Alternate thermostats for the LX Hemis

[330toSRT8]

Originally Posted by Meister

Well, 330toSRT8, with those numbers stamped in her, we know she's a fit and in the proper heat range.

Does the center orfice appear fairly large? The ones with the smaller center holes truly look small, disproportionately so.

If so you should be good to go.

I'll try to get by NAPA later today and see if I can track one down, as well as the 191, and get some pictures.

Thanks much for the info. Pls. let us know where EVIC shows her to be opening.

This new thermostat looks very similar to the NAPA 191. It has a relatively small inner diameter compared to stock. I do not have the fan mod so I had to use the 100% free fan mod, i.e. turning on the AC compressor, which only activates the lower fan on low!
Ambient temp: 64 degrees.
After installing the new tstat I let the car warm up to 217 then turned on the AC. After approx. ten minutes the temp was down to 190. Cruising on the freeway at 70MPH it was 185-186 with AC on and 185 with AC off. At low speeds it was 186-190, but it would rise rapidly if I floored it. BTW, cost was $8.

One more thing. The 13mm socket was loose on my bolts. A 1/2" worked much better to avoid stripping the bolts.

[330toSRT8]

Update regarding the Weir-Stat II (Standard-Thomson):
I did the 25 cent fan mod with both fans on high and the temp stabilized at 185 on the highway and surface streets. A couple times it briefly hit 183.

[Moose]

Originally Posted by 330toSRT8

....Ambient temp: 64 degrees.

Sure, rub it in... 64 degrees

Try 110 degrees and you can't find the damn tstat

[Meister]

Originally Posted by 330toSRT8

Update regarding the Weir-Stat II (Standard-Thomson):
I did the 25 cent fan mod with both fans on high and the temp stabilized at 185 on the highway and surface streets. A couple times it briefly hit 183.

Good info, 330toSRT8, thanks.

And our juiced Moose is right - it's 114 degrees f on my side of town and even with flipping the radiator fan on just after engine start the in-town coolant temp soon exceeds 200 degrees.

But that sure beats the 230s.

[330toSRT8]

Originally Posted by Meister

Good info, 330toSRT8, thanks.

And our juiced Moose is right - it's 114 degrees f on my side of town and even with flipping the radiator fan on just after engine start the in-town coolant temp soon exceeds 200 degrees.

But that sure beats the 230s.

Well, we just had a heat wave over here in Monterey. Yesterday it got up to 75 and I had to take off my jacket! Seriously, I know what it's like since I lived in Tucson for 22 years.
Meister, when you say you turn on the radiator fan and it still exceeds 200, is that on high or low? And is the other fan?

[Meister]

Originally Posted by 330toSRT8

Well, we just had a heat wave over here in Monterey. Yesterday it got up to 75 and I had to take off my jacket! Seriously, I know what it's like since I lived in Tucson for 22 years.
Meister, when you say you turn on the radiator fan and it still exceeds 200, is that on high or low? And is the other fan?

The larger of the two fans, 330toSRT8, is the "radiator fan", the smaller of the two fans is the "A/C fan".

The simple manual fan mod (the "$.25 fan mod"), and the GSM fan mod both command the radiator fan to maximum speed.

[330toSRT8]

I decided to do the fan mod that nCHARGE posted on the Chargerforums here:
http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/...2&postcount=11
It is much easier than Jim Turner's mod and it turns on the fans the same as the GSM mod and is easily removed. I just used a mini add-a-circuit to get the power lead to the relay. Within 10 seconds I can remove all the wiring except for one ground wire that runs from the engine compartment to under my dash for the switch.

And then my 170 Prestone thermostat came in that I ordered since Meister highly recommended it. Now my car settles around 177-179 and will rise up to 186 if I floor it a few times. The major difference with this tstat over the Napa HD 180 is how quickly the temp will get back to normal. After hitting 186, it will get back to 177-179 in a matter of seconds (like less than 10). I think the larger inner diameter really helps. With the Napa HD 180 the normal temp was 185-186 and it would rise into the 190s but would take a minute to get back to 185. The Prestone 170 is fantastic!
Meister, thanks for your help.

[Meister]

Originally Posted by 330toSRT8

I decided to do the fan mod that nCHARGE posted on the Chargerforums here:
http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/...2&postcount=11
It is much easier than Jim Turner's mod and it turns on the fans the same as the GSM mod and is easily removed. I just used a mini add-a-circuit to get the power lead to the relay. Within 10 seconds I can remove all the wiring except for one ground wire that runs from the engine compartment to under my dash for the switch.

And then my 170 Prestone thermostat came in that I ordered since Meister highly recommended it. Now my car settles around 177-179 and will rise up to 186 if I floor it a few times. The major difference with this tstat over the Napa HD 180 is how quickly the temp will get back to normal. After hitting 186, it will get back to 177-179 in a matter of seconds (like less than 10). I think the larger inner diameter really helps. With the Napa HD 180 the normal temp was 185-186 and it would rise into the 190s but would take a minute to get back to 185. The Prestone 170 is fantastic!
Meister, thanks for your help.

Thank you for that very thorough write up on the simple fan mod and the effectiveness of the Prestone 170-degree tstat, 330toSRT8.

How long would you say the fan mod took you to install?

[330toSRT8]

Originally Posted by Meister

Thank you for that very thorough write up on the simple fan mod and the effectiveness of the Prestone 170-degree tstat, 330toSRT8.

How long would you say the fan mod took you to install?

With all the parts in hand it should take less than one hour. Here is the schematic from nCHARGE that I used. I added a few comments to the image. This install requires several male and female disconnects for the connections. The sheetmetal tab already has a 1/8" hole but will need to be enlarged to approx. 1/2" for most switches. The strip panel on the driver side doorway can be easily removed by pulling it (it is held by 2 tangs). Then remove the large panel under the steering wheel by removing the two screws and gently pulling (it is held by about 4 tangs). Removing these two pieces allows good access to route the switch wire and you can remove the entire piece of sheetmetal for easier drilling (held on my 4 bolts). Jim Turner's Fan Mod instructions contains photos of what I describe.

Here is the schematic:


And here's what my fusebox looks like. You can see there is only one wire entering the box and the box closes with no problem when the wire is positioned on the metal tab.


Here is the switch above the gas pedal area:

[EricG]

I ordered my Robert Shaw thermostat today and they said it should be in tomorrow evening, now time to get a handle on this fan mod

My wife's eyes are already rolling - she'll be allright though

Eric