Help with T-stat install

[CobraJohn]

I bought a 170 degree T-Stat for my 2014 Sport. 

Does anyone have pics of their T-Stat install on their 2013 or 2014 Sport?

I am not sure about where it goes, though I believe it is somewhere "under" the air intake.

Do you drain the system at the bottom of the radiator first or just into a bowl under the t-stat housing?

How did you "Burp" the system after your install.

I've seen the threads on the Flex.....not sure its the same process or configuration.

Your help will be appreciated

[EcoBrick Bob]

On the Flex, the T-stat is located on drivers side end of engine up top.  SO if your's is in the same place, all you have to do is slowly loosen housing bolts with a container below.  Keep filling container (when close to full tighten bolts to stop flow) After flow starts to slow, open radiator cap to make sure all will drain out of T-stat housing.  Then simply switch out T-stat and when tight, add fluid back in with vehicle running and heater on full blast to make sure heater core is full.  If you lose any fluid add extra ( proper antifreeze required).  If you're patient, you will lose little if any antifreeze, and find this is a very easy mod to do yourself.

Much harder on GM LS engines as T-stat housing is half way down block and requires about a gallon of fluid to be removed.  EB guys are lucky!

[dalum]

The shop manual for my SHO says the ONLY way to purge the system is to use the vacuum method on the 3.5L EB.  The 2.0 has an air purge button at a high point.

[EcoBrick Bob]

I've done 2 T-stat changes my way in the Flex.  I have done 4 on LS engines using a similar technique, though LS engines require more antifreeze removal due to T-stat location.  When finished, running the car with the heater on max for about 10 minutes, most of the time with heat coming into cabin, purges the air.  Due to EB T-stat location, very little air gets into system.

[crash712us]

You shouldn't lose that much coolant to even worry about air in the system. I lost maybe a couple ounces when I did mine.

[The Bone]

Not sure I see a reason to change the Tstat. The motor needs to operate at a certain temp to be efficient. Where you need cooler temp in in the intake air.

[jdeprato]

Torrie says the car runs hot so by changing the Tstat and changing the radiator resulted in positive results when he was testing on his own 2010 model SHO.

[EcoBrick Bob]

SHO's especially early ones tended to run hotter than Flex.  The key is how the vehicle holds it's temp range at WOT.  A 170 deg T-stat helps all EB engines.  The actual coolant temp is like 10 deg cooler than stock, but still at least 180 deg in normal driving conditions (other than below 0 f...)  I have run cooler T-stats in all my vehicles since 2002 and have never felt that they weren't running hot enough in all weather conditions.  Vehicle heats to T-stat rating just as fast as stock...

[dalum]

Stock engine temps are for emissions standards not performance.  Higher under hood temps eventually leads to the pcm pulling timing to prevent pre detonation (knock).