot in the winter, it only gets cold here for about a week then it is hot again, and this repeats it self all winter. Going to a 170 degree thermostat has helped the performance of my truck. When I read the post, I saw that the poster is from Florida. The weather there is about the same as it is here. When the weather here is cool, my truck runs better than it does when it is in the 90's+. The cold thermostat has helped this for me.