Jewosh Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 So I have a 68 Wagon with a L20 bottom end and L16 head and was driving on the freeway last night and realized my temp gauge was climbing to above 210F. Usually its between 160 and 190... Then right when I was about to pull over, it dropped down to 160. I'm pretty sure that it is a sticky thermostat, and plan to replace it, but what thermostat should I get? And what is the max temp I should let it run to next time to see if it fixes itself? It has never done this before, and I wasn't pushing the car at all. 5th gear (280z tranny) @ about 60 MPH. thanks! Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 29, 2011 Report Share Posted January 29, 2011 Go by price preferably over $10 or one from the dealer which ever is better. The stock gauge does not read numbers so this must be an after market gauge. Boiling point is just above that and then the pressure begins to rise. I would say that's about as high as it should ever get to be safe. If it runs near this normally something is wrong. 180 to 195 would be normal and at optimum temp by design for economy, performance and longevity. A cold motor is inefficient and runs poorly. Don't even bother testing it. If you suspect the thermostat throw away and replace! You have to take it out anyway. You need a new gasket anyway. Why not have a new one? Testing may not prove anything reliable and then you have to do it all over again. Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Yea it usually runs around 180F. So just get a new Thermostat and gasket? the housing should be fine right? Is RockAuto a good place to get these parts from? Thanks! Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Sure I guess. I've used the cheap $3-$5 ones and always end up replacing them later. Better to spend on a $10 quality one than to be stuck on the side of the road. The housing should be fine, the risk is a rusted bolt that snaps off in it. I would try to loosen the bolts while the hot coolant is still in it, then drain. Aluminum swells twice as much as the steel bolts so the threaded hole should be largest when hot. For what it's worth. I get it to turn barely, then reverse and snug it up, loosen and snug it until it is free. Then loosen it a bit further and tighten, then loosen a bit further the next time and repeat until it freely turns. I find this preferable to just simply turning it while rusty and tight and having it snap off. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 the local parts store should have a 54mm 180 stat. There are ones now that when they fail they open.more expensive of coarse Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted January 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 thanks guys! I got one from a local store, and not the basic one. I'm gonna install tomorrow. banzai: where can I find those? That sounds like a really smart thing to get... Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 That's pretty common for the temp to climb after changing the head gasket. Because the cooling system can get an air bubble. After it cools down, top up the radiator, and it'll be fine. Probably your existing thermo is primo. Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Had no issues running a 160 in my truck and car. On really cold days tho, the heater wasn't quite warm enough :blink: Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 I seen the fail safe ones at Schucks a few years ago. what I do is drill 1/8 bypass hole in the stat if you dont have a bypass stat housing. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Had no issues running a 160 in my truck and car. On really cold days tho, the heater wasn't quite warm enough :blink: I don't know. 160 is kind of cold for a Nissan. If you cooling system is working properly you could run 185-190 with no worries. They are designed to run at that temp. And that's not hot that's normal. Izzo, does you motor ping or something? Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted January 30, 2011 Report Share Posted January 30, 2011 Oil runs about 20 degrees hotter than the coolant in most engines. A 180 thermostat will put the oil at 200 degrees, which is just perfect. And a 180 will help prevent pinging compare to a the type 203-degree thermostat. Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 So i got a new thermostat and gasket, and replaced my coolant and finally fashioned an overflow tank (the guy before put in a bigger radiator with no tank) and now it runs usually around 180. I'm guessing its pretty normal for it to be at 180, climb to around 190 and then drop to 170 and climb back up again? Or is there something else wrong? Quote Link to comment
izzo Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 I don't know. 160 is kind of cold for a Nissan. If you cooling system is working properly you could run 185-190 with no worries. They are designed to run at that temp. And that's not hot that's normal. Izzo, does you motor ping or something? Nah, it never pinged. Ran that in the truck and the goon. Never had any issues with it running either. I have the 180 in the 521, runs perfectly fine too. Hasn't got hot, stays where its supposed to. I think the 510 probably has a 180 in there too. Not sure, need to get some gas in the tank and run it for a while. Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted February 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 Yea the one I got was a 180, which is the same as stock. Could it be because of my weird engine setup? L20B bottom end and L16 head with a oversized radiator? Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted February 1, 2011 Report Share Posted February 1, 2011 if radiator is OVERsized it should run cooler right? you should be fine. make sure to use antifreeze 50/50 mix. to much water will kill the timming covers behind the water pump. that means change them out every 3/4 years Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted February 2, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Yea, I was thinking it should be running a lot colder then 180 since this thing is monster, though it still has the stock belt driven fan, so it heats up somewhat in traffic on a hot day. Hopefully it will run fine though now. I do want to do a swap to electric fans. Any particularly good ones? I heard older Maxima fans work nice. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 if radiator is OVERsized it should run cooler right? Naw, the thermostat closes when the engine is cool, allowing the water in the engine to heat up even if the radiator it oversized. With a 180 thermostat it can vary 170-190. If you have a good thermo and correctly-sized radiator it won't vary that much, more like 180 steady. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 MY 3 core with a 180 Im freezing.tryed 195deg I went back to a 2 core in my 521 I know its supposed to work that way but mine it doesnt Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 So with my new thermostat and gasket, driving today in 68F weather, my temp gauge went to slightly over 200F so I pulled over in a parking lot and turned it off for 2 min, then when I turned it back on, it was at 160F, and then went back to 180 where it remained pretty steady. Does this mean there is air in the system? In that case, just empty it and refill with 50/50 coolant water? Also, could it be if there is an imbalance with there being too much coolant? Is there any special specific coolant I should use? Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 you run a overflow tube? My 521 I zip tied a mountain dew bottle as a overflow. if there is air I just slowly pop the cap then let it run with cap open for awhile. I soemtimes put a 1/8 hole in the state plate to add a little extra bypass. last resort buy a 54 mm 160deg stat. they dont list a 160 for 510s but a 54mm will fit. maybe your rad is just going bad. Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yes, air in the system. But don't empty it. Just top it up now that the air has burped. This happens after emptying and refilling some cars. Quote Link to comment
Jewosh Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Yea i have an overflow hooked up to a Monster can. I'm thinking it could be because of an imbalance of coolant and water? I heard if you run too much coolant in the system, temperature changes can be wild. I haven't changed the coolant since I got it, and I know the guy before me wasn't the brightest so I'm going to do that tomorrow. I'm thinking that its not the thermostat because it usually runs at 180 or around there, its just that at random times it will shoot up and then suddenly drop... Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Nope it can't be that. You can run pure water or pure coolant and it won't fluctuate much. But a 50/50 mix is best for antifreeze and long-lasting properties. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 try another cap and drill a 1/8 hole in state if you dont have a bypass already. Some 510s had this soem dont. It will be on the lower stat housing to the water line that goes to the intake. If you dont have this then drill 1/8 hole in side flat part of stat Quote Link to comment
ggzilla Posted February 6, 2011 Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 Yes, the bypass hole can help. Nissan started fitting "jiggle valve" style thermostats in the late 70s, so the newer 510s have them. But you don't need them. Once the air is bled out it will be fine. Quote Link to comment
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