MarineBlue03GMC

Now I know this topic is not new but I have a 160 hypertech thermo sitting in my room and am not sure what to do with it.

I have heard so many conflicting opinions about using a 160. So whoever has a 160 could you please give me your opinions on its performance and a list of your mods?

Should I install the 160 or try and get a 180 instead?

Whats the worst that could happen (if anything) if I put in the 160?

Are there any changes I should make to my diablo tuning if I drop in the 160?

What readings should I watch on my diablo tuner to see that the 160 is working correctly?

Finally how messy is the install and can I install the thermo without losing alot of fluid or will I need to buy some?

whitt1

I've run a 160 degree thermostat for 2 years now the truck runs about 10 degrees cooler and even with stock tuning it never set a code on the PCM.I don't see much if any downside to running the 160 degree thermostat and in hot climates it is a big plus.

CashDudeHomie

iTrader: (5)

I lost about 2 gallons when I did mine.

Hemi Killer

iTrader: (6)

I've ran a 160* thermastat for over a year. No problems. I had mine installed by a performance shop. I think it made a little difference in cold weather. My engine runs at about 180* in the summer and about 170-175* on real cold nights (25-40*). Thats about the coldest weather I see here.

MarineBlue03GMC

How much coolant does the system take? After I lose some coolant and install the thermo should I just fill up come more coolant into the radiator? Can I resuse the old fluid?

Hit Man X

You have to burp the cooling system...

once all the coolant spills out, stick the new thermostat inplace. Torque the bolts to 7-8ft-lbs, no more! They break very easily. If you haven't got a torque wrench like that, use a very short open ended wrench and just tighten until snug.

Use some petroleum jelly or "Vaseline" to get the new o-ring to stick to the new thermostat.

Put the hose and such back on. Fill that resivior full of Dex-Cool/Water mix to the fill line. Run the vehicle up and down in the RPM range to suck the coolant into the coolant system and just keep repeating until full.

It is a bit of a PITA, but you can always pay someone ~$40 to install that thermostat and the coolant swap.

DO NOT reuse the old coolant!

MarineBlue03GMC

Thanks for the info. I will definitely do this myself since I dont really trust anyone else doing work on my truck. Not to mention it sounds pretty easy. I have done all the work on my truck so far, lowering, headers, exhuast, etc. and I have a few torque wrenches so this install shouldnt be a problem.

So I only add coolant to the reservoir NOT the radiator, correct?

So how much coolant do I need? Should I get GM brand coolant or is there a brand/type I can get from autozone or pep boys?

thanks again for the tips

1BADHD

As long as its teh orange stuff, it'll work.

Chingon

iTrader: (1)

Hey Glenn,
Like I said, I didn't feel a difference from JUST the thermostat. The HPP3 booklet says to get the most outta the programmer, use the 160 t-stat/advanced timing option. Overall, yes, there's a big difference over stock. But if you're looking to gain SOTP gain, don't do it, cuz you won't feel it.

I did it just for the hell of it, the truck runs a little cooler, which is better(to a certain point), plus I think it added to the overall performance of the truck.

It doesn't run at 160, it runs right smack in between 160 and the 210 marks, so...if it were the gas gauge, it'd be at 1/4 tank. It runs just above that actually. So I'm guessing about 185 or so?

You can get the 180 t-stat, but don't advance the timing in your engine. I think it's just better to run a little cooler. If I didn't have the hypertech or any programmer for that matter, I would've gotten the 180, or just mod my stock one to 180(cheaper).

The worst thing that could happen with the 160 is if you do it without any tuning. Low coolant temp will keep your engine in "open-loop mode." Open loop is where fuel is delivered based on a fuel map. (This map starts at a baseline but over times gets updated with learned values from actual O2 readings once the system goes into closed loop.) There are two times when the engine runs in open loop - low coolant temperature, and Wide Open Throttle. A Vortec engine is OK with a 160 thermostat - it will still go into closed loop. Without programming the 160 stat will actually hurt overall performance. Cold combustion chambers make less power and without the extra timing advance the overall result is a loss.

I would call Diablo and ask them about tuning for the 160 because I don't know about that. My HPP3 does it for me.
Install...heh, buy some fluid. It will get EVERYWHERE. I was careful and I still spilt that **** all over the place. Um, I used more than the gallon I bought at the dealer, and that was mixing it 1:1 ration with water. It holds alot of fluid. I ended up putting in just water cuz I didn't have enough coolant. Just a little though.
btw, install is pretty easy. Make sure the engine is cool, I just woke up one morning and did it. 2 bolts and the tstat housing comes off. Remove the stocker from the radiator hose, attatch the hose to the 160 stat and bolt back in. There's instructions with the 160 stat that tell you how to fill the radiator. It's easy.

Flyer

iTrader: (1)

I put the 160* stat in mine when I did the blower. I ws going to come summer time anyways. Having a black truck in 85-95* weather, the front of the truck gets so hot you can't touch it .. seriously, it would get that hot.

I used a 5 gallon gas can, cleaned out of course, to drain all the coolant from the radiator into the gas can. Once I let it drain completely, and it took a while, I pulled the old stat off and lost a minimal amount of coolant. Once I got the new stat in place, I refilled the coolant reservoir with as much as I could get into it, started the truck up and let it idle adding coolant from the 5 gallan can as needed. I did add a little coolant after I used what I drained, but it was a little low to start with.

The temp gauge in your cluster is marked wrong. The 160 should read 100*. When I ATAP it on a cold start, this is the readings I get. The mark between 160 and 210 is actually 160. Mine stays just above that mark, on top of the next hash mark, with ATAP reading 175'ish. The hash mark below 210* is where it will max out at 190'ish.

Hope this helps out ...