1971 440 thermostat replacement temperature?

[mbc0724]

Good evening all:

1971 440 non- AC manual transmission. Replacing my thermostat. Have not pulled it from the motor yet. 160 or 180 degrees? Some other temperature? Thanks!

 

[4speed68rt]

195

 

[mobileparts]

160 ° is considered a Summer Thermostat...
180 ° is considered an All Year Round Thermostat.....
195 ° is considered a Winter Thermostat....

Since most Classic cars are driven primarily in the summer, most people opt for a 160 ° Thermostat......

 

[WileE]

180. The 195 was used to increase engine operating temps for emissions purposes. A 160 is good if your racing, but I've used 180's for 55 years in my cars.

 

[mobileparts]

I stock 8 --- 160 ° thermostats, and 5 --- 180 ° thermostats, and that is about how they sell...
I don't even bother to stock 195 ° thermostats --- and when I had a bunch of original MOPAR thermostats years ago,
I easily sold all the 160 ° s and 180 ° s , and I gave out all the 195 ° s for FREE, because of the BEAUTIFUL BOXES !!!!

160 ° s and 180 ° s sold fairly equally, as I recall...... I sold all of them for $ 8.00 each // $ 15.00 for two --- some people bought
a 160 ° and a 180 ° ..... at that price, it didn't take long for them to be gobbled up !!!! EH ???

 

[josephqatarcarguy]

been using 180 here in the desert (middle east)for 15 odd years ......

 

[Don Frelier]

160 is too low. Your engine was designed for 180.

 

[Outlawd]

I always try to keep my engines around 180. Thats a good number for 60's and 70's v8 motors.

 

[Mopar Miki]

180 is not what these engines had from the factory, try 190.
180 is too cold for today's fuel and does not help the long term health of the engine
180 is not a good operating temp - all these ideas are outdated.
A 195 t stat will work fine even in the desert, the car will run better - engine will require tuning, so retune the engine, gas mileage will increase and the oil stays cleaner longer etc etc
If one lives in the desert and the cooling system can't keep up there is something wrong with the cooling system

 

[toolmanmike]

180° is my choice. Buy one and boil it in a pan on the stove with a thermometer to make sure it works right before installing. The cheap ones at the parts store aren't worth bringing home.

 

[mbc0724]

Thanks for all the input. Will proceed accordingly.

 

[Moparmayhem]

Good info, Thanks everyone. I am looking to get a radiator for my sons 74 Charger 440, any
recommendations for a supplier in Michigan

 

[RJRENTON]

Good evening all:

1971 440 non- AC manual transmission. Replacing my thermostat. Have not pulled it from the motor yet. 160 or 180 degrees? Some other temperature? Thanks!

A 160°F t-stat should be used by NOTHING.....180°F OR 195°F is recommended. The old belief that if your engine is running hot, using a 160°F t-stat is the fix.......WRONG. Once the t-stat opens and and the temp increases there is not enough flow (velocity and gallons/min) thru the radiator (liquid side) and not enough air flow thru the air side (volume and temperature)......surface area is critical.....the more area the better.....not necessarily materials of construction of the heat exchanger. Thermodynamics is an exact science.....a shotgun approach is not the answer.....or listening to a buddy who has no clue......
BOB RENTON

 

[Geoff 2]

I would use two factors for guidance when choosing the stat temperature:
- does the engine tend to run hot
- the climate where the car will be driven. Cold, hot in between.

Something not realised by many: the rated temp is the opening temp. It takes another 20-30* for the stat to fully open. So a 195 stat may not be fully open until 220*...

 

[RJRENTON]

I would use two factors for guidance when choosing the stat temperature:
- does the engine tend to run hot
- the climate where the car will be driven. Cold, hot in between.

Something not realised by many: the rated temp is the opening temp. It takes another 20-30* for the stat to fully open. So a 195 stat may not be fully open until 220*...

Something not realised by many: the rated temp is the opening temp. It takes another 20-30* for the stat to fully open. So a 195 stat may not be fully open until 220*...

It depends on the thermostat's design, (time to open vs temperature change) this is called "dead band" ot time to reach open. It also depends on the calibration of the device (materials of construction and manufacturing tolerances). It cannot be realized in a single undocumented statment...show us some statistics of the different designs and types to prove your point.....
BOB RENTON

 

[4speed68rt]

I have been using 195s in everything with all heat risers blocked off,with new aluminum radiators and bypass return lines on the fuel pump and have not had any overheating or vapor lock since. It gets over 105 here.

 

[Geoff 2]

Bob,
It is an industry 'standard'. Same as quoted oil viscosity numbers...& many other things. Do people get a lab check of the oil viscosity before using the oil??
If what you are suggesting is correct, EVERY t'stat would need to be temperature tested BEFORE using it....would be a looooong queue on the automobile assembly lines.

 

[1967coronet]

My experience with my 440 is I have used both the160 stant thermostat and the 180.
After 20 to 30 minutes of local in traffic driving on a warm day both run at the same temp. Right close to 190

 

[451Mopar]

I mostly bracket race the Charger so it has a 160 degree.
The Street driven Coronet 180 degree.
The newer EFI cars 195 degree, but most of the new cars also have engine oil coolers.

 

[Gary Gaz]

I had a 160°C in last motor. Aftermarket gauge ran at 180°C
Current one I went for the 180°C and runs about 190°C. clutch fan with No Shroud