Thermostat question - Page 2 - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

HAWAIIZR-1 · 07-08-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by secondchance

To drill or not to drill - that is the question...

I'm a not drill person; my temperature is fine without drilling.

How about the units from Randy Woods? http://www.zr1products.com/#!products

I know it is pricey for a thermostat, but he always does first rate everything and a lot of thought into all of his and Dad's engineered products.

I guess if someone is able to acheive the same results with some drilling I see why they are doing it.

Daniel_Mc · 07-08-2011

What about the coolent itself? I use distilled water and water wetree in the 89 would this be acceptable in the ZR-1?

Daniel

PhillipsLT5 · 07-09-2011

I have heard that those thick radiators are not good for A/C?
Maybe someone else can chime in

sammy · 07-09-2011

if you are in a warmer climate as i am .you could use 25% coolant and the rest distilled water . i have tried water wetter and never found any difference in cooling. i guess its mainly made for those that use just water .i like some antifreeze in the system for rust prevention. i also use a rad cap that has the anode attached to also help keep it from getting ate up.

secondchance · 07-09-2011

Well, I blew out one radiator about 6 years ago and I suspect 160 thermostst I was running and at high RPM restriction resulted in pressure build up in the rad - that's my theory.

As for the thicker radiator, there was a discussion in the other forum a few years back. Thought was that in a stop and go traffic, being a bottom breather, fans arn't able to pull sufficient air through the AC condensor and the rad. Thicker rad could make this situation worse.

A26B · 07-09-2011

Daniel,
That Mustang thread is full of BS.
The 3ea 1/8" holes only increase the total flow through the thermostat from the radiator to the engine. They also allow an incremental flow from the engine, through the radiator, through the t-stat past the thermal pill. The notches in the bypass valve on the t-stat also allow coolant to flow by the thermal pill to provide engine temp sensing to the t-stat, thereby controlling opening/closing of the t-stat valve.

What do the 3 holes do? As Sammy said, it will prolong warmup slightly. The benefit is to allow more coolant flow through the radiator during higher rpm usage. This prevents the t-stat bypass from operating as soon. When the bypass opens, coolant from the engine bypasses the radiator and goes straight back to the engine....hot.

The drilling of small holes does not affect the temperature regulation of the thermostat very much.

BTW, you cannot install the correct thermostat for the ZR-1 LT5 engine , backwards. It is impossible. If a thermostat was ever installed backwards in the LT5, it was the wrong thermostat.

This is a good time to offer a word of caution when buying a thermostat. I recently went through a real hassle buying one for a customer in Australia. Sure, Autozone & others show them, special order.. When my order came in, the t-stat "looked" essentially correct but it wasn't. No notches in the bypass valve. You can read more about this subject on Jerrys Gaskets under the thermostat part. I'm not trying to sell anything here, just want you yo know about it..

sammy · 07-09-2011

i had the same problem with a stat that i ordered from napa . so i just bit the bullet and got 2 from randy . i really like the 170s he has my car runs between 180-185 . which is about perfect for me

sammy · 07-09-2011

i had the same problem with a stat that i ordered from napa . so i just bit the bullet and got 2 from randy . i really like the 170s he has my car runs between 180-185 . which is about perfect for me . oh on the aftermarket radiator . i the callaway car came with one and it gets alot hotter in stop and go traffic with the air on .my 90 with the stk setup runs right a 192 in the same traffic. to me it seems that the big aluminum rad does cause a flow problem with the air on . jmho

bdw18_123 · 07-09-2011

So are there any other places that are known to have the correct thermostat with the notch other than the Randy Woods ones?

I'm sure the RW ones are nice and worth the price, but they are just too expensive for me right now.

A26B · 07-10-2011

I carry the Standt, my personal choice.
http://jerrysgaskets.com/store2/root...roducts_id=592

Gates makes one that appears to be correct, but I have not had it in my hand to confirm. Beware of all other brands, Failsafe, Duralast , etc.

