Hello everyone, I have a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria LX with 263,000 miles, and I'm going to replace the thermostat due to overheating 3/4 of the way up. I wondered if I should go OEM and stay at the 190 degrees or go aftermarket like Motorrad with their heavy-duty one that can go 180. I live in Southern California so it can get hot sometimes. The water pump has been changed, and it has been maintained with fresh coolant throughout its life. I want to ensure that I get a good part for my vehicle. I hope you all have a great day!
Don't forget to check your temperature sending unit. At that age and mileage, I wouldn't be surprised if it was malfunctioning and inaccurate. For only about $30, I would just replace it.
https://www.autozone.com/engine-management/coolant-temperature-sensor
Thank you for the information.
Get OEM. It's what the engine is designed for.
it can get hot sometimes
That's good. The engine will warm up faster which you want.
Would it hurt the engine if I put the 180 thermostats?
Of course. Your engine wasn't designed to run 180.
Oh makes sense, thank you!
I would not recommend using a 180 degree thermostat because it will send the wrong signal to the ECU which will provide a richer than necessary fuel mixture thinking that engine is just warming up. This overly rich mixture will eventually cause you CAT to fail with a P0420 code. Then, you're talking some real money instead of a $12 thermostat. Use the stock temperature unit.
I understand now, I just wanted to ensure I got the right part and temperature. I will look around to see if I can find a 190-degree one. I believe that is OEM specs. Thank you for this information.
The OEM temp specification for this vehicle thermostat is 195 degrees F.
Have you verified the cooling fan/fans are working? Sometimes when a car is running hot but not in the red it may be due to one of the two fans not kicking on, or a single fan motor malfunctioning. Symptoms of this would be running hot at idle/ low speeds, but normal on the highway. I'm assuming this doesn't have a belt driven fan.
Is this the original radiator as well? That thing could be shot, or even just covered with bugs up front. Really there's alot that can cause overheating.
It appears that your vehicle has a fan clutch as the main cooling fan. If you can turn it by hand and feel little to no resistance, when the engine is cold, you need a new fan clutch.