Low Temperature Thermostat???

[YeahItsAHemi345]

Does anybody know where I can find a 160 degree Low Temperature Thermostat for a 5.7 Hemi??? I've looked all over and can't seem to find one for my truck. But I have found them for other Dodge trucks.

[XxRAMxX]

That may not be the smartest idea... 160 is pretty low. I believe the stock are 203. a 195 or 180 should be fine for whatever you need. I know they make the 180's for the HEMI

[YeahItsAHemi345]

I thought I would need a 160 degree thermostat to install the stage 2 Jet chip. If not, then what do I need? Or is there a better one that I dont know about.

[XxRAMxX]

Obviously, you can do what you want. However, I would suggest you not use the JET chip as they are little more than glorified paper weights. I would invest in something a little more proven like superchips or hypertech. If you have an 04 or 05, superchips is coming out with one here soon. You can check their web site. If you have an 03, you are all set.

[TK]

Originally Posted by YeahItsAHemi345

Does anybody know where I can find a 160 degree Low Temperature Thermostat for a 5.7 Hemi??? I've looked all over and can't seem to find one for my truck. But I have found them for other Dodge trucks.

sounds like a lot of piston ring wear.

[YeahItsAHemi345]

Does anybody know where I can find the 180 degree thermostat for the 5.7 Hemi?

[HankL]

This posting is from another board by a member who has previously claimed to work at the DC Powertrain center:

"No one that I know of makes a direct replacement 180°F t-stat for the 5.7L Hemi yet. You can use a Stant 15168 but it is 64mm and the stock Hemi is 63mm. Just sand or grind down the OD 1mm and install the stock sealing ring and your good to go. The Stant 15168 will retain the bypass block off just like the stock t-stat. Some of the t-stats that others are using due not have the bypass block off."

I have not comfirmed this myself, but I would avoid using a replacement thermostat that does not also have the bypass closing post.

With the bypass constantly open, you will have quite a bit less wide open throttle cooling capacity than the 5.7 Hemi was designed for.

I personally doubt that swapping in a 180 degree replacement for the 203 thermostat stock in the 5.7 Hemi will yield very much improvement - if any at all. With the plastic intake manifold of the 5.7 the air charge is much better insulated than older aluminum intake manifold designs, and these modern manifolds have no heat cross-over.

It is not much, but you should also expect about a 0.3 MPG decrease with the lower temperature thermostat.

Going to a lower temperature thermostat is 'old technology' that is best reserved for 1970's era carburetor engines with metal intake manifolds

[Dick]

It really isn't pertinent here, but I thought that I might toss this into the mix, in case some people don't know the history of the 160* thermostat.

Back when I was a kid, there wasn't "permanent, glycol based anti-freeze", that could go two or three years without a change. Anti-freeze was alcohol based and couldn't handle high temps, and had to be changed every year. 160* was it. In fact, common practice was to remove the thermostat in the summer. Boil overs were common sights on a hot summer day; cars at the side of the road with the hoods up, steam coming out of the engine compartment.

The advent of glycol based anti-freeze, like Prestone, was the dawn of a new era, in that higher temps were possible without the worry of boil over. The 180* 'stat became the norm.

Around 1961, the expansion tank came into the picture, which further allowed higher temps without coolant loss on hot shut down.

[RAM MAN]

years ago I tried a 160 in my Ram and it really didnt like it

thru codes

went to a 180 and never looked back

[HankL]

I have thought about drilling out the hole for the 5/8th inch diameter heater hose that is on the passenger side of the thermostat housing to 1.5 inches and using this external thermostat housing:



from Evans Cooling to create a 2nd thermostat bypass.

I would put a 205 thermostat in the original spot and use a 180 degree in the 2nd 'bypass' unit with a valve to turn it on and off.

With this setup you could answer the questions about whether 180 degree really reduces pinging or whether there is a slight MPG increase with 205.

[RAM MAN]

hmm

that WOULD be an interesting experiment ...

keep us posted if you go that route