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Hank4WVU
Dodge Dakota
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9/21/2006
19:16:30

Subject: 180 thermostat
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i have seen where some people have a 4.7 with a 180 thermostat.. i can find one..where can i get one at?



Rob C
Dodge Dakota
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9/22/2006
14:54:33

RE: 180 thermostat
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No one makes a 180 thermostat for the 4.7L engine. The 180 degree thermostats for previous Mopar V8 engines will fit but since they don't have the bypass plunger to block off the coolant bypass port once your engine is up to temperature, they don't do as good a job of keeping the engine cool as they were designed to. I had a Mr. Gasket #4364 which is a Robert Shaw style 180 degree performance thermostat in my 4.7 but, I found out that with the coolant bypass port fully open, hot coolant was allowed to recirculate into the engine, causing my coolant to run at 240 degree on hot days while stopped in traffic (I ditched the factory clutch fan too). This was worse than the constant 210 degree the factory thermostat was running at. So, I pulled the 180 and put in a stock thermostat and never had the problem again.
I've tried sending emails to the major thermostat manufacturers, telling them that there's a huge demand for cooler thermostats for the 4.7L Magnum engine but, I don't even get a response from them.



I made one
Dodge Dakota
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9/23/2006
21:17:51

RE: 180 thermostat
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Mine's fully open at just under 185 degrees F.
Go get a new one from your favorite Dodge parts dept. Just whittle away on the spring bit by bit until you get it to fully open at the desired temperature in a pot of hot water on your stovetop. It'll take a day or so of trial and error until you get it just right, but be patient and it'll eventually get there. Except for a couple careless hits with the Dremmel tool, mine looks like stock (because it is).




TexasTodd
Dodge Dakota
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9/23/2006
22:40:19

RE: 180 thermostat
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Rob C.,

What you said may be true, but I've been running a 180 over 4 years, and only notched the area for the gaskit to fit properly.

I also 'ditched my clutch/fan years over 4 years ago, and live in SE Texas = HOT.

NO cooling problems. I've let my truck idle w/ the a/c on, at the beach while one of my young sons slept, for hours. Never even approahces the 1/2 way.

I do have the HD rad with the HD group for towing, etc.





Brandon
Dodge Dakota
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9/23/2006
23:27:59

RE: 180 thermostat
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I used a tstat from a Tacoma 3.4L. It doesn't plug the bypass port. A little round disc blocks the port just fine when the tstat opens. No cooling problems so far.



Rob C
Dodge Dakota
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9/24/2006
11:33:57

RE: 180 thermostat
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I tried cutting the spring but, it didn't help the T-stat open any sooner, just close slower.
Texas Todd you either got lucky or your bypass port is plugged because without the plunger to block off the bypass port like the factory T-stat, hot coolant recirculates back into the hot engine instead of going to the radiator. This is a feature to help the engine get up to operating temperature faster but, is detrimental to effective cooling. That's why the the stock T-stat is designed to close off the bypass port.
I don't understand the benefit of using a Tacoma T-stat, does it open at a lower temperature?



cuzz
Dodge Dakota
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9/24/2006
13:41:03

RE: 180 thermostat
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the taco t-stat has a disc that acts like the plunger I guess???????????????



Brandon
Dodge Dakota
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9/24/2006
21:01:38

RE: 180 thermostat
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The Tacoma tstat disc performs the same function as the 4.7L tstat plunger, except that it covers the port instead of plugging it.



01Motorsport
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2006
11:27:54

RE: 180 thermostat
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I use a Stant 59358 180 stat for a Jeep 4.7 in my '01 4.7. It was an in-stock item at Pep Boys. Just file a notch to match the stock 195 Mopar stat. No ball-n-hole; so what?



Lurkin
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2006
11:51:11

RE: 180 thermostat
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I must be "lucky" too. I've been running the 180 for 1.5 years, and without the clutch fan for around 4 years.

With the AC off, the engine gets warmer when stopped, or very slow moving, since the electric won't kick on until 205 or so. I can manually trigger the fan if'n I want by setting the AC or defrost on, and moving the inside temp to the warm/hot range.



Josh
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2006
13:32:30

RE: 180 thermostat
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You can do the same without the additional load of the compressor. Just unplug the compressor connector. Then you can run the fan any time by hitting the A/C button.




Hank4WVU
Dodge Dakota
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9/25/2006
14:17:44

RE: 180 thermostat
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thanx guys i think im gonna do that.. and im prolly gonna take my clutch fan off.. it doesnt seem to do much n e way




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