team-zr1

If you wanted to run your engine a bit cooler, either to richen up the AFR or reduce engine knock due to heat, you went out and bought a custom thermostat at a cost of about $80 with shipping.

I did this to find a 178 custom stat only allowed a maximum of 163 at highway speeds when used with a race radiator !

I was upset at this cost and not getting what it was supposed to be so I began studying the thermostat design and with the experience and knowledge of teammate Gary S, I began testing a method of modifying the stock thermostat and found for less then few dollars I could make the stock thermosat adjustable.

Review the process at :

Save money and modify stock stat

Thus for a few bucks you now can adjust your stock termostat at a lower opening temperature.


[Modified by team-zr1, 5:12 PM 11/13/2001]

2thDr

Cool! (Literally)

rjn

That's a really innovative idea...what material and diameter did you use for the shim?

Rob
01Z

C5Noir

John your effort is almost unsurpassed as a tech head. It's very pleasing to being able to partake in your findings. Keep up the great work!

Patman36

This is great and just what I was looking for. Do you have to make the shims yourself?

Patrick :seeya

Tom Talbott

Now that's really creative! :cool: Good job! :cheers:

Wicked C5

Yep did this you can adjust what you want. Currently I run about 185 at highway speed. I'm thinking about getting it down to 180

team-zr1

This was a idea from a teammate when we talked about why a 178 degree stat would be so cold with a better radiator and I decided to test it out.
Being you can change the opening rate by the thickness of the shim allows you to taylor the opening rate.
If you think about it, the thicker the shim is the quicker the stat will open since the rod has less travel.

Any metal would do, the report shows thickness, just make it the I.D of the housing channel the shaft slips into. since the shaft sits on top of shim it cannot fail out so you should have not problem making your shim and any time I can reduce paying vendors for big bucks mods when a couple of bucks get you the same result then strike a blow for us taxpayers.

John

kewlbrz

John, this is a not to uncommon mod. Its posted every now and again. Here is one site that did it about a year ago.
http://andrewb.speedware.com/thermo/thermo.htm

Many guys on ls1.com claimed modding the stock thermostat like that failed over time with warm up issues etc.

Many have had success with it from what I have seen.

let us know how yours goes.

What fan controls are you using to bring the fans online sooner?


[Modified by kewlbrz, 8:40 PM 11/13/2001]

pkmoose

Thanks for the tech tip, will have to try it out next year, when the weather starts to warm up.

2kbluestreak

If anyone else had this idea, I toyed with making the stock thermostat externally and infinately adjustable by running an adjusting screw from the outside. Closer examination revealed not much aluminum to work with for the required 6mm or 1/4" thread. Plus, sealing could be a problem, and I didn't want the hassle of loosing coolant at an inopertune time. Went with the KISS principle and used a shim. Question, has anyone figured out how to modify the BPP 175 F thermostat so it would allow the coolant to heat up to this value in the winter? Drill it deeper?
;)

TravisD

Is it just me, or does anyone else not to keen n the idea of having yet another little bit of metal where it *could* come loose and enter the engine? Just seems likea big risk to me...

-travis

team-zr1

There is no way the shim can fall out, the stat shaft sits on top of it and
only the stat taken out would allow shim to fall out, thus if the stat has blown up, much bigger problem then a little shim.

Point is why pay a vendor 80 bucks for a so called custom stat, when all it is a stock stat with the same shim in it,
so why is it then ok for that stat to be used ? :smash: