Hi guys, I'm having fun figuring out my new Buick ('71 Skylark, 350 4v). The aftermarket temp. gage says 165 degrees, at the most. Seems too cool, so I checked it with my wife's turkey thermometer I only saw 145 degrees, touching the engine at the water outlet and heads. And I thought old Buicks ran too hot? Anyway maybe I have a 165 degree thermostat? The radiator looks fairly new. There's an aftermarket mechanical fan with shroud. Maybe I just leave it alone and be happy it runs cool - but is there any down side to being that low? I'd think 180-190 degrees might be normal and/or where I wanna be?
Congrats! Probably a 165 degree stat and good working cooling system. I would probably leave it alone for now... Where did you check with the wife's turkey thermometer? I have have used a candy thermometer before... The infra-red "guns" are fantastic...
AFAIK, there is no such thing as a 165* thermostat, it is probably a 160*. Change it to a 180* stat and it will run at 185*
That’s too cold! The internal clearances are designed to be correct at about 190 degrees, especially in terms of ring gaps! It has been shown over and and over that the longer a motor takes to warm up the more ware will take place. Percentage wise it has been proven that 60% of all the ware a motor experiences takes place between the time a motor is cold and up to a normal operating temperature of like 190. a lot of parts in a motor rely totally on oil splash to get lubed up right and the sooner engine oil gets up to 150 degrees, that’s when a low rpm street motor starts to get really lubed up properly. Take note of what car manufacturers have and are doing to meet the 100,000 mile drivetrain warranty they have on new cars. Normal engine temps are close to 200 degrees, this should tell you something! also note that with only 165 degrees of water temp you oil may never get up to the needed temp where harmful condensation can boil off, which does not take place of course until the oil temp is up to 212 degrees. Engine condensation is not just water, it also has combustion residue in it which has a acid content to it that just eats away at bearings and pistons much faster then cast iron or steel.
I agree, 165* is too cool. The best compromise between wear, and performance, is running the engine at 180* or a bit higher. If you drive the car, especially at highway speeds, the oil will get as hot as it will get, up to 20* or more above the coolant temperature. I do push back against the idea the oil has to reach 212*F in order to "boil" the water out of the oil. Water will evaporate out of the oil long before that, and the PCV system will remove it from the crank case. If you put a pot of water on the stove, heat it, and put your hand over the top of it, you will feel the heat, and your hand will feel wet long before the water actually boils. That's evaporation. Repeated short trip driving will build up water in the oil, so those who simply start an engine in the winter, run it for 10 minutes, and then shut it down without driving the car are doing harm to the engine eventually. If you start it, you must drive it.
Water will leave oil at 140*. 165* is not too cold. Earlier engines ran at those temps. Higher stats were installed in winter for heaters to produce heat in very cold climates. The higher temps engines were manufactured to run at was to reduce emissions, and some cars actually ran too hot as a result. Oil breakdown and the creation of harmful acids and other components in oil increased component degradation. The coolant temp is not the operating temp of the combustion area(pistons/rings/walls/heads, valves) and those are going to be high enough to avoid any issues with being "too cold", and the oil will still liberate the moisture and become as hot as needed to provide long service life. A classic car driven as they typically are, will be fine. A race car, well, most racers would not be asking the question, as they almost always know what the correct set up is for their rig(s). (Yes, "heat is power", but shedding that heat is more important than simply making a ton of it)
If you drive te car with a 160 it will get hotter than 160 if you drive it for 15 min on highway, go to one exit and turn around and go back and the engine will be warm enough. I have ran a 160 in my Buick in the summer and would put cardboard in front of the rad to cover half of it in the winter. I use a 180 all the time now and just sits at 185. I used to start the car at 150 at track and ran my best time with that temp.
I'm with Sean on that. Wait until the thermostat housing leaks or you have to do intake gaskets before you mess with it. How is the rest of the car? Looks good in your profile picture.
Leave it alone....you can always run warmer by blocking some of the radiator off. My 351 boat engine had a 140 deg stat from Mercruiser and ran at 145 did that for 30yrs till I sold it. Sure if you drive it much in winter go with 180.....
Good feedback guys thank you. Lol, how did some of you guys know the car has bigger issues to worry about then the temperature?? However I must say it’s in really great shape. It’s a joint venture with my brother and I, so we’re adressing The big stuff first like leaking brake booster, and also stuff we agree on like the sagging door hinge. i’ll be posting more questions one at a time, like new springs and the right height. Maybe a 3.42 rear gear next…
This car looks like someone put a lot of care into it, wouldn’t surprise me if it came from a board member here. One or two years ago it came from Ohio, and before that West Virginia, according to the last owner in New York I bought it from. Does anybody here think that they used to own this one?
