I want to put a 180 degree t-stat in my monte, but im worried, and have also been told, that it will screw up the computer, make it run a richer air/fuel mixture, mess up the O2 sensor, etc....i know that a t-stat upgrade is one of the simplest ways to upgrade your engine's effiency, but will it really cause this many issues? also, im planning on purchasing it at AutoZone for 16.95. it comes with a fail-safe.

 

It won't hurt anything. It may help you a bit since L36s are pretty knock-prone stock, and N/A engines are alot less likely to detonate when they're running cooler.

You won't run richer or damage your O2 sensor. Your PCM will command the same AFR at 180* that it will at 200*.

Go for it- you probably won't notice huge gains but it may help a bit and certainly won't hurt anything.

 

thanks a lot for th advice!! and just sayn, ive got the same front liscence plate bowtie on my monte

 

I have a 180 Drilled t stat and I love it! Runs about 10 degrees cooler and takes a lot longer to heat up which is nice, but not in the winter! lol

 

prolly gonna be the best $17 ill ever spend. haha ill just have to bring some hand warmers for the winter then. lol

 

My 180 tstat hasn't ever been bad in the winter. Now a 160...

 

I run a drilled 160 now in mine. It's really not bad at all. I programmed my fans to accomodate the 160 and it really helps with heat soak in the summer. I also think it prolongs transmission life, as my trans fluid stays about 20* cooler too.

 

I definitely felt the difference with my 180 in the winter. Was it enough to care? No.

The only thing that is going to suck about the 180 without a tune, is that your fans won't come on earlier, so in city driving / traffic and such, your car still won't be running much cooler.

 

Could the fans be controlled sooner by the switch setup that zzp makes?

 

Yes, but that would become a pain in the butt quickly. You're better just having someone change the fan settings with a tuner.