07-08-2011	#12
Daniel_Mc Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pineville, LA Posts: 584	Re: Thermostat question What about the coolent itself? I use distilled water and water wetree in the 89 would this be acceptable in the ZR-1? Daniel

07-09-2011	#13
PhillipsLT5 Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Posts: 2,446	Re: Thermostat question I have heard that those thick radiators are not good for A/C? Maybe someone else can chime in

07-09-2011	#14
sammy Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lone Pine, CA Posts: 580	Re: Thermostat question if you are in a warmer climate as i am .you could use 25% coolant and the rest distilled water . i have tried water wetter and never found any difference in cooling. i guess its mainly made for those that use just water .i like some antifreeze in the system for rust prevention. i also use a rad cap that has the anode attached to also help keep it from getting ate up.

07-09-2011	#15
secondchance Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: McLean, VA Posts: 3,717	Re: Thermostat question Well, I blew out one radiator about 6 years ago and I suspect 160 thermostst I was running and at high RPM restriction resulted in pressure build up in the rad - that's my theory. As for the thicker radiator, there was a discussion in the other forum a few years back. Thought was that in a stop and go traffic, being a bottom breather, fans arn't able to pull sufficient air through the AC condensor and the rad. Thicker rad could make this situation worse.

07-09-2011	#16
A26B Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Arcadia, OK Posts: 3,392	Re: Thermostat question Daniel, That Mustang thread is full of BS. The 3ea 1/8" holes only increase the total flow through the thermostat from the radiator to the engine. They also allow an incremental flow from the engine, through the radiator, through the t-stat past the thermal pill. The notches in the bypass valve on the t-stat also allow coolant to flow by the thermal pill to provide engine temp sensing to the t-stat, thereby controlling opening/closing of the t-stat valve. What do the 3 holes do? As Sammy said, it will prolong warmup slightly. The benefit is to allow more coolant flow through the radiator during higher rpm usage. This prevents the t-stat bypass from operating as soon. When the bypass opens, coolant from the engine bypasses the radiator and goes straight back to the engine....hot. The drilling of small holes does not affect the temperature regulation of the thermostat very much. BTW, you cannot install the correct thermostat for the ZR-1 LT5 engine , backwards. It is impossible. If a thermostat was ever installed backwards in the LT5, it was the wrong thermostat. This is a good time to offer a word of caution when buying a thermostat. I recently went through a real hassle buying one for a customer in Australia. Sure, Autozone & others show them, special order.. When my order came in, the t-stat "looked" essentially correct but it wasn't. No notches in the bypass valve. You can read more about this subject on Jerrys Gaskets under the thermostat part. I'm not trying to sell anything here, just want you yo know about it.. __________________ Jerry Downey JERRYS LT5 GASKETS & PARTS http://www.jerrysgaskets.com 1994 *ZR-1*, Black/Black, Lingenfelter Aerobody, 416cu in, 3.91 gears, coil-over susp, Brembo brakes, etc. 2016 Black-Red, 3LT-Z51 Auto 8-speed.

07-09-2011	#17
sammy Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Lone Pine, CA Posts: 580	Re: Thermostat question i had the same problem with a stat that i ordered from napa . so i just bit the bullet and got 2 from randy . i really like the 170s he has my car runs between 180-185 . which is about perfect for me

07-09-2011	#19
bdw18_123 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Prather, CA Posts: 804	Re: Thermostat question So are there any other places that are known to have the correct thermostat with the notch other than the Randy Woods ones? I'm sure the RW ones are nice and worth the price, but they are just too expensive for me right now.

07-10-2011	#20
A26B Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Arcadia, OK Posts: 3,392	Re: Thermostat question I carry the Standt, my personal choice. http://jerrysgaskets.com/store2/root...roducts_id=592 Gates makes one that appears to be correct, but I have not had it in my hand to confirm. Beware of all other brands, Failsafe, Duralast , etc. __________________ Jerry Downey JERRYS LT5 GASKETS & PARTS http://www.jerrysgaskets.com 1994 *ZR-1*, Black/Black, Lingenfelter Aerobody, 416cu in, 3.91 gears, coil-over susp, Brembo brakes, etc. 2016 Black-Red, 3LT-Z51 Auto 8-speed.