Oh yes, another cooling system thread.
I bought my Jeep in May and did a cooling system flush a couple weeks after. I always felt it ran low in terms of temperature (like 190-195) so I replaced my thermostat and radiator cap when I did the flush. PO had a 13lbs cap on the system, with a 195 thermostat.
Deciding to do the flush on a whim, I went to O’Reily’s and bought their store brand cap and thermostat (I know I know). Got it all together, Jeep ran about the same at 190-195 via OBD. I shrugged it off thinking it had to do with the year. My previous 2002 always sat right at 210 on the gauge but I don’t think I ever checked it with the scanner.
Anyhoo I went to Flagstaff on Monday to go play in the fresh snow and I was pretty bummed that the heater was not singeing my eyebrows off like my last TJ did, even with the hardtop and full doors. It was lukewarm at best. I decided to throw the scanner on and found the engine was running at a whopping 180-190°. That may not seem like much but that extra 20-30° makes a large difference. This could also contribute to why my Jeep on humble 31s is getting 12-13 mpg whereas my last TJ on 32s was consistently getting 16.
I’m one of those guys that saves old parts and I’m glad I did. Last night I dug out my old thermostat and noticed it was a USA-stamped Stant 195, though I’m not sure it’s a superstat. Either way I threw it in a pot of water and brought the temp up and down several times to make sure it was functioning, and it passed the test. Satisfied, I threw it in the Jeep along with a new Felpro gasket. The results were satisfactory, with my highest engine temp (ambient air around 40°) reading in at 206.6°, and the heater making me sweat like my last TJ did. I’m hoping this will help with my gas mileage.
Just for fun, I threw the faulty thermostat in water, and that sucker was wide open at 185. Even after turning the stove off and letting it cool, it was still slightly open at 170. You can see the gap is wide open below. There’s a part I won’t be saving
Drove it around a bit today with the scanner on and it was averaging between 199-204. I feel like it should still be a little higher, but I’m probably just being anal. I also bought a new Stant radiator cap just for peace of mind.
Point being, plan ahead and don’t skimp on parts just because you’re in a rush. If y’all wanna take some OBD numbers on your average temps I’d love to hear some feedback.
I bought my Jeep in May and did a cooling system flush a couple weeks after. I always felt it ran low in terms of temperature (like 190-195) so I replaced my thermostat and radiator cap when I did the flush. PO had a 13lbs cap on the system, with a 195 thermostat.
Deciding to do the flush on a whim, I went to O’Reily’s and bought their store brand cap and thermostat (I know I know). Got it all together, Jeep ran about the same at 190-195 via OBD. I shrugged it off thinking it had to do with the year. My previous 2002 always sat right at 210 on the gauge but I don’t think I ever checked it with the scanner.
Anyhoo I went to Flagstaff on Monday to go play in the fresh snow and I was pretty bummed that the heater was not singeing my eyebrows off like my last TJ did, even with the hardtop and full doors. It was lukewarm at best. I decided to throw the scanner on and found the engine was running at a whopping 180-190°. That may not seem like much but that extra 20-30° makes a large difference. This could also contribute to why my Jeep on humble 31s is getting 12-13 mpg whereas my last TJ on 32s was consistently getting 16.
I’m one of those guys that saves old parts and I’m glad I did. Last night I dug out my old thermostat and noticed it was a USA-stamped Stant 195, though I’m not sure it’s a superstat. Either way I threw it in a pot of water and brought the temp up and down several times to make sure it was functioning, and it passed the test. Satisfied, I threw it in the Jeep along with a new Felpro gasket. The results were satisfactory, with my highest engine temp (ambient air around 40°) reading in at 206.6°, and the heater making me sweat like my last TJ did. I’m hoping this will help with my gas mileage.
Just for fun, I threw the faulty thermostat in water, and that sucker was wide open at 185. Even after turning the stove off and letting it cool, it was still slightly open at 170. You can see the gap is wide open below. There’s a part I won’t be saving
Drove it around a bit today with the scanner on and it was averaging between 199-204. I feel like it should still be a little higher, but I’m probably just being anal. I also bought a new Stant radiator cap just for peace of mind.
Point being, plan ahead and don’t skimp on parts just because you’re in a rush. If y’all wanna take some OBD numbers on your average temps I’d love to hear some feedback.
