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I was swapping the 203 thermostat to 180 and just WOW, what a bad design by FCA, this blocks off so much coolant flow. I can't wrap my head around who designed this. That person needs to be fired.
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Now I know why people buy aftermarket Thermostat housing
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Oh yeah, I know about that stupid flat spot.
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I wouldn’t worry about the thermostat housing unless you just want a shiny one, the thermostat itself provides more restriction than that one bolt (I would think) and the thermostat is what keeps you at temp.
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369 Posts
Fair enough, but still so poor design.
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Also, drove TH today in 100 degree weather, if you drive without stopping temp holds at around 185, instead of 203. Fan barely comes on now, so I would say 180 thermostat does help eliminate about 15 degrees.
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369 Posts
Furthermore, forgot to mention about thermostat and overflow canister.
1. OEM thermostat is somewhat bad because it has rubber ring inside it, which in time hardens, breaks into chunks and than makes the thermostat get stuck. (Pic1) My bro seen this over and over again he works on cars.
2. I would suggest everyone to check your overflow canister, especially at the bottom of it, build up from iron block. NO it's not sludge, sludge would be lingering on top of the coolant, this is more of a 'grainy' or 'sandy' feeling when you touch it. Just shine some light behind the canister and see if you have it. (Pic 2 & 3). If you have enough build up it might block the overflow hole, highly unlikely but a quick check won't hurt. I had way more in my SRT at 50k miles. This is only 32k miles on my TH. 3rd Pic shows less than 2nd pic cause I already washed most of it off before taking a picture. Hope this helps.
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1. OEM thermostat is somewhat bad because it has rubber ring inside it, which in time hardens, breaks into chunks and than makes the thermostat get stuck. (Pic1) My bro seen this over and over again he works on cars.
2. I would suggest everyone to check your overflow canister, especially at the bottom of it, build up from iron block. NO it's not sludge, sludge would be lingering on top of the coolant, this is more of a 'grainy' or 'sandy' feeling when you touch it. Just shine some light behind the canister and see if you have it. (Pic 2 & 3). If you have enough build up it might block the overflow hole, highly unlikely but a quick check won't hurt. I had way more in my SRT at 50k miles. This is only 32k miles on my TH. 3rd Pic shows less than 2nd pic cause I already washed most of it off before taking a picture. Hope this helps.
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369 Posts
GATES 34253S (Heavy Duty) 180 degrees, they have regular which is GATES 34253, without the 'S', but I went with Heavy Duty since it's consitered a Truck and I do tow.
Is it ok to run a 190 degree thermostat on the stock engine? Its only 13 degrees cooler than the stock 203 thermo. Either way I have to change mine out when I put in the Granatelli waterneck.
I have to drive this through the winter as well so hopefully the 190 is fine.
I have to drive this through the winter as well so hopefully the 190 is fine.
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369 Posts
190 is fine. 180 would be fine too. These engines produce lots of heat. I usually don't go below 180, as the engine does need operating temperature. Below 180 at winter it might be rough to get up to temperature. So yeah, 190 is absolutely fine even in the winter.
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508 Posts
I would think so, maybe others can chime in that have a lower thermostat and no tune. I just ordered a new billet housing from BT. It adds more bling and should flow better.
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369 Posts
It won't. I had 180 thermostat on SRT for 4 years and now couple of days on my TH. No CEL. Completely stock TH, I only removed mufflers and installed Intake.
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How long does it usually take to install a 180 thermostat? Also is it worth it having it installed and will I notice a difference? I would have to pay someone to do the installation.
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It installs quick, 10-20min, but than you need to bleed it, so there's no air in the system. Make sure car is cold and get bottle of coolant, cause some might run out when you swap the thermostat.
Zar, what is the coolant bleeding procedure on this engine?
I haven't really looked into it but was going to change up my thermostat in the next week or so.
I'm guessing there is some type of needle valve somewhere on the system that needs to be opened to let the air out once the thermostat opens?
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Use radiator filler neck to berp\bleed it. This guy does it pretty good. The stuff that he has is what I used. You can usually buy it at your local auto parts store, they should have it, if not buy it on Amazon.
No Spill Kit - https://amzn.to/36qqFPy
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