[Cmyskill]

Ok guys, There has got to be a way to get the fluid lower than the thermostat other than removing the bottom of the car to get to the Petcock valve on the radiator. Is there a hose that I can use to drain most of the fluid out then switch out the stat? If I have to get to the petcock valve is it on the drivers side or passengers of the radiator? Maybe that way I only have to remove one side of the underside.

If anyone knows a short cut please share....

ZL1 A10

[MP3BOOSTED]

so what i did is just switch them out without draining any fluid , bought a gallon to replace the little that came out and called it a day!

[rjacobs]

Why are you changing the thermostat out anyway?

What do you think you will gain?

Ive never seen a car running a 160 degree thermostat actually run any cooler anyway.

[MP3BOOSTED]

Originally Posted by rjacobs

Why are you changing the thermostat out anyway?

What do you think you will gain?

Ive never seen a car running a 160 degree thermostat actually run any cooler anyway.

agreed, also want to make note that i actually installed the 160 degree thermostat and a week later it failed on me, car started to overheat, went back to stock and all is well now

[Cmyskill]

Next week I am having my car tuned and you are correct if you just change the stat your car will run at the normal temp most of the time. you have to have your fans programmed to come on at an earlier temp.

MP3Boosted, Thanks for helping out. I agreed with your method and only lost 1-2 Oz of fluid if that. I stopped into harbor freight and picked up a cheap $5 vacuum pump and sucked out most of the fluid from the overflow. Then I made a catch can out of a 2 liter coke bottle, so as I removed the large hose from the thermostat housing it all drained into it.

Below are the pics with everything you need to change the stat. Just in case someone else wants an easy way to do it...

[rjacobs]

Originally Posted by Cmyskill

Next week I am having my car tuned and you are correct if you just change the stat your car will run at the normal temp most of the time. you have to have your fans programmed to come on at an earlier temp.

nope...

still doesnt do shit... Ive witnessed it a lot here in Texas. Guys tell me "im running a 160, you should too" oh really, what temp does the car run at "200-210" and I tell them "oh funny, my car runs at the same temp with a factory 180 in it".

The car will come up to what temp the system is designed for no matter what thermostat you have in it. The pressure and cooling ability of the system has far more to do with what temp a car runs at than the thermostat. At 160 your new thermostat will open fully and let all the coolant circulate. This will keep the motor cooler for all of 2 minutes until the coolant gets up to full operating temperature.

A better way to keep the car running cooler(and even this is negligible) is to run a 75 distilled/25 dex cool/water wetter. Thats what I ran in my 07 cammed Z06(those cars were notorious for running HOT) and in 100+ degree Texas traffic my car would hit a max of 220 and usually sat around 200 degrees(with the factory 180 degree thermostat).

Or even better is a big ass replacement radiator instead of the factory one.


But please report back with what temp your car runs at at full operating temperature after your mods. My educated guess is you will see zero reduction in operating temperature.

[GT-ER]

I haven't done it in my ZL1, but I HAVE installed 160* Tstats and lowered the fan operating temps to 160 and the car stays at 160. Don't know why you think it wouldn't.

[SJFGTO]

Originally Posted by rjacobs

nope...

still doesnt do shit... Ive witnessed it a lot here in Texas. Guys tell me "im running a 160, you should too" oh really, what temp does the car run at "200-210" and I tell them "oh funny, my car runs at the same temp with a factory 180 in it".

The car will come up to what temp the system is designed for no matter what thermostat you have in it. The pressure and cooling ability of the system has far more to do with what temp a car runs at than the thermostat. At 160 your new thermostat will open fully and let all the coolant circulate. This will keep the motor cooler for all of 2 minutes until the coolant gets up to full operating temperature.

A better way to keep the car running cooler(and even this is negligible) is to run a 75 distilled/25 dex cool/water wetter. Thats what I ran in my 07 cammed Z06(those cars were notorious for running HOT) and in 100+ degree Texas traffic my car would hit a max of 220 and usually sat around 200 degrees(with the factory 180 degree thermostat).

Or even better is a big ass replacement radiator instead of the factory one.


But please report back with what temp your car runs at at full operating temperature after your mods. My educated guess is you will see zero reduction in operating temperature.

^^^ This.

[Drew778]

Any update on this?

[1LE Red Dragon]

Quite frequently, if the car wont maintain a lower temperature and the lower rated thermostat is installed correctly, and the tune is modified to turn fans on properly, it is caused by air in the system. Sometimes it is very hard to get the air properly and fully bleed out.

[lt4camaro]

Originally Posted by Cmyskill

Ok guys, There has got to be a way to get the fluid lower than the thermostat other than removing the bottom of the car to get to the Petcock valve on the radiator. Is there a hose that I can use to drain most of the fluid out then switch out the stat? If I have to get to the petcock valve is it on the drivers side or passengers of the radiator? Maybe that way I only have to remove one side of the underside.

If anyone knows a short cut please share....

ZL1 A10

Petcock is on the passenger side of the radiator, just lay on your back and look up. Also make sure you program the fans to come on at a higher speed and as soon as possible. It will run cooler guaranteed. For the warmer months, you can also drain about 6 gts of antifreeze out and put in straight water to mix with whats left in the cooling system and add a water wetter.

[BMWM.D.]

A lower temp thermostat may not help if you live in a really hot climate and have a cooling system that’s marginal — but it certainly lowers operating temp if you have a good cooling system like the ZL1. Mine has no problem running in the 165 range in 85 degree weather as long as I have airflow through the heat exchangers. It maintains 180 otherwise, which is where I have my fan set. It could run cooler if I want it to.

[danhr]

I didnt lower anything.... I just put a drip pan under the car and popped the housing off. Not much comes out.... maybe a few cups worth.

[WEAPON-X]

You need to make sure you drain all of the fluid, or have a very strong compressor because air can cavitate (isn't that a version of cavitation? lol spell check doesn't think so) if you don't drain it all out and the vac pumps won't have enough pressure to refill the top as easily. I did that on my ZR1 and it was running 240* at 80mph on interstate, I romped on it and it shut the AC off on me. Redrained/refilled and it's a cool 170* on interstate now with the 160* stat. Ironically, I just realized I busted into the 9s first with it like that, and since we're only manipulating sensors and can't tune the IAT or ECT spark reductions, I now see why I was down a few degrees on timing the first pass running 136mph. The next pass I got up to the line faster and cooler and trapped 140mph. Can't wait to get it back out... LS Fest or sooner!